Starting from scratch: Creating a university wellness initiative

This article addresses the strategies used by one institution to begin a university-wide wellness effort. Mental health challenges in the student population formed the framework for beginning a wellness initiative, including hiring a Chief Wellness Officer (CWO) to lead the way. Initial efforts were spent on understanding the current wellness programs and strategies being offered, as well as areas where additional support was needed. Based on this information, the literature, and outside experts and webinars, an advisory committee was established to develop a strategic plan for wellness that would include a vision, mission, goals, programs, and a robust website that can be easily accessed. Outreach to the larger community involved many others in plan development. Annual goals were agreed upon by the advisory committee. The 3-year strategic plan rolled out at the start of the second year and a series of meetings were held with different constituents to gain awareness of the plan and how it could benefit everyone. Eight programs were run, mostly videoconferenced, consistent with the eight wellness dimensions that were agreed upon by the advisory committee: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual. Based on feedback, plans for future programs were developed. •Compromised mental health is the top reason why students drop out of college.•The exponential increase in student mental health needs following the pandemic far outpaced existing resources and highlighted the need for innovative approaches to prevention.•To meet this challenge, Pace University School of Nursing launched a university-wide effort to address mental health challenges facing students and the larger campus community.•This multiyear effort included launching a new role - Chief Wellness Officer - developing a content-rich website, engaging with community stakeholders, and offering programming across 8 dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual.•The Wellness Strategic Plan developed to guide this initiative has yielded substantial results and provides a pathway forward for future success.