Butler University, a private, four-year institution in Indianapolis, Indiana, has been a national leader in the conversation around holistic support for student wellbeing. With the success of their BU|BeWell framework that integrates wellbeing throughout the undergraduate student experience, Butler created the Institute for Well-being (IWB) in March, 2022 as an external-facing hub for research, education, and consulting. The IWB now houses the Student Well-being Institutional Support Survey (SWISS), as well as courses that support the National Wellness Institute’s Certified Wellness Practitioner designation and consulting services to assist other institutions to plan, implement, and assess their wellbeing initiatives.
This year, the IWB is announcing its inaugural well-being awards. The five awards will honor excellence in higher education wellbeing programming for students, faculty, and staff, as well as holistic systems of support for these groups. One campus will be named the IWB Campus of the Year. The award categories include:
Student Well-being Program of the Year
- For innovative programming that supports student well-being is a key to helping improve the overall student experience in higher education.
Faculty/Staff Well-being Program of the Year
- For supporting the faculty and staff who help to make each institution vibrant allows them to better support their communities and the students with whom they interact.
Excellence in Student Well-being Support
- For a college or university that supports students along multiple dimensions of their well-being not only helps students to thrive but shows a commitment to the overall life of the institution.
Excellence in Faculty/Staff Well-being Support
- For institutions that ensure faculty and staff have access to and are aware of holistic supports for different facets of their well-being have demonstrated an investment in the long-term sustainability of their campuses.
Institute for Well-being Campus of the Year
- For a college or university that demonstrates a commitment to student, faculty, and staff well-being; emphasizes well-being in strategic planning and policies; and has institution and student leaders who support continued innovation in well-being programming can be considered for the IWB Campus of the Year Award.
Award nominations are now open and will be accepted through January 15, 2024. The brief nomination form is available on the IWB website.
Award winners will be notified in early March 2024. Award winners will receive graphics for promoting the receipt of their award on their institutional website and social media, recognition on the Institute for Well-being website and social media accounts, a press release promoting the award-winning campus, and a feature in the Institute for Well-being Annual Report.
- For more information, please contact Bridget Yuhas, Executive Director of the Institute for Well-being.
Bridget Yuhas is currently Executive Director of Butler University's Institute for Well-being; you can email her at byuhas@butler.edu.
