Janessa Yan ’26 was among the students, faculty, and staff who joined the morning meditation sessions.

photo credit Dartmouth / Katie Lenhart

Supporting wellbeing in partnership with the Student Wellness Center

Our colleague, Librarian Matt Benzing, recently partnered with the Student Wellness Center (SWC) to offer mindfulness sessions for Dartmouth faculty and staff. Offered across August, attendees learned mindfulness skills through various practices and techniques, and how to build a daily practice. Why mindfulness, though? Not only does mindfulness align with Dartmouth’s Commitment to Care, it’s a good practice for everyone!

From how we treat one another to how we interact with the world and environment, living mindfully helps folks align their behaviors to their values in a very real and noticeable way.

Laura Beth “LB” White from SWC

On any given day, we juggle deadlines, distractions, and other stressors that compete for our time and attention. Whether you resort to multitasking or go into autopilot mode, these ways of coping with our workloads and stress don’t quite cut it. 

Research shows that mindfulness-based training can reduce biasimprove decision-making, facilitate dialogue through mindful listening, and help improve the quality of our relationships. More specifically, studies into the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults (MIEA) curriculum offered at Dartmouth, formerly known as Koru Mindfulness, have found that the program reduces stress and anxiety, while improving trait mindfulness and sleep quality.

Siddhant Babla, Wellbeing Program Coordinator at SWC, adds, “Mindfulness strengthens our ability to connect with an innate sense of compassion, non-judgment, and joy, allowing us to thrive. This is foundational to be present, listen empathetically, and support those around us (especially students) who may be suffering or experiencing distress.” 

librarian Matt Benzing smiles gently at the camera

Matt Benzing

For Matt, mindfulness isn’t just a hobby. It’s a complimentary tool to being a successful instructor and librarian. The profession, as he describes it, is one of interconnections and community building that requires “a wide knowledge of subjects that might intersect with your client’s needs, and a deep understanding of human psychology and communication."

As members of the academic community, librarians meet students in the gap between faculty and staff. Any way and anywhere we can bridge that gap is important. - Matt Benzing

His involvement in wellbeing at Dartmouth began after joining the Feldberg Business & Engineering Library, and becoming a member of the Thayer Community Health & Wellness Committee. It was on that committee that he received a grant to take the first stage of Koru Mindfulness Teacher training (now MIEA). The training included check ins with senior instructors, readings, teaching experiences, and a three-day silent retreat led by monastics from Plum Village, a community founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh. 

Becoming a qualified teacher was enthusiastically supported by his then supervisor, especially because Matt had long been interested in the subject and had already taught a few workshops. They both understood how the training, and its outcomes, reflected the Libraries’ commitment to wellness and student wellbeing. He also knew it was a way to build relationships with science, technology, engineering, and math students who might not otherwise connect with a librarian. That training took place in 2022, and he has been part of the MIEA Teacher Community ever since.

The SWC team is thrilled that the MIEA Teacher Community program extends beyond students, thanks to Matt and his fellow 14 instructors (listed at the end of this piece). Their participation broadens capacity to offer the Dartmouth community more opportunities to incorporate mindfulness in their lives. Laura Beth “LB” White, Assistant Director for Wellbeing at SWC, says that being practitioners of mindfulness and teaching others directly connects to supporting student wellbeing. 

We must take a community-wide approach due to the interconnected relationships we share with one another. When our staff and faculty have a deeper sense of wellbeing in their lives, this will have an impact on students. - Laura Beth "LB" White

The result of involving and training Dartmouth faculty and staff has, so far, resulted in a 600% capacity increase to offer additional courses and experiences to staff and faculty through MIEA.

Jennifer Taxman, Associate Dean of Libraries Research & Learning, shared, “Matt’s partnership with the Student Wellness Center positively impacts and creates a supportive mental health environment and work culture across Dartmouth.” Organization-wide, Dartmouth Libraries deeply commit to collaborative partnerships and initiatives that support student mental health and provide welcoming spaces. It’s these types of collaborations that Siddhant says enables greater reach and impact. Collaboration encourages individuals from diverse backgrounds to connect with each other while fostering experiences and nurturing environments where we can learn from one another. 

Our trained mindfulness teachers hail from different parts of Dartmouth (and the world) having unique lived experiences. Their expertise and insight is instrumental in reaching and connecting with a wider audience. - Siddhant Babla

SWC colleagues Laura Beth “LB” and Caitlin Barthelmes, Director of SWC, share how meaningful, large-scale programs that focus on student, faculty, and staff wellbeing require more than a single department or office to sustainably support and maintain them. “It must be a Dartmouth-wide effort to ensure that all members of our community thrive.” 

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If you missed the recent sessions, but want to begin your mindfulness journey, explore the following resources.

Via the Student Wellness Center you can

 

Additional Resources

FREE access to Headspace, enroll today!

All active Dartmouth faculty and staff are eligible for free premium access to this fantastic resource. 

The main text used during the program (online through Dartmouth Libraries.)

The Mindful Twenty Something by Holly Roger

A classic on the subject (in print at Dartmouth Libraries)

Mindfulness by Ellen Langer

Another classic (in print from Dartmouth Libraries)

Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Best overall practice guides (free online) 

Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana

Mindfulness and Librarianship

The Mindful Librarian, a brief article for Information Today Europe

 

MIEA Teacher Community at Dartmouth

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