14th Annual Summer Session on Contemplative Learning in Higher Education

Through a variety of practices and workshops, this Summer Session is meant to offer professional development and personal growth for all.

The Summer Session on Contemplative Learning is a week-long intensive that prepares higher education professionals with resources to design and develop contemplative methods for their courses, create inclusive, inquiry-based learning environments, and incorporate contemplative awareness and practice within all aspects of higher education.

The CMES invites educators, researchers, students, and professionals from all higher education disciplines and offices (e.g., counseling, student affairs, athletics, administration) to apply to participate in the 2018 Summer Session. Each applicant should plan to bring a project to the session, as each day will include significant time for project development. Projects could include, but are not limited to, designing and developing a syllabus, curriculum, research project, grant proposal, or faculty learning community.

This year’s Summer Session will be facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of educators with extensive experience across many aspects of higher education. The Summer Session leaders will provide a framework for you to effectively and responsibly integrate contemplative practices into your work. You will have a chance to engage in practices for your own personal development, as well as your professional development. You will have opportunities to reflect on your own, and time to work with others and learn collaboratively, deepening your understanding of a variety of contemplative practices and exploring methods for incorporating them into college classrooms, campuses, and beyond.

Mornings will focus on practice. Participants will be guided through practices designed for academic settings, and learn the context and thought process behind each shared practice. Afternoon workshops will provide participants the opportunity to fine-tune projects they have brought with them, and leaders will be present in these sessions to provide guidance. These two components–practices and workshops–form the core experience of the week. 

Each day offers a variety of opportunities for professional development, but the Summer Session is also a time for personal development. It offers a chance to engage deeply with contemplative practices, to reconnect with old friends, and to forge new connections with like-minded colleagues from across many disciplines. On the last night of the week we will have the ever-popular Open Mic night to celebrate our time together. Please feel free to bring poetry, any instruments easy to travel with, and other forms of self expression you wish to share with the group.
Recommended reading will be provided by Summer Session Leaders at a later date.