The role of higher education continues to evolve beyond teaching and academic learning. Faculty and staff can enrich academic experiences and foster a culture of care by promoting the importance of meaning and purpose with students and colleagues. Some scholars argue that higher education has been deficient in creating places of deep, holistic, integrated pedagogy and practice (Palmer et al., 2010). Although scholarship in contemplative practices has grown significantly in recent years, a lack of research exists in understanding contemplative cultures, particularly in the community college setting. The setting of this descriptive qualitative narrative case study was one community college in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The purpose was to describe employees' perceptions of their experiences in contemplative practices by exploring narratives about themselves, their relationships with others, and the institution's culture through the conceptual framework of Goleman's (2005) emotional intelligence, Goleman's (2006) social intelligence, and Senge's (1990) learning organizations. Interviews, artifacts, and observations were collected from a small, closed homogeneous sample of 12 participants who identified as contemplative practitioners at a community college. Findings revealed how participants' histories, definitions, and personal practices influenced their beliefs that contemplative practices were beneficial physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Findings also revealed that participating in contemplation with others strengthened their relationships with colleagues, administrators, and students by building a sense of community. Furthermore, the interview results suggest that a contemplative culture was created by transformational leadership, an integration of contemplative practices into the programs offered, and employees' perceptions of commitment to contemplative practices through a culture of care. Keywords: contemplative practices, mindfulness, contemplative cultures, community colleges, culture of care. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]