Clifford Symposium 2016 graphic

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

Thursday, September 22

Mead Chapel bells signal beginning of Clifford Symposium 2016  

Thursday, September 22

A Discipline of Looking  

Tim Lilburn, eco-poet and philosopher.

Thursday, September 22

Mead Chapel bells signal 30 minutes of silent reflection  

Mead Chapel will be open to the community.

Thursday, September 22

Mindful Meals  

Thursday, September 22

Keynote Speaker: Amishi Jha  

“Strengthening the Brain’s Attention System with Mindfulness Training.” 

Introduction by Middlebury President Laurie L. Patton

Friday, September 23

Mead Chapel bells signal beginning of day’s events  

Friday, September 23

Practice Samplers in Virtue Field House  

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

Friday, September 23

Lunch and Panel Discussion  

“Mindfulness in Performance”

Erin Quinn, Andrea Olsen, Nükhet Kardam, and Bob Hansen.

Friday, September 22

Panel Discussion  

“Mindfulness in Students’ Lives”

with Barbara McCall, Mandy Kimm, and Beatrijs “Bea” Kuijpers, Naomi Eisenberg, Eli Susman, and Cindy Esparza.

Friday, September 23

Student Poster Session  

“Fully Present in Community” with students in the Privilege and Poverty Academic Cluster

Friday, September 23

Panel Discussion  

“Mindful Learning: Using Contemplative Practices to Support Academic and Personal Growth”

with Melissa Hammerle, Carole Cavanaugh, John Huddleston, and Catharine Wright.

Friday, September 23

Panel Discussion  

“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  

Friday, September 23

Mead Chapel bells signal all-campus meditation in chapel and other locations  

Friday, September 23

Community Dinner at the Organic Farm  

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.

Friday, September 23

Film Screening  

The Fire Inside: Place, Passion and the Primacy of Nature (A Contemplative, Ecological Documentary Short)

Panel discussion to follow.

Saturday, September 24

Practice Samplers at Mahaney Center for the Arts  

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

Saturday, September 24

Interactive Workshop and Talk with the Holistic Life Foundation  

“Designing Mindfulness-Based Programs for K-12 Students and Adults in Underserved Communities”

Andres Gonzalez, Ali Smith, and Atman Smith

Saturday, September 24

Movement Matters: Mindful Inquiry Through Movement  

Maree ReMalia

Saturday, September 24

Closing Remarks  

Andi Lloyd, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty 

Mead Chapel bells signal end of Clifford Symposium 2016