The Division of Student Life, University Human Resources, and other partners have established a Well-Being and Mental Health Campus Collaborative to coordinate programs that enhance the health and well-being of UI staff, faculty, and students.

The collaborative will develop strategic priorities and a 3-year plan to infuse well-being and mental health across University of Iowa culture. It will leverage research, collaboration, and action to improve well-being on campus and beyond.

Tanya Villhauer, assistant dean for well-being and basic needs in the Office of the Dean of Students, and Joni Troester, senior assistant vice president and deputy chief HR officer, lead the project.

The university defines well-being as lifelong learning process that sustains optimal health, personal connectedness, meaningful experiences, and a purposeful life. It’s an individual and community-wide responsibility with emotional, creative, social, spiritual, physical, financial, intellectual, environmental, and occupational dimensions.

The collaborative aims to:

• Set yearly strategic priorities for embedding well-being and mental health into all aspects of campus culture.
• Lead collaboration to elevate and expand current research, enhance campus-community partnerships, and identify gaps in programs serving students, faculty, and staff.
• Develop and communicate a cohesive framework that supports the faculty/staff and student-success pillars of the forthcoming university strategic plan and establishes a health-promoting campus.
• Ensure that well-being and mental-health strategies are inclusive and culturally responsive.
• Develop key performance indicators and assess progress toward strategic priorities.

The vice president for student life, provost, vice president for research, and chief human resources officer serve as sponsors for the collaborative.