The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has established a Well-being Collective, an initiative designed to align student support services and assure that student needs are being met.
Formed in August, the collective replaces the Office of Big Red Resilience and Well-Being. The work reflects a shift toward a more holistic and collaborative approach to providing services for students.
“UNL has never lacked in caring for people on our campus and doing great work in these important areas,” said Amy Lanham, chair of the collective steering committee and director of Campus Recreation. “Through this collective, we are uniting those people and units, forming a cross-functional team dedicated to growing the impact of our health and well-being programming.”
Representation within the collective will includes leaders from across the university. Committee members and areas of representation include:
- Tricia Bessett-Alesch, mental health services;
- Jon Gayer, Alcohol and Other Drug Programs;
- Sarah Frankel-Russell, case management services;
- Amy Lanham, chair of steering committee, Campus Recreation;
- Kenji Madison, basic needs services;
- Ellyn McCarter, Dining Services;
- Matt Nelson, Housing and Residential Life;
- Britt Otte, University Health Center’s clinical health services;
- Veronica Riepe, Student Leadership Involvement and Community Engagement;
- Steve Woita, collegiate recreation programs; and
- Melissa Wilkerson, CARE office, sexual violence-related programs and services.
Work by the committee is guided by a well-being framework from the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. The group is also focused on eight areas of well-being — emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual.
Immediate goals include promoting the agreed upon shared definition of well-being; streamlining support services to make the best use of existing resources; enhancing analysis of programs to gauge if they are meeting student needs; and setting the stage for strategic planning. The collective also seeks to expand representation from leaders and units across campus.
“This is a great opportunity to reinforce that the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a community that knows and cares about health and well-being,” Lanham said. “We are bringing people to the table who have the same goal, that this university is a place where every person and every interaction truly matters.”
For more information about the Well-being Collective, visit wellbeing.unl.edu. Leaders or units interested in working with the collective can contact Lanham directly at amy.lanham@unl.edu.
