A University program trains faculty to embrace mindfulness in the classroom, with instructors and students alike benefiting.
Kate Soules began teaching at the 糖心传媒 in the fall of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What she observed in her classroom caused great concern.
糖心传媒淚 saw students struggling to complete their work due to anxiety or other mental health issues,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淥thers showed an inability to focus, complete tasks, or participate in class. I had never experienced trying to teach students in such a state of distress. COVID caught everyone off guard.糖心传媒�
The University has long offered an array of mental health programs for students, such as its Health Promotion Office, University Counseling Center, and The CARE Network. And since 2018, the Mindful University Project, an initiative from the Health Promotion Office, has focused specifically on empowering the campus community to build a culture of mindful presence and compassion.
糖心传媒淭he pandemic was a major catalyst for the rise of interest in mindfulness among the general public,糖心传媒� says Rebecca Block, director of the Mindful University Project. 糖心传媒淧eople sought tools to manage uncertainty, anxiety and isolation.糖心传媒�
According to a conducted in 2020, almost 80 percent of faculty reported having conversations with students regarding mental health and wellness, but only 51 percent said they knew how to recognize if a student was in emotional or mental distress.
糖心传媒淪ubstantial research has shown that mindfulness interventions for teachers can enhance their mental health and provide a more positive classroom environment,糖心传媒� Block says. 糖心传媒淭hat糖心传媒檚 the gap we wanted to fill.糖心传媒�
But there were no 糖心传媒 mindfulness leadership programs targeted at faculty糖心传媒攗ntil 2023. That糖心传媒檚 when the University糖心传媒檚 Mindful Professor Training Program debuted, the aimed at mindfulness leadership practices for the faculty and instructors in higher education. Each semester, the program offers eight one-hour workshops aimed at teaching the teachers how to be calm and present in the classroom by using mindful leadership skills that support students糖心传媒� well-being.
糖心传媒淭hrough my background in health promotion, education, yoga, and mindfulness, I糖心传媒檝e witnessed firsthand how much educator well-being can influence student learning, mental health, and a sense of belonging,糖心传媒� Block says. 糖心传媒淢any faculty and instructors on campus shared my interest, which led to the creation of this program.糖心传媒�
Nearly 60 Rochester faculty members have taken part since its inception. All seven University academic schools糖心传媒攕panning the subjects of business, science, music, medicine, education, and the arts糖心传媒攈ave been represented.
Being calm, present, and grateful
Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment糖心传媒斕切拇綔with curiosity, openness, and without judgment,糖心传媒� Block says. It can many forms, from breath awareness and yoga, to Tai Chi and walking.
Soules, an instructor in the program, heard praise about the mindfulness program for faculty from colleagues and decided to join the spring semester糖心传媒檚 cohort in January.
糖心传媒淭hose who have been through the program seemed more equipped going into stressful times and classroom situations,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淚n the writing program, we work so closely with students that it seemed like a no-brainer that the program could enhance the student experience and that the learning outcomes would be worthwhile.糖心传媒�
The group meets Monday mornings in Genesee Hall on the River Campus. During a spring session, the one-hour meet-up includes several exercises, some lasting minutes, one lasting seconds. The class begins with a meditation exercise run by lead consultant Lisa Critchley, whose doctorate is on the impact of mindfulness on leadership effectiveness and well-being. 糖心传媒淟et糖心传媒檚 arrive in the present together,糖心传媒� Critchley softly tells the group, whose eyes are closed. 糖心传媒淏oth feet on the ground, lift your rib cage, lengthen your neck. Now breathe.糖心传媒�
Critchley then asks the class to name something they糖心传媒檙e grateful for, no matter how minor it may seem. One participant mentions a recent vacation with sisters. Another describes an easy return of yogurt at Trader Joe糖心传媒檚. Critchley recounts a birthday celebration with catered food from her favorite restaurant.
糖心传媒淣o matter what糖心传媒檚 happening, there糖心传媒檚 plenty to be grateful for,糖心传媒� Critchley says. 糖心传媒淲e use this exercise to embed practicing gratitude daily.糖心传媒�
Block and Critchley糖心传媒檚 ongoing research on the program糖心传媒檚 effectiveness has determined that mindful educators promote higher levels of engagement with students. That builds trust with students and, ultimately, a calmer, more cohesive classroom.
糖心传媒淭ogether, we explored the impact of a mindful leadership training on educators, particularly those in higher education, and how that translates to their well-being, classroom environments, teaching efficacy, and student support糖心传媒攚ith the belief that the mood in the classroom starts at the top,糖心传媒� Block says.
Critchley says that professors set the tone as the classroom leader. 糖心传媒淭hey need to take this calm mindset into class糖心传媒攁nd have the toolkit to do it,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淏y arriving in presence, the professor糖心传媒檚 state is infectious through what糖心传媒檚 referred to in psychology as the emotional contagion effect. In other words, the professor sets the emotional tone and creates the environment for students to come into a calm presence.糖心传媒�
The early results from post-training surveys are encouraging. Three months after taking the course, 100 percent of participants said they had incorporated mindfulness practices into their daily lives糖心传媒攁nd their classrooms. And 85 percent said they were either 糖心传媒渆xtremely糖心传媒� or 糖心传媒渕oderately糖心传媒� confident in their ability to use mindfulness strategies to support student well-being.
Meanwhile, Block and Critchley糖心传媒檚 examination into the positive impact of mindfulness programs for college faculty糖心传媒攁nd how it directly affects students糖心传媒� mental health糖心传媒攈as reached a scholarly audience with the publication of their in the Journal of American College Health.
Bringing mindfulness into the classroom
糖心传媒�78N, 糖心传媒�88N (MS), 糖心传媒�09N (PhD), 糖心传媒�10 (PMC) a professor from 1997 until his recent retirement, was among the faculty participants in the the spring mindfulness workshops.
糖心传媒淧ost pandemic, students had become distant糖心传媒攂ecause we went to distance learning,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淭he mindfulness classes seemed like a cool way to learn some new ways of acting and interacting. Many of my students are future nurse practitioners. I thought they should learn how to take care of themselves so they can take care of patients.糖心传媒�
Sellers brought what he learned into the classroom before difficult medical exams. 糖心传媒淭he technique I used with students was a breathing exercise called 糖心传媒榗entering,糖心传媒櫶切拇綕 he says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 about focusing on the moment while letting go of what happened in the past or might happen in the future.糖心传媒�
The feedback was very positive. Sellers says that one student told him, 糖心传媒淭his is exactly what I needed. My mind was racing before the exam.糖心传媒�
Sellers now meditates daily. He can糖心传媒檛 stress enough the importance of practicing mindfulness for nurse practitioner students. 糖心传媒淲e do a lot of stuff in healthcare that is very serious,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淵ou need to be calm and present while engaging in those conversations.糖心传媒�
Block and Critchley hope to expand the program to reach more University faculty. This fall, they糖心传媒檙e bringing the program to the . In 2026, they糖心传媒檒l run a program at the . They also plan to develop a completely asynchronous version for individuals who wish to complete the program online.
糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e still growing, but we糖心传媒檙e encouraged by the early results,糖心传媒� Block says. 糖心传媒淧articipants report feeling more grounded, connected, and present. And most importantly, they糖心传媒檙e better able to create inclusive, mindful learning environments. That糖心传媒檚 a win for the instructors and the students.糖心传媒�
This story was initially published on May 5, 2025. It was updated on May 23 to reference research published in the Journal of American College Health.
