The Frederick P. Lenz Residential Fellowship in Buddhism and American Culture and Values
This is an opportunity for faculty and other professionals to spend a semester on the Naropa University campus in Boulder, Colorado, conducting a research, artistic, social action, or other project that relates Buddhist philosophy and practice to an aspect of American culture and values. This is an ideal place for a Buddhism fellowship, Religious Studies fellowship, or sabbatical fellowship in Religion.
Previous Scholars by Academic Year
2021–2022: Ruth Wallen // Walking with Trees and Daring to Love in the Time of Great Fires
2020–2021: Elizabeth Maynard, PhD // Embodied Pedagogies for Liberatory Art Practices
This fellowship supports the development of art history and art pedagogies rooted in embodied practices. The alleged meritocracies that govern many higher educational cultures in the United States (often linked to supremacist constructions of individual excellence) contribute to significant rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout among students, especially in BIPOC communities. In reckoning with my personal experience as a student and an adjunct professor, combined with my observation of the experiences of my students at the highly competitive Rhode Island School of Design, my research and teaching-learning methodologies have turned towards the possibilities of body-mind based epistemologies within educational institutions. My work as an educator and scholar have been both personally and methodologically informed by my Buddhist-lineage meditation practice, by way of Jewish Renewal interpretive models. The decentering of Self implicit in both is reflected in the post-Modernist project of art history, while somatic awareness is foundational to exploring alternatives to Englightenment-era Western epistemologies, as well as cultivating spaces for transformative praxis among students and faculty in a neoliberal environment. I plan to produce and publish sharable teaching modules for anti-oppression educators aiming to integrate contemplative and embodied practices into artistic/creative pedagogy.
2019–2020: Kathleen Yep, PhD // Integrating Contemplative Practices in Palliative Care by and for Immigrants and Refugees
In collaboration with a community partner, I will co-develop a transformative justice curriculum by and for undocumented immigrants and refugees. Weaving together contemplative practices, public health, and feminist pedagogies, this project centers loving-kindness practices to amplify community strategies for surviving and thriving after release from immigration detention centers. In doing so, we will reimagine palliative care in the context of historical trauma and community cultural wealth.
2018–2019: Stephanie Briggs // Visioning the Eightfold Path: Liberatory Contemplative Practical Empowerment for African-American Educators
Stephanie Briggs is an independent scholar/artist and owner/designer of Be.Still.Move., a program of contemplative, compassionate community building through embodied movement and arts-based learning. She has created racially sensitive self-care programs for the STEM Women of Color Conclave, Howard University Hospital, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Her recent research, “Practical Empowerment: Building Contemplative Communities With Student of Color” funded by a grant from the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, consisted of a think tank of faculty of color from six institutions focusing on the value of contemplative communities on college campuses. Based on qualitative assessments, this year-long project determined that incorporating personal, practical strategies through contemplative pedagogical processes that were partially informed by African/African-American practices were key elements when creating safe, academic spaces. Stephanie Briggs’ 2018-2019 Lenz Fellowship project will address inequities towards African-American faculty, particularly those in predominately white institutions (PWIs), through community-based practices that contextualize Buddhist and African/African-American spirituality wisdoms. By also incorporating art and movement-based theories, the goal is to uncover ways of rethinking and releasing suffering and, through the creation of training modules, establish the groundwork for personal, transformative change through contemplative, communal practices designed for African-American faculty.
2016–2017: Jennifer Woodhull // Working with Violence from an Inclusive Worldview
2015–2016: Ryūmon Baldoquin, Sensei // Contemplative Somatic Wellness™: A Body-Mind Centered Movement for Spiritual Social Activism
2014–2015: Melissa Rolnick, MFA // MEISA: Movement Exploration through Imagery and Sensory Awareness
2013–14: Douglas Lindner, PhD
2012–13: Sarah J. Heidt, PhD // Contemplative Pedagogies for Literary Study
2011–12: David R. Loy, PhD // The Great Encounter: Why Buddhism and Modernity Need Each Other
2011–12: Arturo J. Bencosme, PhD // Heart to Organizations: Contemplativeness-based Organizational Learning and Strategic Thinking
FAQ
What is The Frederick P. Lenz Residential Fellowship Program?
Must I be a faculty member to apply for the program?
Must I be a US citizen or permanent resident to apply to the program?
What will my experience be like if I am accepted as a fellow?
What are the responsibilities of fellows?
Fellows will be expected to:
- Immerse themselves in the educational opportunities of the university—auditing courses, meeting regularly with faculty, attending university functions, accessing library resources, etc.
- Complete the project proposed in the application to the fellows program.
- Present a public lecture or demonstration, conduct a classroom session, and/or offer some contemplative practice or artistic performance. Fellows will also provide a final presentation on the outcome of their project and their fellowship.
- Develop a plan for implementing the project after the residency. This may include a plan for publication, teaching, community service and so on.
- Acknowledge the fellowship support, as well as both Naropa University and the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism, in all publications, performances or other products resulting from the residency.