Birmingham-Southern Launches Campus Mindfulness Program

For Immediate Release
Nov. 17, 2020

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Birmingham-Southern College has launched the first campus mindfulness and meditation program, made possible by a $5,000 grant from the Trust for the Meditation Process, a charitable foundation encouraging meditation, mindfulness, and contemplative prayer.

The grant will help establish two different programming components: the creation of a dedicated meditation space on campus, and mindfulness instruction and training held in the space.

“The program is designed to bring a dedicated mindfulness space to campus and to provide formal instruction in mindfulness techniques from a licensed teacher,” says Dr. Joe Chandler, associate professor of psychology and director of grants and special projects at BSC. “After that, we intend the space to be supported by a student-staff-faculty partnership, adapting to the contemplative needs of the BSC community.”

Chandler and Assistant Professor of Religion Dr. Keely Sutton serve as the project’s principal investigators. They have partnered with certified mindfulness meditation teacher Cathy Wright, who will lead the training programs.

The first training was held virtually Nov. 13 as an introductory session to the program. The session was titled, “Ten Tips for 2020: Simple Mindfulness Tips and Tools for Managing Stress in Uncertain Times” and discussed what mindfulness is and the benefits of the practice.

“We hope that this grant marks the beginning of a mindfulness program that will be developed through the combined efforts of students, staff, alumni, and faculty,” Sutton says. “The first eight-week session in the spring will be virtual, and we are sure it will prove useful during this stressful time.”

Director of Counseling Services Cara Blakes, Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Kristie Williams, and SGA are also dedicated to the project and plan to contribute helpful resources and guidance as it grows. The meditation space will be open to the entire BSC community, not just residential students.

“These last months have highlighted the need for resilience, and we believe this grant will help our campus community continue to adapt to the COVID crisis while building a long-term habit of collective mindfulness,” Chandler says.

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Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The institution is the result of a 1918 merger of Southern University, founded in Greensboro, Alabama, in 1856, with Birmingham College, founded in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1898. Birmingham-Southern has students from 34 states and 13 countries and a student/faculty ratio of 13:1.