The UA is offering a variety of new courses this semester as part of the nation’s first collegiate Center for Compassion Studies. 

As part of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the center will teach students the importance of kindness and compassion in a world that is socially and politically stressed.

Leslie Langbert, a clinical social worker for 15 years, is now the executive director and program project director of the Center for Compassion Studies.

The center is partnering with the Student Recreation Center to offer some nonacademic wellness classes and community outreach programs.

Langbert teaches a 3-credit class, Special Topics in Care, Health and Humanity. It will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and has not yet reached capacity.

“The class cap is 50 and it would be great to have a full class,” Langbert said.

This class is technically part of the care and health society major, but is open to all students. 

All programs at the center are geared to improve the overall emotional experience of students and staff at the UA. 

The Center for Compassion Studies is also partnering with the Student Recreation Center to offer two noncredit wellness classes. 

The first is a six-week class, starting on March 24, called Introduction to Mindfulness Practices. The class is designed to help students incorporate mindfulness through food, communication and meditation into their lives. This class is on Tuesdays from 3-4 p.m. and registration is currently open. 

The second class, Managing Stress Mindfully, will be held twice this semester, once on Feb. 17 and again on May 5. This class will teach background on the science of stress, how it can impact the body and how to manage it in a positive way. Registration for both sessions is open now. 

The Center for Compassion Studies works with both staff and students. The Center is offering an eight-week course to all UA staff through the CAPS program as a professional development opportunity. 

Staff at Campus Health Service as well as across campus are learning how to be more compassionate and mindful towards students and each other.

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