Press Releases

Inaugural Naropa University-led Contemplative Education Seminar Held in August
US and Canadian Professors Study Contemplative Education Practices

BOULDER, Colo. (Aug 7, 2007)— The Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education (CACE) at Naropa University is currently hosting the first-ever Contemplative Pedagogy Seminar August 2-8th on Naropa's Arapahoe Campus in Boulder, Colorado. Faculty in attendance include professors from 14 different colleges and universities across America and Canada including Virginia Tech, California State University, Brooklyn College, Simon Fraser University (British Columbia), and Agnes Scott College (Georgia).

The CACE Contemplative Pedagogy Seminar introduces Naropa University faculty's expertise into the national conversation about contemplative education in order to further develop the field in a way that will benefit institutions and students beyond Naropa.  The overarching goal of the seminar is to help other universities reach greater clarity about the definition, methods, and outcomes of contemplative education and become more effective at providing this pedagogical approach to all students.

"I'm delighted our faculty has organized this grant-funded opportunity to share our experiences with educators from across the country.  The world needs university graduates whose hearts and minds have been enriched, who are secure in their sense of purpose, are skillful as they approach new situations, and deeply understand tradition and context," says Stuart J. Sigman, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs at Naropa University.

Presenting faculty include long-time contemplative educators from among Naropa core faculty. They are: Barbara Dilley, core faculty in Performing Arts; Zoe Avstreih, co-chair of Somatic Counseling Psychology; Susan Burggraf, chair of Contemplative Psychology; Mark Miller, associate dean of Undergraduate Education; and seminar directors Judith Simmer-Brown, chair of Religious Studies, alongside Richard Brown, chair of Contemplative Education. "The seminar will investigate a variety of methods for infusing higher education courses with contemplative dimensions. The goal is to pass on contemplative practices to an international group of instructors in order to realize that by softening one's attachment to given outcomes, one can create a more open atmosphere for creative discussion and learning," says Brown.

The Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education's (CACE) mission is to offer Naropa University's 30-plus years of experience and faculty expertise in contemplative education to the national and international higher education community and to develop the field of contemplative higher education to reflect cultural diversity and civic engagement across all disciplines. 

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.

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