Promising Practices
Promising Practices are collaborative or integrated wellbeing initiatives and campus-wide efforts that support the campus community. These initiatives are driven and realized by the efforts of campus recreation staff and leaders.
Submit your initiative and have it recognized amongst all campus recreation professionals.
- See other Promising Practices in action at campuses across North America.
Read more: “Apply today to be featured in a new NIRSA health & wellbeing resource”
Showcase your Promising Practice!
Apply to have your initiative recognized. Click below and fill out the application, providing details on your initiative. Our committee will review all applications and select initiatives that qualify.
Application deadline: March 12
Showcase your Promising Practice
Selected initiatives will have the opportunity to promote their initiative on NIRSA channels. The Health & Wellbeing Task Force will assist your team in developing several resources promoting your initiative.
Overview Video
Produce a video highlighting your initiative and have it on full display on the NIRSA website.
Promising Practices Guide
Roundtable Discussion
Oakland University’s “Healthiest Campus for Michigan” Initiative
Supported by Cannon Design
Watch the Preview
Get the Guide
Details coming soon!
Join the Discussion
Details coming soon!
Promising Practices in Action
Here are some great examples of Promising Practices from other NIRSA members.
CHANGES Initiative
University of Florida
CHANGES stands for Create Habits, Adopt New Growth, and Enhance Self.
Rowan Thrive
Rowan University
Rowan Thrive is a toolkit for developing a mindset, actions, and behaviors that will help you build a life of purpose, resilience, and engagement.
BU BeWell
Butler University
The BU|BeWell framework is the foundation for a transformative and holistic Butler experience.
Promising Practices
Apply to have your Promising Practice showcased
In this first round, applications will be open February 8 to March 12. Learn more about applying.
Promising Practice Examples
There are lots of great examples in the NIRSA membership — and we hope you will all consider applying! To get the wheels turning here’s a few examples:
CHANGES Program at University of Florida
CHANGES stands for Create Habits, Adopt New Growth, and Enhance Self. This collaborative program recognizes that everyone faces challenges to wellness in different areas and aims to help students who may struggle with positive behavior change, weight management, body image, and/or self-esteem surrounding physical activity or movement to a degree that causes him or her significant distress. CHANGES participants are referred to RecSports from the counseling center, health care center and other campus partners to facilitate continuation of care. The 10-week program combines physical activity in a small group setting with wellness coaching and nutrition education.
Rowan Thrive at Rowan University
Rowan Thrive is our community’s commitment to help each person cultivate wellbeing throughout life’s journey of highs and lows. Recreation is included as a key player in this commitment. Rowan Thrive is a toolkit for developing a mindset, actions and behaviors that will help you build a life of purpose, resilience and engagement. Rowan Thrive is designed to help you live according to your values, maximize your potential and find your best self.
BU | BeWell at Butler University
At Butler University, we are committed to the wellbeing of each member of our community. The BU|BeWell framework is the foundation for a transformative and holistic Butler experience. Through BU|BeWell, we foster a positive environment that helps students, faculty, and staff grow, learn, and be the best version of themselves. Following Collective Impact, the Office of Recreation & Wellness provides the backbone support on creating a culture of integrated wellbeing.
Promising Practices are examples of successful integrated wellbeing efforts – on a large or small scale – that campus recreation departments have helped lead on their campuses.
Highlighting these practices seeks to not only celebrate the great work of NIRSA members, but also to act as a tool for others in the field who would like to initiate something similar on their own campuses.
Featuring multimodal learning to help foster rich engagement, each Promising Practice contains three main elements …
Overview Video
Take a look at what this Promising Practice can offer!
PDF Guide
From how to get started to how to assess its impact to ideas for future growth, walk through key highlights and concepts that you can put into action on your own campus.
Follow-up Roundtable Discussion
After taking a deep-dive with the PDF materials, come with your follow-up questions to hear directly from those implementing the practice. Get the individualized responses you need in real time!
This resource is produced in partnership with NIRSA’s Health & Wellbeing Task Force with leadership from the Task Force’s Cross-Campus Integration Work Group:
- Darcie Burde, University of Florida
- Josh Downing, Butler University
- Eric Nickel, James Madison University
- Jessica Ward, Princeton University
- Greg Reinhardt, University of Utah
- Lynn Nester, University of Oregon
- Cynthia Constanzo, University Connecticut
Promising Practices are a resource developed in response to member feedback from the Health & Wellbeing Task Force’s Summer 2019 survey. See more about the survey and results here.
For more on the importance of integrated wellbeing across campus, please see: