Podcast Categories: Education

As the birthplace of the mindfulness movement in the United States, Naropa University has a unique perspective when it comes to higher education in the West. Founded in 1974 by renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar and lineage holder Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Naropa was intended to be a place where students could study Eastern and Western religions, writing, psychology, science, and the arts, while also receiving contemplative and meditation training. Forty-three years later, Naropa is a leader in ‘contemplative education’, a pedagogical approach that blends rigorous academics, contemplative practice, and experiential learning. Naropa President Chuck Lief explains, “Mindfulness here is not a class. Mindfulness is basically the underpinning of what we do in all of our classes. That said, the flavor or the color of mindfulness from class to class is really completely up to the individual faculty member to work on—on their own. So, what happens in a poetry class is going to look very different from what happens in a research psychology class. But, one way or another the contemplative practices are brought into the mix.” This podcast is for those with an interest in mindfulness and a curiosity about its place in both higher education and the world at large. Hosted by Naropa alumnus and Multimedia Manager David DeVine, episodes feature Naropa faculty, alumni, and special guests on a wide variety of topics including compassion, permaculture, social justice, herbal healing, and green architecture—to name a few. Listen to explore the transformative possibilities of mindfulness, both in the classroom and beyond!

As a college admissions counselor, I think “The Crush” sums up the way most people feel about the college admissions process and the college experience itself. High school students fall into a deep infatuation with a potential future alma mater, maybe even many, and work themselves into ulcerous, sleepless fits trying to find a way to get noticed and give them a chance. And then there’s the other kind of crush….the physical weight of it all. The pressure of expectations for yourself, your parents, your peers, the weight of the finances you might be asked to conjure up in order to appease your hungry crush, and the crush of information in the form of mailings to your house, stories in the media, tweets, op-eds, rumors, gossip, and outright bull***. This podcast looks to explore these issues and more by talking to fascinating people who know more about it all than I do.

Enrollment Growth University is a professional development podcast for higher education leaders looking to grow enrollment at their college or university.

Each episode features an interview with a leader in higher education, discussing enrollment growth strategies that are working at their institution, through topics such
as: enrollment marketing, adult student recruitment, enrollment management, online learning, student retention, data intelligence, online course development, financial aid, academic scheduling, and more.

If you’re looking for tactics, strategies, and best practices in order to build a step-by-step roadmap toward enrollment growth in higher education at your institution, this podcast is for you.