The Well-Being and Mental Health Campus Collaborative is charged with outlining strategic priorities and a yearly plan to meet our vision for the University of Iowa to: 

  1. Embed well-being and mental health into all aspects of campus culture and,  

  1. Leverage research, collaboration, and action to improve the well-being of our campus, the state, and the world.  

Collaborative Charge

The Collaborative is charged with:

  • Setting yearly strategic priorities to embed well-being and mental health into all aspects of campus culture for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Leading collaboration to elevate and expand current research, enhance campus-community partnerships, and identify gaps in student, faculty, and staff mental health and well-being programs and services. 
  • Developing and communicating a cohesive framework that supports the faculty/staff and student success pillars of the upcoming strategic plan and enacts the elements of a health-promoting campus.
  • Ensuring well-being and mental health strategies are inclusive and targeted to campus needs. 
  • Developing key performance indicators and assessing progress toward our strategic priorities.
Person sitting by river holding a book and looking into the distance
Person waving multi-colored flag

Collaborative Scope

The Collaborative is guided by the following principles: 

  • Both individual and population-level interventions are essential
  • Participatory approaches that engage the voices of students, faculty, and staff create more buy-in 
  • Multi-disciplinary research, collaboration, and cross-campus partnerships will be prioritized in order to sustain and institutionalize efforts. 

Progress Highlights

To date, the collaborative has:

  • Created a comprehensive online guide to mental health and well-being resources for the campus community.
  • Surveyed and expanded resources for financial well-being.
  • Embedded well-being considerations into facilities design and construction.
  • Enhanced peer-support programs for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Coordinated communication and developed a common language for discussing mental health and well-being.
  • Developed program evaluation tools and performance metrics.
  • Established a connection and belonging subcommittee in response to focus group feedback.
  • Supported growth of mental health and crisis support resources.