- Mailing Address
-
2130 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, Colorado 80302 - Phone
- (800) 772-6951
- Email address
- admissions@naropa.edu
- Website
- https://www.naropa.edu/
- School Information
- "Trained as a Buddhist scholar and educated at Oxford University, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche wanted to create a place where students could study Eastern and Western religions, writing, psychology, science, and the arts while also receiving contemplative and meditation training. He modeled Naropa after Nalanda University, a Buddhist university that flourished in India from the sixth to the 12th centuries, attracting scholars from a wide variety of disciplines and religious traditions. 'Naropa,' was a Buddhist scholar and saint at Nalanda University, who, according to legend embarked on a spiritual journey to find the meaning behind the texts he studied. Like the famous saint, Naropa University was established to help students—through meditation and contemplative practice—find the deeper meaning in their academic disciplines and artistic work" (Source: https://www.naropa.edu/about-naropa/history-of-naropa/founding-vision/). The undergraduate enrollment is over 400, and the graduate enrollment is over 500. The student to faculty ratio is 8 to 1 and the university offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.
- General Information
- Following the death of George Floyd, Naropa University has sought to incorporate programming and provide resources related to anti-racism. The university also offers numerous courses discussing diversity and bias. No mandatory Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. However, see developments below:
Actions Taken
- Program and Research Funding
-
-
Naropa University has an Office for Inclusive Community. The callings of this office are three fold. The first is "to build a radically inclusive community in which each member feels vital and celebrated." The second is "To continuously awaken to the oppressive ideologies which perpetuate inequitable patterns, systems and practices." The third is "to actively, consciously and strategically heal the legacy of ongoing colonization in all of its forms."
-
The university also hosts the Center for Culture, Identity and Social Justice which was created in 2015. This center provides resources and is "designated for anti-oppression oriented activities and critical consciousness-raising."
-
- Resources
-
-
The university has created a collection of Consciousness-Raising Books that is called the Critical Consciousness Collection.
-
Naropa University hosts many community support groups geared for anti-racist dialogue.
-
Naropa provides resources denoted the Path to Collective Liberation. The university states, "These guidelines turn the Four-I’s of Oppression (Internalized, Interpersonal, Institutional, Ideological) into a path to collective liberation."
-
- Symbolic Actions
-
-
The university states that "Diversity and radical inclusivity are central to Naropa's mission."
-
President Chuck Lief released a statement following the death of George Floyd. He stated, "One problem with the notion that we are dealing with deeply embedded “institutional racism” is that such a view invites an “institutional” response. Such responses are so often overly conceptual, too polite and not radical in form or action; and they are based on the pretense that we have the luxury of time."
-