Thank you to the speakers and attendees of the 2021 Symposium, see you next year!
Welcome
The 2021 Contemplative Practices for Higher Education (CPHE) Symposium will be the eighth year we have offered an opportunity for a variety of contemplative practitioners to come together in order to share the good work they have accomplished within their respected fields. This gathering is sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Contemplative Higher Educatiion Alliance for Research, Teaching and Services (C-HEARTS). Please see the C-HEARTS page for a listing of previous conferences and symposiums.
The 2021 virtual symposium is targeted toward professionals interested in integrating contemplative practices with their academic discipline or passion. Individuals who are currently involved or those who are interested in becoming involved in contemplative practices are welcome to attend. The symposium is intended to provide an incubator for long-term working partnerships leading to growth in related professional activities. The intention is to provide an intimate atmosphere for the development of sustainable interactions as well as generate new ideas.
Symposium Structure
The intention of this symposium is to foster and encourage the integration and sustainability of contemplative practices into our professional lives: in the classroom, in the research laboratory, in the office, in healthcare, in the arts, and in the workplace.
The symposium is organized to examine the foundations of contemplative practices, to share current practices, and to explore ways to incorporate contemplative practices into our chosen academic fields. Woven throughout the symposium are experiential opportunities for guided mind-body practices as well as contemplation.
The symposium will begin on Thursday night with a Keynote address by Rhonda V. Magee. She has spent her career weaving mindfulness-based practices into her work with ColorInsight and healing communities through racial justice.
Friday will be a day of learning and practice with four invited speakers. The speakers include; Paul Wapner, Yuria Celidwen, Tish Jennings, and Steven Willis.
Saturday will be a Day of Contemplative Practice lead by experienced practitioners; including special guest Lance Brunner.
Please visit our Speakers page to learn more about our invited guests and the Day of Contemplative Practice.
Important Dates
- Registration opens - Friday, January 1, 2021
- Registration closes/No Refunds after - Wednesday, March 3, 2021
- Symposium - March 4-6, 2021
Further Background on the Symposium
Since 2012, the annual CPHE gatherings invite students, academics, professionals, contemplatives, practitioners, and researchers from fields such as Education, Arts, Health, Business, Science, Technology and Student Affairs to engage in conversations about the role of contemplative mind-body practices for advancing innovation, creativity, and reflection as well as the three core mission areas of higher education - Teaching, Research, and Service - providing a foundation for an enriched life experience.
Across fields, roles and disciplines, we are all members of the global community and hold in common a goal to help others to achieve their full potential and to seek solutions to today’s increasing complex global, social, and environmental challenges. In this symposium, we explore the possibility that contemplative mind-body practices may provide a holistic approach to the challenges of the 21st century by integrating the many contributions and innovations from all of these fields while honoring the commonality of the human experience.
A starting point for this conversation can be found in a wide variety of contemplative mind-body practices like mindfulness and other forms of meditation, movement practices like tai chi and yoga, and creative practices using art, writing, and deep listening. In this symposium, we explore the possibility that contemplative practices can have a direct impact on the academic experience within higher education. We explore the possibility that contemplative practices can provide a foundation for health, wellness, and life-long learning which can be carried into the workplace experience as well as our personal lives.
In our annual conferences, we offer participants the opportunity to engage in contemplative practice and conversation through keynote lectures, practice sessions, presentations, roundtable discussions, and community building. Given the uncertainties around large public gatherings at the present time, we are instead offering a virtual symposium in 2021, with hopes to host a conference in person in 2022. We are dedicated to coming together to explore commonality and mutual understanding for a safer, saner, more compassionate world as we invent our future.