\u201cI saw students struggling to complete their work due to anxiety or other mental health issues,\u201d she says. \u201cOthers 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The University has long offered an array of mental health programs for students, such as its Health Promotion Office<\/a>, University Counseling Center<\/a>, and The CARE Network<\/a>. And since 2018, the Mindful University Project<\/a>, an initiative from the Health Promotion Office, has focused specifically on empowering the campus community to build a culture of mindful presence and compassion.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pandemic was a major catalyst for the rise of interest in mindfulness among the general public,\u201d says Rebecca Block, director of the Mindful University Project. \u201cPeople sought tools to manage uncertainty, anxiety and isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a Healthy Minds Network survey<\/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.<\/p>\n \u201cSubstantial research has shown that mindfulness interventions for teachers can enhance their mental health and provide a more positive classroom environment,\u201d Block says. \u201cThat\u2019s the gap we wanted to fill.\u201d<\/p>\n But there were no University of Rochester mindfulness leadership programs targeted at faculty\u2014until 2023. That\u2019s when the University\u2019s Mindful Professor Training Program<\/a> debuted, the first in the country<\/a> 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\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough my background in health promotion, education, yoga, and mindfulness, I\u2019ve witnessed firsthand how much educator well-being can influence student learning, mental health, and a sense of belonging,\u201d Block says. \u201cMany faculty and instructors on campus shared my interest, which led to the creation of this program.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly 60 Rochester faculty members have taken part since its inception. All seven University academic schools\u2014spanning the subjects of business, science, music, medicine, education, and the arts\u2014have been represented.<\/p>\n Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment\u2014\u201cwith curiosity, openness, and without judgment,\u201d Block says. It can many forms, from breath awareness and yoga, to Tai Chi and walking.<\/p>\n Soules, an instructor in the Writing, Speaking, and Argument<\/a> program, heard praise about the mindfulness program for faculty from colleagues and decided to join the spring semester\u2019s cohort in January.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who have been through the program seemed more equipped going into stressful times and classroom situations,\u201d she says. \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. \u201cLet\u2019s arrive in the present together,\u201d Critchley softly tells the group, whose eyes are closed. \u201cBoth feet on the ground, lift your rib cage, lengthen your neck. Now breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n Critchley then asks the class to name something they\u2019re 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\u2019s. Critchley recounts a birthday celebration with catered food from her favorite restaurant.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what\u2019s happening, there\u2019s plenty to be grateful for,\u201d Critchley says. \u201cWe use this exercise to embed practicing gratitude daily.\u201d<\/p>\n Block and Critchley\u2019s ongoing research on the program\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether, 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\u2014with the belief that the mood in the classroom starts at the top,\u201d Block says.<\/p>\n Critchley says that professors set the tone as the classroom leader. \u201cThey need to take this calm mindset into class\u2014and have the toolkit to do it,\u201d she says. \u201cBy arriving in presence, the professor\u2019s state is infectious through what\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2014and their classrooms. And 85 percent said they were either \u201cextremely\u201d or \u201cmoderately\u201d confident in their ability to use mindfulness strategies to support student well-being.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Block and Critchley\u2019s examination into the positive impact of mindfulness programs for college faculty\u2014and how it directly affects students\u2019 mental health\u2014has reached a scholarly audience with the publication of their research\u00a0on the topic<\/a> in the Journal of American College Health<\/em>.<\/p>\n Craig Sellers<\/a> \u201978N, \u201988N (MS), \u201909N (PhD), \u201910 (PMC) a School of Nursing<\/a> professor from 1997 until his recent retirement, was among the faculty participants in the the spring mindfulness workshops.<\/p>\n \u201cPost pandemic, students had become distant\u2014because we went to distance learning,\u201d he says. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Sellers brought what he learned into the classroom before difficult medical exams. \u201cThe technique I used with students was a breathing exercise called \u2018centering,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s about focusing on the moment while letting go of what happened in the past or might happen in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n The feedback was very positive. Sellers says that one student told him, \u201cThis is exactly what I needed. My mind was racing before the exam.\u201d<\/p>\n Sellers now meditates daily. He can\u2019t stress enough the importance of practicing mindfulness for nurse practitioner students. \u201cWe do a lot of stuff in healthcare that is very serious,\u201d he says. \u201cYou need to be calm and present while engaging in those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n Block and Critchley hope to expand the program to reach more University faculty. This fall, they\u2019re bringing the program to the Medical Center<\/a>. In 2026, they\u2019ll run a program at the Eastman School of Music<\/a>. They also plan to develop a completely asynchronous version for individuals who wish to complete the program online.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still growing, but we\u2019re encouraged by the early results,\u201d Block says. \u201cParticipants report feeling more grounded, connected, and present. And most importantly, they\u2019re better able to create inclusive, mindful learning environments. That\u2019s a win for the instructors and the students.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was initially published on May 5, 2025. It was updated on May 23 to reference research published in the <\/em>Journal of American College Health.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A University program trains faculty to embrace mindfulness in the classroom, with instructors and students alike benefiting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":672,"featured_media":651312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[42,37112],"class_list":["post-651022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-alumni","tag-faculty"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Four](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/inline-mindful-professor.jpg\")
Being calm, present, and grateful<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/inline-mindful-professor-2.jpg\")
Bringing mindfulness into the classroom<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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