JULY 2015
Alumni E-newsletter header

In This Issue
A Note from Melissa Holland
Call to Action
Alumni Events
Alumni Highlights
Admissions News
 
University Events 

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please click here.

June 14 - July 11, 2015
Arapahoe Campus


University News

Lincoln Building at Naropa University in autumn




 
Contact Us

Director of Alumni Relations
303-546-3597

 

Alumni & Annual Fund Manager
303-245-4670

 Sarah Steward
Sarah Steward
Director of Career and Community Engagement
303-245-4863

 
GSP Credentialing Coordinator
303-245-4722

Assistant Dean of Graduate Admissions
303-546-5285

 
Karen Wills
Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Admissions
303-245-4693
 
Quick Links
A Note from Melissa Holland

Dear Naropa alumni,

 

It is with both sadness and excitement that I share this news with you: I will be leaving my position in alumni relations. My last day is Thursday, July 2nd. I will be transitioning to a new job - that does not pay so well and has a very demanding, but adorable boss - to become a stay-at-home mom, with my two-year old son, Max.

 

I feel like Naropa has contributed more to my life, and my personal and professional development than I have contributed to Naropa. And I'm so grateful. So much of what I have learned here is what is supporting me now, during this significant transition. I am appreciating Chogyam Trungpa's quote:"The bad news is you're falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is there's no ground." So I feel myself both leaning into and resisting this new groundless space - as I'm sure some of you can relate to as you navigate your own transitions! I will still be teaching in the Transpersonal Counseling department, a positive psychology weekend course in fall, and possibly a class in spring, so I'll still be a part of the Naropa community, thankfully.

 

It was such a joy to connect with you, work with you and get to know you. Thank you for all the ways you have shown up for Naropa over the years; it has been an inspiration to me. Naropa is a unique, much-needed place in this world and you are each the ambassadors carrying the light of Naropa into the world.

 

With deep affection and gratitude,

Melissa Holland

Call to Action 

Alumni Association LOGO
We invite you to...  
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Share your voice with "This is My Naropa"

Naropa will soon be launching a "This is My Naropa" campaign which will spotlight alumni and current students and be featured across the Naropa website and our online outlets. We're looking for your help in providing insight into the Naropa experience for the broader community! 

 

We invite you to take a moment and consider the questions below, please email MarCom@naropa.edu with your response:
 

1) When do you remember first hearing about Naropa and deciding that Naropa was the place for you? What were you doing at the time?
2) Naropa's tagline is "Transform yourself, transform the world." Do you remember a particular moment while you were at Naropa that you first realized this transformation? What were you doing at the time?
3) How have you utilized your Naropa education to make an impact in the world?

 

Seeking Naropa Alumni Veterans

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Current student, Dennis Kerr, is organizing a Naropa Student Veteran's Day Exhibit and Event this November. He is looking for volunteers and collaborators for this event. If you are a veteran and an alum, please feel free to contact Dennis at dkerr1@students.naropa.edu, to find out how you could be involved in this exciting event!

 

A Call for Contemporary Poetry in Boulder

Naropa's Gallery Manager, Charmain Schuh, in collaboration with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, is looking for poets and performance artists from the Naropa community to support the Biennial of the Americas in Denver. Highlighting the creative community in Boulder, they are looking for work specifically relating to Boulder. 

You are also invited to submit work to the Boulder Poetry Map at denverpoetrymap@gmail.com. For more details or information on these opportunities, please contact Charmain Schuh at cschuh@naropa.edu or 303-245-4637. 

 

Save the Date for The Naropa Event

You're invited to Naropa's biggest fundraising event of the year! The Naropa Event will be taking place on Saturday, November 14, 2015 in Boulder, CO. Enjoy an evening of fun, food, dancing, and fundraising for Naropa University. More details coming soon. Save the Date!

Alumni Events
Alumni Sharing Knowledge:  
"Reinvent Your Healthcare with Essential Oils" with Brendan Klosterman, BA '06
Thursday, July 9, 2015
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.- MST
Join us online from anywhere!
This webinar will empower you to be able to support you and your family's physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness through safe, effective, and inexpensive essential oils that have no side effects or addictive qualities.

Learn more and RSVP.

 

Denver Naropa Alumni Gathering: Meditation, Connection and Fun

Saturday, July 11, 2015
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Shambhala Meditation Center Denver
2305 S Syracuse Way, Unit 214
Denver, CO 80231
*After party with bowling at Punch Bowl Social

Alumni in the Denver Metro area have joined forces to create a group that meets once a month to connect with other Naropa alumni, to catch up, share a Naropa bow and a cup of tea together and utilize some of the fun resources available in the Denver area. Join us for the initial gathering and creation of the group on Saturday July 11 at the Shambala Meditation Center of Denver! 

If you would like to help spearhead the Alumni Group in Denver, please contact Nathan Railla at smcddirector@gmail.com  or Lila Ferguson at lilafergy@yahoo.com. Please RSVP to Nathan or Lila if you would like to attend the event!

 

Open S P A C E Unconference: Naropa's Department of Contemplative Education Celebrates 25 years!

Friday, July 17- Sunday, July 19, 2015
Naropa University, Arapahoe campus
2130 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80302

In 25 years, Contemplative Education has grown in importance across the educational spectrum. Naropa is at the forefront of this vital movement. We plan to gather all of the amazing alumni that are now carrying the seeds of this incredible program forward with the intention of sharing the vast wealth of wisdom and knowledge that has blossomed over the past 25 years! Together we will explore where this journey has taken us and where it will lead in the future! Learn more and register today. 

 

Colorado Alumni Listening Tour

Summer 2015

Naropa Prayer Flags
Boulder: July 22 & August 18
Longmont: July 28 & August 12
Fort Collins: July 31
Denver: August 6
Colorado Springs: August 13

Join your fellow Naropa alumni and friends for connection and conversation throughout Colorado. We're hosting events in Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, Denver, and Colorado Springs to invite conversation about your personal connection with Naropa. Please come share your story and your voice. Learn more and RSVP for an event near you!  

Alumni Highlights
Dr. John Edwin DeVore, MA '04, recently released a new book on his journey towards self-awareness as a war veteran, "Sitting in the Flames." Described as "an experiential autobiography created following two years of combat during the Vietnam War, coupled with priceless support in re-visiting the emotional and mental chaos of a treasured experience helping the Vietnamese people," the book "has many reflections and lessons about fear, ignorance and anger that illuminates the path for an inner journey to uncover and witness one's true self." Read more about the book. 

Caitlin Buck, BA '12, was featured in the Boulder Weekly discussing her artwork which had been displayed at the Laughing Goat Coffeehouse in downtown Boulder. In the interview, Buck talks about her time in Boulder, the influence of Naropa, and her work with acrylic painting. She shares, "Painting, as a practice, will always be there. I'll never stop. It's a deep biological necessity. How that's gonna grow into a form of service, I'm still figuring out, but I know I want to teach." Read the article online.

Michael Reading, MA '14, is pursuing his Phd in Comparative Religion at Claremont School of Theology in east Los Angeles. Upon graduating, he wishes to teach world religions at the collegiate level. His current main interests are the Dharma traditions of India, comparative mysticism, and the self-purification (yama and niyama) practices of Hindu yoga. Michael looks forward to delivering a presentation at the upcoming fall national AAR conference in Atlanta on the topic of Hindu celibacy within Tantra and Advaita Vedanta, his thesis project at Naropa. And though he loves his current program, he also admits that he misses Naropa and Boulder all the same.

  

Following his fellowship at the White House as an Innovation Fellow, Rob "Renny" Baker, BA '02, recently returned from Sierra Leone and Liberia, contributing to open data and Internet connectivity initiatives in both countries, helping people connect with and improve government services.
 
After graduation, Sondra Blanchard, MFA '07, worked 
with local alumni and other companies on shows and taught at Naropa, UNC Greeley, and Community College of Aurora. She started Public Works Theatre Company in 2013. Wanting to make new work for young audiences that sparks wonder and curiosity, and stimulates the imagination, not only serving to cultivate the next generation of theatre patrons but helping build community and increasing the art offerings in East Boulder County. The company is now touring in schools and theatres along the Front Range and was recently featured in The Denver Post.
Admissions News

Summer gently stretches evenings, and we somehow find additional time for visiting with friends, family, and neighbors. Fire rings, back porches, gardens, and beaches become the backdrop for unhurried conversations. This is the time of year when we in admissions hear from potential students whose conversations have turned to education and meaningful growth.


Admissions, along with some faculty, students, and additional staff, showed up at Denver PrideFest in a big way. The Naropa tent and art installation was incredibly popular- one of the most visited of the festival. With a message of "We love you for you" the Naropa staffers hugged, and laughed their way through two beautiful days...

 

Read more...