Goal 5: Well-being Strategic Plan

Promote and facilitate faculty involvement. Faculty participation will be particularly vital as they are predominantly well positioned to make the maximum impact with their students to promote a community of well-being that is prime for learning.

Complete – Provost scheduled a meeting spring of 2018 with select faculty and administrators to explore ways to include well-being in the curriculum. Ideas will continue to be discussed and generated as we continue plans for the development of the Well-being Unit and Well-being Center. Some initiatives worth mentioning:

✓ Music Therapy* – Collaborating with Music Department to have a piano and guitar available in Well-being Center lounge for students to play informally and impromptu and will periodically include other instruments. 

✓ Art Therapy* – Collaborating with Art Department to have a student art gallery in Well-being Center. Currently displaying crystals. 

Develop and submit a proposal for either a first year wellness living learning program or a SSIR program. The Wellness Living Learning Community aims to create an environment that encourages and promotes the development and maintenance of a healthy body, mind and spirit through a wide range of wellness programs. Students who participate in this learning community will become motivated to make a lifelong commitment to keeping wellness a priority. Students will also have enhanced learning potential and academic success. Participants will become confident in their abilities to promote wellness through peer educator training and apply these competencies to a wellness related service learning project.

Complete – UR Living Well well-being living-learning community has been approved successfully launched fall 2020 and the success will lead to second year fall 2021.  The mission of the UR Living Well Community is to support student’s pursuit of health and well-being through experiential learning experiences and carefully crafted wellness programming. 

Given their high prevalence, health burden and impediment to academic success, recommend improving mental health and combatting physical inactivity as a priority objective and focus for the wellness graduation requirement. Initiatives to consider include:

✓ Sexual Misconduct Course - Expansion of sexual misconduct education beyond first year students with the recommendation of a requirement for all 2^nd year students.

Complete - Course approved by Faculty Senate. Pilot program started in fall 2017. As of fall 2018 sexual misconduct course is now a graduation requirement for second year students.

✓ Grit, Thriving and Resiliency in College 090 Course – Begin with a pilot program and if successful, consider as a requirement for all first year students. This new wellness class will meet one hour per week for the first 9 weeks of the semester and be designed to introduce first-year students to important strategies that can help them develop grit, resilience, and self-efficacy, leading to a more successful college experience. Topics expected to be covered include sleep, physical activity, gratitude, mindfulness, social connections, and awareness of personal strengths.

Complete – Group of stakeholders met in fall 2017 to revisit plans and proposal to create a Grit, Thriving and Resiliency in College 090 Course where some research was shared on some best practices in this area.  Two pilot courses offered in spring 2019 taught by a VCU adjunct professor.  Both courses filled and we are currently waiting on course evaluations and student feedback.  This has evolved into University 100, a pilot program offered fall 2020.  Faculty formally approved what is now Well 100 with instructors and peer instructors hired and trained and 35 sessions now scheduled for fall 2021.

✓ Mental Health First Aid 090 Course – Begin by sending one or more UR staff members to a train-the-trainer program to become qualified to lead Mental Health First Aid workshops on campus. As we further develop a program for peer educators and coaches, completion of this course may become a prerequisite. This will be a mental health first aid course to help recognize and respond to students in distress.

Complete – As a pilot program, IFC had members from each chapter trained in mental Health bystander training Mental Health First Aid Course in fall 2017.  With the success of this program three UR Health and Well-being Unit staff have been certified as instructors and are offering Mental Health First Aid courses to the campus community. Continuing to exploring possibilities for how to best incorporate Mental Health First Aid courses as part of the 090 wellness requirement and for how to reach the demand for this popular program.

Recommend a fund be created to encourage, incentivize, and support academic well-being initiatives.

Complete – Idea pitched to the Provost and informed there was already funds available for this purpose.