The Contemplative Commons, a space dedicated to integrating themes of nature, art and technology, piloted its diverse programming this past semester following its soft opening Aug. 26, 2024. The grand opening of the Commons, set for April 4-6, will celebrate and promote the growth of the space in the University and local community.
After roughly three years of construction beginning in November 2021, the Commons welcomed students and community members into its doors this past fall for academic courses, research initiatives and drop-in programs, such as writing workshops and yoga classes, among other events. The building is also available as a study space for students from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 57,000 square-foot building overseeing the Dell Pond cost $67.1 million and was a gift from alumni and donors, according to Contemplative Commons Director Nicole Thomas.
“The [donors] wanted to give the University a space to all come together … as [students] are discovering different parts of their identity and figuring out what they might want to add to their life toolkit,” Thomas said.
As a building intended for student-use, the Commons also employs students, with 12 Contemplative Commons Student Advisors. These advisors help strategize and implement programs encouraging contemplation for their peers and assessing the programs’ effectiveness by measuring turnout and student satisfaction. Third-year College student Asia Leslie began working in this role in January 2024.
“It’s been really fun — I really enjoy learning more about this building and helping other students learn more about it, and therefore kind of integrate wellness and mindfulness into their lives,” Leslie said. “Contemplation is a skill that you can build … [to] flourish beyond the classroom.”
Further publicizing this space to students is a priority according to Leslie. The grand opening, for example, will host Zac Brown Band with special guest Maggie Rogers at John Paul Jones Arena, with a portion of the proceeds going towards the Contemplative Sciences Center.
Leslie also noted that social media and word-of-mouth notably drive an increase in student engagement in the buildings’ programming.
“A lot of [what will] get a lot of students [interested] is social media,” Leslie said. “I worked tirelessly over the summer [on social media]. On Instagram every week, we'll say exactly what we’re holding here for students.”
Student advisors also run workshops in the Commons, ranging from reflective meditations to writing workshops. According to Leslie, the Commons is currently working to partner with different Contracted Independent Organizations — student clubs and groups.
“We try to bring in students from different groups and backgrounds,” Leslie said. “We try to have a different theme each week — mixed media, journaling, creative journaling … all kinds of things. We try to be unique and innovative.”
First-year College student Cecilia Sherman enjoys using the space to study. Sherman said the location of the building is especially convenient between her classes and dorms. She also takes a yoga class in the Commons for University credit two times per week.
“The yoga class is really nice. It’s very chill and not [too many people],” Sherman said . “It's also really nice because I'm a first year and I live [nearby]. So it's so close [and] perfect to come here in between classes.”
The Commons also hosts a research initiative known as CIRCL — Contemplative Innovation + Research Co-Lab — an interdisciplinary group of research faculty dedicated to investigating practices and experiences of human transformation. CIRCL convenes teams across the humanities, sciences, arts and technology to advance research on contemplation.
These innovative activities drive the core themes of the building. According to Thomas, nature, one of the three core themes, is tightly interwoven in the architecture and decor of the building to contribute to a grounding experience. Natural aspects include a pond featured in the inner courtyard, floor to ceiling windows to provide natural light and outdoor walkways connecting rooms.
With art as its second central theme, the building features an art gallery, with installations from local artists which have been commissioned for the building. According to Thomas, research shows that a feeling of awe, sometimes inspired by art, can open students up to new experiences.
“We also like to think of the building as a work of art itself,” Thomas said. “When your mind is able to be [awestruck], you are able to be more more open to things that are different … the more that we can create spaces that elicit this feeling of being awestruck, the more we're priming folks for being open to contemplative experiences.”
Thomas said that the third core theme, technology, has been integrated throughout the building to enhance experiences. One of several art installations incorporating technology is NINFEO, an immersive experience displayed on the first floor of the building that uses data from a sensor in the Dell Pond to trigger a responsive sound and light system integrated into the room. The sensor captures movement of fish and currents to transmit light displays throughout a dark room.
While still in a pilot stage, Thomas said she has focused on maintaining diversity within the programming offered and experimenting with the space while observing how students and community members interact with it.
“We’re definitely still in academic pilot mode,” Thomas said. “How much do we generate in the building to let people come in versus opening up the building for folks to use the space?”
In this trial period, the Commons had prioritized sampling an array of academic classes and a handful of unique programs the building itself generates. Courses range from medical Spanish to a global development course to music, and the programs reflect an array of disciplines. According to Thomas, it is important to recognize the well-rounded goals of the University and ask how the Commons can meet those goals.
“I could say yes to everybody who wants to teach in the building, [and] it would be a classroom building from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or I could say yes to every movement-based class, and then we [would] feel like the AFC,” Thomas said. “A lot of it is the balance of trying to determine if we want to be a little bit of all of these things.”
By April’s grand opening, Thomas foresees the institution will have more insight into maintaining this balance and will be able to take on reservations from CIOs.
Thomas noted that the versatility of the building introduces both abundant opportunity as well as challenges in implementation, including decisions on what programming to approve. Most of the rooms are designed to function as blank slates that can be used for a variety of event types — many are large and sometimes empty rooms, which can be adapted in any way needed.
“That’s the double-edged sword of this building — it’s incredibly cool and opens up so many doors and things we can do, but also then sort of brings in this challenge, like, how do you implement that?” Thomas said. “How do you switch from a room full of 90 chairs and tables … and 15 minutes later, there’s yoga or dance?”
The building currently sees an overflow of requests via email from CIOs, research groups and other organizations to host their programs in the building. According to Thomas, they are using this piloting period before the grand opening to determine the best way to go about balancing the offerings of the building and making it available as much as possible for these groups.
For the Spring 2025 semester, the Commons will host 13 academic classes and anticipates an increase in internal programmatic and research activities. Ramping up events and offerings at the Commons, however, may detract from one of Sherman’s favorite aspects of studying there.
“It’s my favorite,” Sherman said. “It’s … usually empty.”
Read More
Honor Week aims to highlight legacy and future of the Honor System
By Bertie Azqueta | 14 hours agoA full list of events for the week is available on the Honor Committee’s website.
Uncovering the unknown depth behind the celebrity look-alike contest boom
By Delores Cyrus | 15 hours agoThe trend kicked off in October in New York, and since then celebrity look-alike contests have taken over the minds and social media feeds of both casual scrollers and the chronically online for the last few months.
Women’s sports are finally getting the recognition they deserve
By Cierra Lyles | 16 hours agoAttendance at women's sporting events is at an all-time high.
