Issue 3, Summer 2009

We're delighted to share the following articles and announcements from members and catch up on Association news. Our membership continues to grow, and received a big push from attendance at the April 24 - 26, 2009 Contemplative Heart of Higher Education Conference at Amherst College, our first Association conference, which was restricted to members. We now number over 320. And from informal research about the development of associations and learned societies, which typically take 50 – 100 years to grow from their core of 35 – 60 charter members to the thousands they count today, we're showing up rather robustly for year one. And we'll learn much more about our viability when reenrollment of existing members comes up in September, 2009.

Of course, the recent conference in Amherst resulted in much more than increased membership. This meeting of over 100 educators and administrators from North America and the UK generated much warmth, energetic engagement and a clearer focus on the future of contemplative pedagogy and this Association. Geri DeLuca's report of the conference follows below, and includes a report on the first Association forum, which aired many ideas for its development as an organization.

Many of those in attendance at the conference were applicants to and recipients of Contemplative Practice Fellowship program grants over the past 10 years, and they have provided leadership for this emerging movement. In this issue we announce and extend a very warm welcome to the 2009 fellows as they join our network.

We want to express our appreciation to all the contributors to the newsletter and to all you charter members for your support and involvement. We're excited to set our sights on the next phase of our continuing association.

Be well,

Beth Wadham, Academic Associate,
The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society

Geri DeLuca, Professor of English,
Brooklyn College, CUNY

In this issue...

1. The Contemplative Heart of Higher Education
2. 2009 Contemplative Practice Fellows
3. Member interview: Nancy Waring, Lesley University
4. Learning Lens by Rob Kaplan
5. Contemplative Pedagogy in Quintana Roo
6. Press Room Links to member news and relevant articles
7. Member Announcements
8. Upcoming Events
9. Reports on Past Events
10. Film Review: What would It Look Like?
    
    

The First Annual Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education Conference: The Contemplative Heart of Higher Education,

April 24- 26, 2009 Amherst College, Amherst Massachusetts
by Geri DeLuca, Professor of English, Brooklyn College

Friday Evening, April 24.
After registration and a welcoming reception in the Main Lobby of Converse Hall, Arthur Zajonc, Director of Academic Programs for the Center for Contemplative Mind, and Mellon Professor of Physics and Interdisciplinary Studies at Amherst College, opened the first conference of the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education at 8:00 pm in the Cole Assembly ”Red Room.” He welcomed members to this important occasion, which is the brain (and heart) child of the Center for Contemplative Mind. To illustrate how far we have come since the Center was established in 1996, he noted that Thursday, April 23, had been a Day of Mindfulness at Amherst College, during which students and faculty held contemplative classes and did yoga and meditation—an occasion that would have been unimaginable at Amherst 20 years ago.

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Contemplative Practice Fellowship Program

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2009 Contemplative Practice Fellowships. The large number of proposals we received indicates the growing interest in contemplative practice in academic settings, but made the selection process difficult. If we had greater funding, we would have funded many other worthy proposals, but we are grateful to be able to support the following scholars and these courses.

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Interview with Nancy Waring

Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA

Beth Wadham: What are your points of contact with the academic program of The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society?

Nancy: My first meditation teacher, back in the early 1980s, was Jon Kabat-Zinn. Through Jon, and a longstanding connection with the Center for Mindfulness, I became aware of the Center for Contemplative Mind, in 2001. That year I returned to academia, as a professor in Lesley's Self-Designed Masters Degree Program. Before then, I'd been doing magazine journalism, some of it focused on contemplative practices. Naturally, I was interested in the potential for mindfulness in education. Learning that there was an organization committed to this was exciting. I began following the Center's activities and attended the Center's Amherst Regional Symposium in 2003. It was wonderful to hear what like-minded educators were up to.

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Learning Lens

Rob Kaplan, Professor, School of Dance, Arizona State University

This is a progress report on a process that began in August 2007. For the past two years we have been developing a new approach to our BFA and MFA curriculum in Dance at Arizona State University. The first year began with weekly 3-hour dream/brainstorm sessions with six people. We created a structure of learning modalities that became the lens through which we began building a new curriculum. It places creativity and intuition at the center, building contextual connections both inwards and outwards—local and global. We call it the “learning lens,” and what is interesting is that it points to contemplative practice. So we are now looking at what the role ofcontemplative practice is in the curriculum, and how do we integrate it?

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What is Contemplative Education and what are some ways to introduce it into higher education in Mexico?

Jane M. Mackler, Argelia Peña Aguilar, Karina Camacho Serena

“When teaching, three important paths must be taken—intellectual, emotional and spiritual—and none can be ignored. Reduce teaching to intellect, and it becomes a cold abstraction; reduce it to emotions, and it becomes narcissistic; reduce it to the spiritual, and it loses its anchor to the world. Intellect, emotion, and spirit depend on one another for wholeness. They are interwoven in the human self and in education (at its best).” (Palmer,1998, p. 4)

In other words, intellect, emotions and spirit are essential elements in the process of becoming the best teacher, student and human being one can be. It is not just about the content of the subject and the teaching methods or strategies, but also about the people with whom we are working and the academic components. This philosophy of education supports the notion that teaching and learning is a never-ending process of transforming human potential into human performance. How can it be done? What means might be used to reach this final goal?

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Press Room

Follow the links below to recent news about members and topics relevant to contemplative higher education.

Daniel Barbezat, Professor of Economics, Amherst College and Contemplative Practice Fellow 2008, wins the publicity prize with three articles discussing the course he developed during his fellowship, “Consumption and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Conscious Consumerism, May 31, 2009, boston.com
Economics 101 Meets Buddhism, February 23, 2009 in US News and World Report
Consuming Happiness, Amherst College Online

Always Mindful, May 6, 2009, Amherst College Online
Amherst College also wrote up the recent Day of Mindfulness, offered campus wide preceding the Association's Contemplative Heart of Higher Education Conference in April. This could serve as a model of how to gather faculty working across the curriculum around this approach.

David Zlotnick, Professor of Law at Roger Williams University and Contemplative Practice Fellow 2008 also received some great exposure for the course he taught.
At Roger Williams University, A mindful class for trial lawyers, May 4, 2009, The Providence Journal

A Quest for Compassion (PDF), April 24, 2009, Science magazine.
Discusses the new research institute at Stanford and relevant research on meditation.

Barry Boyce's The Mindful Society: Contemplative Curriculum is in the July 2009 issue of Shambhala Sun, on newsstands now (online later).

Thomas G. Andrews, Assistant Professor of History and Contemplative Practice Fellow 2007 received the Bancroft Prize for his recently published book, Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War (Cambridge: Harvard University Press). There's a 2:44 movie on YouTube of Dr. Andrews talking about his book at called "Killing for Coal: Thomas G. Andrews."

Arthur Zajonc, Professor of Physics, Amherst College and Director of the Academic Program at The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society will be posting a blog contributing his meditative perspective to the Psychology Today website every two weeks. Visit Psychology Today in the near future to find him. As part of the blog, he plans to offer a range of contemplative exercises to try and to share with others.

Announcements from Members

Elizabeth Bader, Author and Mediator, has posted an abstract of her article under submission for publication. “The Psychology of Mediation: Issues of Self and Identity in the IDR Cycle” (PDF) appears on the ACMHE publications page, under the heading, “Psychology.”

Dibakar Barua, Chair, Department of English, Golden West College, has published his first book of poems, The Womb of Memory. Information can be obtained at www.worldparadebooks.com. One of several reviews remarks, “The poetry of Dibakar Barua—like all true poetry—is born from “the womb of memory,” the only such repository to which the poet has access, and his in the quintessential American consciousness of twin subjects: The Old World and the New, East and West, loves and losses, deaths and creations—the Yeatsian distillation of a “terrible beauty” from the Joycean Nightmare of History, the saying and the singing of the unsayable and the unsung, the liberation of the images that have lain dormant behind the enigmatic gaze of the Seer, the Pilgrim, the Siddhartha. Words can be the most intransigent of media, and yet language is the only clay as malleable as mind, as transcendent as music. Dibakar Barua was born to the word.” Gerald Locklin, Author of Gerald Locklin: New and Selected Poems and Chicago, New Orleans and Points Elsewhere.

John Christopher, Professor of Health and Human Development at Montana State University, writes that his student Judy Maris just published a wonderfully written first-hand account of how mindfulness training influenced her ability to be a counselor. Read online or download the pdf here.

David Heckel, RA Jones Professor of English and Dean of the School of Humanities at Pfeiffer University; Dan Huston, Professor of English at NHTI Concord's Community College; Barry Kroll, Robert D. Rodale Professor in Writing and Chair of the English Department at Lehigh University; and Keith Kroll, Professor of English at Kalamazoo Valley Community College will present “The Use of Contemplative Practices in Teaching Writing and Communications” at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in San Francisco, CA March 11- 14, 2009. A description of the presentation follows:

“The use of contemplative practices to enhance learning is becoming more widespread in higher education. Non-discursive practices such as yoga, mindfulness meditation, art, contemplative prayer and walking meditation are being integrated into the classroom to equip students with focusing techniques appropriate to surviving in today's high stress work and school environments while encouraging spiritual growth and increasing creativity and critical thinking.

This session will focus specifically on the theory and practice of contemplative teaching and learning in the communications classroom with the goal of fostering a pedagogy that attends to the development of reflective, contemplative, affective and ethical capacities in our students.”

Lisa Hess, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Contextual Ministries, United Seminary, has added the syllabus for “Wisdom Formation in a (Post-) Modern World,“ a course she teaches with Rabbi Irwin Kula, to the syllabi pages under “Religious Studies." Her book, Artisanal Theology: Intention Formation in Theological Education (Eugene: Cascade 2009) is available on Amazon.com.


Dan Huston, Professor of English and Communication, presented a workshop entitled “Mindful Communication: Fostering Emotional Intelligence” through the Center for Nursing Professional Development at NHTI- Concord's Community College in Concord, NH on October 22, 2008. Eighteen healthcare professionals attended the presentation to learn about how combining mindfulness meditation and communication theory can increase emotional intelligence. Many attendees found the presentation engaging and practical and expressed an interest in learning more about how this contemplative practice can be applied. It was the first time such a workshop had been offered, but given high turnout and positive responses similar programs may be offered in the future.

David Lee Keiser of Montclair State University published a poem, "Liquid Leviathan," in the Spring 2009 edition of Proteus: A Journal of Ideas.

In April, he was part of a dialogue with Professor Richard Nisbett at the Rubin Museum of Art annual BRAINWAVE festival photo

He presented a paper: “Mindful Teaching: Towards a More Conscious Pedagogy,” at the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society biennial conference in Philadelphia, in May, and he is also presenting the paper at the Towards a Science of Consciousness Conference, in Hong Kong, in June.

Susan Allen Nan, Assistant Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University is pleased to share the news of the founding of the Center for Consciousness and Transformation at George Mason. The Center is an interdisciplinary research and teaching center whose mission is to understand the nature and effects of individual and group consciousness and the roles of consciousness in transformative learning and social change. Please find more information on the Center website:
http://cct.gmu.edu/

Dr. Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone (University of Central Missouri) and Dr. Chrys Egan (Salisbury University) will present a workshop "Contemplative Pedagogy" at the North American Interfaith Network annual conference, "NAIN Connect 2009: Experiencing the Spirit in Education - The Challenge of Religious Pluralism." Held in Kansas City June 25-28, 2009, NAIN Connect is an official Pre-Parliament event for the Parliament of the World's Religions. Information is available online at www.nain.org.

Ann Riley, PhD Candidate, ELPS/Adult & Higher Education, University of Oklahoma is working on a dissertation entitled, “New Faculty in Transition: Understanding the Place of Spirituality,” which examines the holistic adult adjustment of 18 new faculty members across 16 different disciplinary fields at a mid-western research Institution. Participants also cross boundaries of religious identification and a summary of their primary nomenclature reveal: Atheist, Buddhist/Eastern, Christian (Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Evangelical, Methodist, Protestant and Southern Baptist denominations), Jewish, Laoist/Karma, Native American, Pagan/Wiccan, Scientific, Unitarian Universalist and a Zen practitioner. Several are regular meditation practitioners. Out of the research findings and analysis two related models are emerging: one a holistic adult adjustment model of becoming that places spirituality within related levels of Self, Society, Supernatural and Soul; and a second that emphasizes a holistic academic environmental model supporting the spiritual needs of new faculty in career transition. Recommendations for institutional faculty development programming that support holistic adult & career development needs will be included.

Michael Skelley, Associate Professor, School for New Learning, DePaul University has posted three new syllabi, Mindfulness Meditation, Introduction to Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation, and Externship: Mindfulness Meditation Retreat at Starved Rock State Park to our ACMHE Syllabi listings. They appear under the heading, “Contemplative Studies.”

Gayle Yamauchi Gleason has written a chapter entitled, "Constructivist Listening for Reflection, Integration & Action," to be included in the forthcoming e-book published by Kendall Hunt, "Best Practices in Experiential & Service Learning in Communication," edited by David Worley, Deborah Worley, Barb Hugenberg & Michael Elkins. Available soon on the Kendall Hunt website.

Upcoming Events

Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education Webinar Series, September 2009 - May 2010, launches with a presentation by Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence and Ecological Intelligence. Members attend without charge. Invitations will be emailed two-weeks prior to the Webinar date. Past Webinars are archived at http://www.acmhe.org/webinars.html.

Mind and Life XIX: Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century, October 8-9, 2009, DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C. Educators, Scientists and Contemplatives Dialogue on Cultivating a Healthy Mind, Brain and Heart.



Center for Contemplative Mind in Society Retreat for Academics
November 12 - 15, 2009
Marconi Center
Marshall, CA.


Al Kaszniak, Professor of Psychology, University of Arizona, would like to announce the following two 2010 retreat/seminar events that he has co-organized with Roshi Joan Halifax, being held at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

ZEN BRAIN: The Self and Selflessness in Buddhism, Philosophy, and Neuroscience. January 21 - 24, 2010. Faculty: Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D. , Richard J. Davidson, PhD, Alfred W. Kaszniak, Ph.D. Evan Thompson, PhD and John Dunne, PhD.

Buddhist practice involves the cultivation of the realization of selflessness and interdependence and, as well, powerful insights into how we create the illusion of a separate and unchanging self. In recent years, philosophy, cognitive science, and neuroscience have contributed new and important perspectives on these core teachings of Buddhism. In this retreat, prominent scientists and scholars will explore Buddhist, philosophic, and neuroscientific perspectives on the self and selflessness, and the implications of these areas for Zen practice. We as well will look at how we apply the research in neuroscience in the areas of identity, causality, and mental function. Talks, discussions, and explorations with participants are embedded within Zazen practice throughout each day.

Zen Practice and the Emerging Science of Alleviating Suffering , July 28, 2010 - August 1, 2010. Faculty: Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D., Alfred W. Kaszniak, Ph.D. , James H. Austin, M.D., Amishi Jha, PhD, and Shauna L. Shapiro, PhD.

In recent years, neuroscientific research involving experienced Buddhist practitioners, and clinical science studies of interventions derived from Buddhist meditative practice, have motivated new skillful approaches to reducing suffering. In this retreat, Roshi and leading scientists in this emerging area will discuss recent advances in application of these approaches in the alleviation of suffering. Talks and discussion will be embedded within Zazen practice throughout each day.

Reports on Past Events

CUNY Conference: The Second Mindful Learners Conference:
Classroom Practices and Faculty Conversations
On April 3, 2009, the CUNY Contemplative Group, an organization of teachers across the 17-campus City University of New York, held a one-day conference at the CUNY Graduate Center. Fifty people attended and Arthur Zajonc was the keynote speaker. The response to his talk bordered on amazement. People were inspired and grateful to hear his presentation on contemplative ways of knowing and teaching. Prof. Zajonc was followed by a panel including Maria Arias, David Forbes, David Keiser, and Rick Repetti. After lunch, Sondra Perl, whose book Felt Sense outlines a embodied way of writing, took enthusiastic participants through a session; Matthew Burgess did a workshop using Brainard's simple but powerful exercise of starting to write with "I remember"' and Patrick Nugent did a presentation and workshop focusing on heightening awareness of the environment in our teaching. Carla Stangenberg led meditation sessions in the morning and the afternoon. The next conference will be in April of 2010.

The Contemplative Heart of Higher Education, April 24- 26, 2009 (PDF)

Meeting of the Contemplative Practice Fellows, October 31- November 2, 2008 (PDF)

Film Review: What Would It Look Like?

Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone, Anthropology, University of Central Missouri

Many years ago a student wrote a grade appeal letter to me. The letter was seven single-spaced pages of clear, concise dialogue about the final grade, typewritten and presented to me in a signed envelope. As I read through these pages, I noticed a sentence in repetition that has stayed with me for my years of teaching: “Why should I care about other cultures, I am a computer major.” The film “What Would It Look Like,” presented by the Global Oneness Project answers that question very well.

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