WashU will formally adopt the Okanagan Charter: An International Charter for Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, reinforcing the university’s commitment to making health and well-being an integral part of campus culture, policies, practices and decision-making.
Chancellor Andrew D. Martin will offer remarks and sign the charter at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Mudd Field during WashU’s weekly well-being fair. Well-being Wednesday takes place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. every Wednesday during the school year and features health and wellness resources from across campus and the community, including a farmers market. Students, faculty and staff are invited to take part in the signing and the fair, as the university builds a healthier, more supportive campus community.
“Our students’ well-being is at the heart of what we do,” said Anna Gonzalez, vice
chancellor for student success. “Adopting this charter is one of the ways we are helping
students graduate with better well-being than when they arrived at WashU.”
With its adoption of the charter, WashU joins a growing network of colleges and universities committed to advancing health and well-being through a systemic, institution-wide approach.
“The Okanagan Charter challenges us to think beyond individual programs and services and consider how the entire university environment influences well-being,” said Kirk Dougher, associate vice chancellor for health and well-being. “That means looking at the policies we create, the spaces we design, the ways we teach and work and the everyday decisions we make. Building a health-promoting campus is something we do collectively.”
The WashU Well-being Collective is leading that work, bringing together partners from across the university to identify opportunities, coordinate efforts and elevate the voices of the campus community.
Adoption of the charter marks a milestone rather than an endpoint. Students, faculty and staff can help shape the university’s approach through listening sessions, departmental initiatives, working groups and other campuswide efforts.
The Okanagan Charter was developed through an international collaboration of higher
education institutions and health-promotion organizations. It calls on colleges and universities to embed health into all aspects of campus culture and to lead health-promotion efforts locally and globally.
For more information about WashU’s health and well-being initiatives and opportunities to participate, visit the Division of Student Success health and well-being website.
