Announcing NIRSA’s 2026-2027 Wellbeing Collaborative, in partnership with Wellfleet 

NIRSA is excited to introduce the 2026-2027 cohort of the Wellbeing Collaborative, in partnership with Wellfleet—a year-long, high-impact initiative that supports campus recreation departments in embedding wellbeing into their culture, operations, and strategy. 

After a successful pilot year, we are excited to welcome a new cohort! Selected from a highly-competitive pool of applicants, these four institutions will utilize NIRSA’s Recreation for Wellbeing online course as the foundation for learning, receive guided coaching, and disseminate multi-modal learnings via the NIRSA Promising Practices model. 

2026-2027 Wellbeing Collaborative 

This year’s cohort brings together: 

• UMass Amherst
• University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Sam Houston State University
• Southern Oregon University

These institutions will use the shared foundation of NIRSA’s wellbeing course to further their understanding of systems-level change and its application to their day-to-day work. They’ll work with coaches to apply their learning, test ideas, and refine strategies in real-time.  

One of the most critical aspects of the Collaborative is the individualized and guided support offered by the institution’s coach. This year’s esteemed coaches are: 

• Erin Bransford, Associate Director of Programs & Initiatives at Portland State University. Erin is a member of NIRSA’s Health & Wellbeing Advisory Group and was a part of last year’s Wellbeing Collaborative pilot
• Grady Sheffield, Director of Campus Recreation at Towson University. Grady and his team at Towson were participants in the pilot Collaborative and leaders in embedding systems-thinking into their work
• Stephanie Smith, Director of Recreation at MIT. Stephanie is a member of NIRSA’s Health & Wellbeing Advisory Group and served as a coach during the Collaborative’s pilot year. 
• Brian Wallace, Director of Campus Recreation at SUNY Oswego. Brian is a member of NIRSA’s Health & Wellbeing Advisory Group and served as a coach during the Collaborative’s pilot year

The coaching team is critically supported by the leadership of Alana Harris, NIRSA Health & Wellbeing Advisory Group co-chair and Director of Health Promotion and Wellness at Illinois State University.  

Partnership with Wellfleet 

NIRSA is grateful for Wellfleet’s partnership in this initiative. As part of its Campus Health 360 strategy, Wellfleet actively seeks opportunities to collaborate with organizations that share its commitment to supporting healthier campus communities. 

Campus Health 360 is designed to foster holistic, systems-based, data-informed, and collaborative solutions to advance student health and well-being. Through Campus Health 360, Wellfleet is partnering with colleges and universities to improve student outcomes, support comprehensive well-being programs, services, and strategies, and lower associated healthcare costs. Campus Health 360 represents a commitment to improving health and well-being for all student populations, and for all the professionals who support them. 

Wellfleet, Wellfleet Student, Wellfleet Special Risk, and Wellfleet Workplace are marketing names used to refer to the insurance and administrative operations of Wellfleet Insurance Company, Wellfleet New York Insurance Company, and Wellfleet Group, LLC (known in California only as Wellfleet Group, LLC dba Wellfleet Administrators, LLC). All insurance products are administered or managed by Wellfleet Group, LLC. Product availability is based upon business and/or regulatory approval and may differ among states.