Upcoming conference I should like to attend.

The Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education Annual Conference (http://www.acmhe.org/events.html)

April 24-26, 2009
Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts

The conference will focus on initiatives of contemplative pedagogy that are taking place in classrooms and institutions of higher education and explore the special role that contemplative practices can play in cultivating those capacities of attention, equanimity, wisdom and compassion that are central to the lives of students and educators.

Through contributed papers, poster sessions, and artistic presentations, as well as in plenary talks and contemplative practice sessions, there will be a wide representation of the ways contemplation can serve higher education. As educators integrate these practices into classrooms and studios they have the opportunity to explore how they help students develop greater mindfulness, open hearts and insights as they deal with the challenges of their studies and our world.

Featuring:

David Levy, Professor, The Information School, University of Washington and author of “No Time to Think: Reflections on Information Technology and Contemplative Scholarship,” will present “Cultivating the Contemplative,” discussing how contemplative practices can be understood as powerful means of cultivating the receptive dimension of engagement with the world.

Arthur Zajonc, Academic Program Director of The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society; Professor of Physics at Amherst College; scientific coordinator for the Mind and Life dialogues with the Dalai Lama; and author of the recently published “Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry” and the forthcoming “Exploring the Heart of Higher Education” with Parker Palmer.