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Opportunity:
August 10, 2026
September 7, 2026

The application window is subject to change.

NIRSA invites four schools to join in the second iteration of a year-long, high-impact initiative that supports campus recreation departments in embedding wellbeing into their culture, operations, and strategy. This project will use NIRSA’s Recreation for Wellbeing online course as the foundation for learning, provide guided coaching, and disseminate multi-modal learnings via the NIRSA Promising Practices model.


Wellbeing Collaborative School Benefits

As a part of the Wellbeing Collaborative, schools receive:

  • A grant to support course registration and/or initiatives
    • “Activation” grant at start of the project
    • “Completion” grant after achievement of all Collaborative work
  • Individualized coaching assistance
  • A stipend to support NIRSA 2027 conference registration and travel
  • Program celebrity of being featured in NIRSA Promising Practices and supporting industry learning through webinars/conference session presentations

Application Requirements

As a part of applying to join the Wellbeing Collaborative, schools will commit to:

  • Active participation throughout the Wellbeing Collaborative experience (anticipated to run September 2026-September 2027)
  • Securing leadership sign-off in support of this initiative (min. AVP level support)
  • Being willing to share the department’s story as a part of NIRSA’s Promising Practice series
  • Have at least one staff member attend the 2027 NIRSA Conference & Campus Rec Expo to participate in an education session and collaborative meeting
  • Core staff attending all three virtual summits
  • Registering all professional staff for the NIRSA wellbeing course
  • A willingness to make and implement changes based on course learnings; share success and challenges
  • Meeting regularly with coaches
  • Submiting brief reports/documentation when requested

Time Commitment

This learning opportunity demands a significant commitment; however, it is also meant to be woven into the workflows of your staff and intended as a foundation for your team to make substantive, meaningful changes going forward.


Term Length

The Collaborative runs from September 2026 through September 2027.


Learn from the 2025-2026 Wellbeing Collaborative

NIRSA’s latest Promising Practice summarizes insights from the first portion of a year-long initiative focused on helping campus rec departments integrate wellbeing into their culture, operations, and strategy. Learn from four participating university experiences.

Promising Practices PDF

Get insights from the first half of a year-long initiative focused on helping campus rec departments integrate wellbeing into their culture, operations, and strategy.

Promising Practices Webinar

Hear firsthand how four campus recreation departments turned wellbeing concepts into action and discover ideas for your campus.