2016: Fully Present: The Art and Science of Mindful Engagement
Join us for three days of inquiry to explore the many ways mindfulness practices can-and do-touch our community.
This year’s theme ties together different strands of mindfulness work to reflect how these practices are currently shaping Middlebury and creating opportunities to build a more explicit contemplative culture.
Sessions will address the science supporting the effects of mindfulness practice on cognitive performance, general well-being, teaching and learning, creative engagement and compassionate leadership. We will consider how these practices can inform our efforts to cultivate an inclusive, socially just community.
We hope you will join us as we pause in our hectic schedules to breathe deeply and to be fully present!
2016 Clifford Symposium Schedule of Events
Tim Lilburn, eco-poet and philosopher.
Mead Chapel will be open to the community.
“Strengthening the Brain’s Attention System with Mindfulness Training.”
Introduction by Middlebury President Laurie L. Patton
Participants are encouraged to try 25-minute introductions to a variety of contemplative practices:
- Yoga with Jennifer Neil
- Aikido with Linda White
- Tai Chi with Sue Driscoll
- Modern Qi Gong video practice with Lee Holden, led by Andrea Olsen and Nükhet Kardam
- Walking and Being Earth with Marc Lapin
- Sitting Meditation with Chessy Kelley
“Mindfulness in Performance”
Erin Quinn, Andrea Olsen, Nükhet Kardam, and Bob Hansen.
“Mindfulness in Students’ Lives”
with Barbara McCall, Mandy Kimm, and Beatrijs “Bea” Kuijpers, Naomi Eisenberg, Eli Susman, and Cindy Esparza.
“Fully Present in Community” with students in the Privilege and Poverty Academic Cluster
“Mindful Learning: Using Contemplative Practices to Support Academic and Personal Growth”
with Melissa Hammerle, Carole Cavanaugh, John Huddleston, and Catharine Wright.
“Studying Mindfulness: Disciplinary Contexts”
with Kim Cronise, Bill Waldron, and John Spackman
Friday, September 23
Conversation and Refreshments with the Founders of the Holistic Life Foundation
Join the Global Food and Farms Program for a family-style outdoor dinner. Feel free to come and meditate in this beautiful location from 5:15–5:30; pizzas from the wood-fired oven will be ready at 5:40.
The Fire Inside: Place, Passion and the Primacy of Nature (A Contemplative, Ecological Documentary Short)
Panel discussion to follow.
Participants are encouraged to try 25-minute introductions to a variety of contemplative practices:
- Yoga with Jennifer Neil
- Aikido with Linda White
- Tai Chi with Sue Driscoll
- Modern Qi Gong video practice with Lee Holden, led by Andrea Olsen and Nükhet Kardam
- Walking and Being Earth with Marc Lapin
- Sitting Meditation with Chessy Kelley
“Designing Mindfulness-Based Programs for K-12 Students and Adults in Underserved Communities”
Andres Gonzalez, Ali Smith, and Atman Smith
Maree ReMalia
Andi Lloyd, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty
Mead Chapel bells signal end of Clifford Symposium 2016