Pat Croce
WEST CHESTER — The West Chester University Foundation welcomes former owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, successful entrepreneur, and WCU alumnus, Pat Croce, to an event celebrating WCU’s innovative Center for Contemplative Studies (CCS).
In the early 1980’s, Pat Croce became a sports legend in Philadelphia when he ascended from the training room (as a physical therapist) to the boardroom (as an owner), guiding the 76ers from worst to first place. Pat then used his business savvy and his eye for promotions (he once climbed to the top of the Walt Whitman Bridge to unfurl a 76ers banner) to make his name as a motivational speaker to Fortune 500 companies, best-selling author, and a Key West restaurant magnate.
One of Philly’s favorite sons is now embracing a different skill set – an inner strength and peacefulness found through contemplative studies like mindfulness, yoga and meditation. This ground-breaking discipline has been proven to reduce stress, and improve wellness, mental health, intellectual functioning, and interpersonal relationships.
When Pat found these ancient practices truly centered his life, he paused to reflect, “I wondered what my 20-year-old self might have done with this knowledge, but if my practice has taught me anything, it is to live in ‘the now,’ so I intend to try to share what it took me years to learn with today’s WCU students.”
On Thursday, Feb. 18 at 3p.m, Pat will be at the WCU Alumni & Foundation Center at 202 Carter Drive, speaking to students and faculty about using mindfulness to hone leadership skills. The co-directors of WCU’s Center for Contemplative Studies, Donald McCown and Christine Moriconi, will also perform a mindfulness exercise at the event and invite all to learn more about how the Center can benefit the entire community.
“Mindfulness, an important contemplative practice, is about maintaining an awareness of the present moment, while acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations,” noted Dr. Linda Adams, Dean of WCU’s College of Health Sciences. “By offering a minor in Contemplative Studies, the College of Health Sciences continues its strong commitment to the comprehensive mind/body experience for our students.”
Pat became aware of the benefits of training your mind and body in the contemplative tradition just last year and is now a devoted advocate. “Pat’s sincere desire to share these insights with the younger generation is genuine and his enthusiasm is infectious,” noted Dean Adams. “We want to expose our students to as much as we can about the health field while they are here at WCU so we are grateful to Pat for helping to raise awareness of the Center for Contemplative Studies.
