Thinking About “Wellness”

This semester, I’m on a new committee to think about student well-being and success. Serving on the Student Well-Being and Success committee for the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State means I’ll spend a significant about of time learning about these ideas of well-being and success. I’m already applying the skills I teach in advanced writing since my first question involves accurate definitions. How do we define “well-being?” How do we define “success?”

As I gather my thoughts, I think about all the categories of wellness we might address in students’ lives: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, vocational, and financial. I like thinking more about the social, vocational, and spiritual categories of wellness. I seek to answer questions like these:

How do we help increase a student’s sense of belonging?

How do we help students develop wellness in their work patterns?

How do we help students think about their spiritual lives in college?

I’m excited to serve on this committee and learn more. I’m excited to see what action steps we’ll take. I’ll report back on our efforts!

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