HEALTHY CAMPUS
INITIATIVE
MAKING THE CASE FOR STUDENT WELLNESS
INTRODUCTION
More than a building, a wellness center is an
essential campus amenity that will influence
student attraction, retention, and ultimately,
lifelong health. The healthcare industry has proven
that exercise is medicine, that lifestyle choices play
a key role in the prevention and treatment of chronic
disease, and that prevention is fundamental to a
prosperous career and a long, healthy life.
Now is the time for higher education to develop
and instill these qualities into the next generation
of students. Inside are the reasons why universities
must do their part to encourage healthy lifestyles
in their students, staff and faculty - and what it
takes to bring the concepts of fitness and wellness
programming to a college campus.
Let’s face it, not everyone is a fitness fanatic -- yet
everyone benefits from regular exercise. This is
where the Wellness Center fulfills strength and
conditioning needs and intramural sports for active
students, but also supports the needs of students
who have never stepped foot into a gym. The
stress of new educational and social pressures,
combined with poor eating habits, excessive alcohol
consumption, increased promiscuity and other
lifestyle choices that impact health are very real
issues on today’s college campuses.
By providing holistic services that address all
seven dimensions of wellness (physical, social,
emotional, environmental, spiritual, intellectual,
and occupational), students will have a place on
campus to feel comfortable in seeking out help with
stress management, nutrition, healthcare, weight
loss, smoking cessation, financial aid resources,
counseling or other services in order to be better,
healthier students.
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91% OF STUDENTS REPORTED BETTER OVERALL
WELL BEING AFTER PARTICIPATING IN CAMPUS
RECREATION AND WELLNESS ACTIVITIES.*
* The Benefits of Campus Recreation, Forrester (NIRSA 2014)
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START HEALTHY
HABITS YOUNG TO
LIVE LONGER
DETERMINE THE NEEDS OF YOUR CAMPUS
So many factors go into determining the unique
needs of a college campus, including size, locale, campus culture, religious affiliation, existing facilities and demographics, among many
others. The process often begins with a survey to
collect the necessary data that will facilitate discussions about campus wellness needs. Some of the
facets include:
Begin to Develop a Strategic Mission/Vision
Gather Student, Faculty & Staff Demographics
Have an existing facility that’s just not cutting the
mustard anymore? You need to find out if the building has good “bones”, or if it’s time to move on. Set
up a meeting with Facilities Maintenance or Planning
to find out how to assess the nature of your beast,
and how it could be transformed into that facility of
the future you’ve been dreaming about.
Find out the numbers for important data like total
enrollment, undergraduate/graduate numbers, how
many are male/female, full/part time, what is the age
distribution and even the number of residents and
nonresidents.
Gauge Clinical Wellness Needs
Next, review campus clinical facilities that are in
place or needed. This includes student clinics,
ambulatory care (labs, xray, urgent care), as well as
Mental Health and Stress Management.
Gauge Recreation and Leisure Needs
Once you’ve assessed the medical side of wellness,
examine the physical aspect next. Look at exercise
& fitness use, intramural & club sports and even
whether there is a need for an Outdoor Program.
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This is big-picture stuff to talk about at the Board/
Trustee level. Items up for discussion might be the
design and aesthetics, level of finish, how the facility fits with the Campus Master Plan objectives, and
where it intersects with campus Design Guidelines.
Conduct Existing Facility and Program Analysis
Conduct Peer Institution Analysis
Look outside your campus at what other institutions
do with student wellness to help establish and influence facility fees within the greater cost structure (tuition, room & board, expenses, cost of attendance)
Establish Vital Facility Need
The ultimate goal of this exercise is to distill the data
cloud down into the essence of what is right for your
college, your campus, your students. It’s not about
what could you do, it’s what should you do, to catapult this institution towards a legacy of well being.
Between 1976-2008, obesity
in teens ages 12-19 nearly
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quadrupled from 5% to 18.1%. *
* CDC (June 2010). Prevalence of Obesity among Children and Adolescents: United States, Trends 1963-65 though 2007-08.
DEVELOP THE PROCESS
You have a mound of data, you’ve established
your college’s unique vision for wellness, so what
are the next steps? The next step is to put everything together in a comprehensive study that will be
used to shepherd the wellness plan through an oftentricky approval process.
Program Plan and Study
Take all of the research, data collection, programming & design, campaign/fund raising idea work, and
assemble it into an easily digestible report that walks
your audience through the wellness story.
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Approval Process
Often, this is the longest part of the journey. There
will be many hoops to jump through, possibly including:
- Student Fee Review Committee
- Student Government
- Student Referendum
- Board of Trustees
Persevere through the bureaucratic maze and get the
green light to move onto the next phase!
FINANCIAL BALANCE:
PROGRAM VS. COST
At the end of the study process, there is often far
more desired programming than there is available
funding. The key to success is finding a balance
between facility size, finish quality and project
dollars. A crucial component of the process is to
determine the student and administration’s appetite for
spending, as well as the college’s corresponding willingness to operationally subsidize the facility.
Each institution will have its own level of risk and debt
tolerance, and the facility design, program and operations must take that into account in order to successfully
negotiate the funding approvals.
Once the project is approved, the funding must be gathered from primary and secondary sources through a
capital campaign: Funding pathways might include:
- Student fee initiative
- Fundraising, grants, etc.
- Legislative capital request
- Public/Private Partnerships (P3’s)
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POTENTIAL SITE
Hand-in-hand with creating the facility program and
design is deciding on the best location for the wellness
center. There may be an existing facility already, or perhaps
the Campus Master Plan has determined the site. In any
case, there are several critical factors to consider when determining the prime spot for a campus wellness center:
Consider the Campus Master Plan - How does the Wellness Center fit into the future vision of the campus? Can its
location play a broader role in shaping campus boundaries,
improving traffic flows, encouraging frequent use, or putting
forth a new face to the surrounding community?
It makes sense to locate the Wellness Center close the users. Adjacent to campus hot-spots, such as residence halls
or the student life center is best, but at least look for one that
is within a walkable distance. Wellness Centers should be
open extended hours to fit into the busy schedules of today’s
students, faculty and staff. Consideration of safety and security at all hours is paramount.
“
At least 150
minutes each
week of moderateintensity aerobic
physical activity is
recommended for
maximum health
benefits.**
“
** US Office of Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, Active Adult Guidelines, 2015
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Is yours a commuter campus? If so, consider routes to/from
mass transit stations or on-campus parking facilities. Likewise, look for heavy pedestrian routes to/from classroom
buildings or other central locations to ensure that wellness
center access and use are both easy and safe.
Access to other complimentary facilities might also be a
consideration. By positioning the Wellness Center adjacent to
outdoor space, ball fields or other athletic amenities will create that special synergy on campus that students, faculty and
staff are craving.
Is there a potential for the Wellness Center to spur adjacent
development? Retail or food service, for example? Locating
it adjacent to other popular destinations will improve visibility for both entities. By opening the doors to the surrounding community, the Wellness Center could become the new
front door of campus, demonstrating that commitment to the
health and well being of the community at large.
OBESITY RATES HAVE TRIPLED FOR THE 18-24 YEAR OLD AGE GROUP IN THE LAST DECADE
EDUCATE AND PROMOTE
Align Key Stakeholders
Like any successful campaign, the message of need for the Wellness Center will
need to be spread throughout campus to
gain widespread support. The good news
is that in this case, once the message is
understood, it’s easy to rally supporters.
Administrators today understand the need
to enhance the health and well being of
their students and employees. What better
way to do so than to get behind a Wellness
Center project? The Wellness Center can
also support many of the departments on
campus in return, by providing grant opportunities, thesis subjects, alternative learning venues, etc.
LOBBY AND SOCIAL LOUNGE, UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING.
Identify the Project Champion
It is essential to nurture alignment with
department heads and other stakeholders. Throughout this journey, there will be
a need for consistency - one individual or
group that displays the tenacity, grit and
determination to clear any obstacle that
may appear. There may be setbacks along
the way, but those that know Wellness, and
its power to truly transform a campus community for the better, will persevere and do
whatever it takes to see that the vision is
fulfilled.
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HEALTH CLINIC WAITING ROOM, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
At the heart of the Wellness Center is the goal of transformation. Unlike any other building on campus,
a holistic wellness center has the power to impact both individual students and the entire culture of the
campus. The Wellness Center represents a beacon of activity that gives your students a place they can
truly call their own -- one that shares unique partnerships and collaborations with healthcare providers
and educational curricula, and better yet, fosters not only collegiate identity and improved health, but
the sense of community and belonging that is an essential part of every student’s college experience.
OHLSON LAVOIE COLLABORATIVE
DENVER | ORLANDO | CAIRO | TOKYO
303-294-9244
407-992-0470