Georgia Institute of Technology’s: In August 2022, the Division of Student Engagement and Well-Being unveiled its transformational roadmap for student well-being in support of the Institute’s strategic plan. After the establishment of the Office of Cultivate Well-Being Action and Transformation and the appointment of Heather Zesiger as its director, the introduction of the Cultivate Well-Being Action and Transformation Roadmap With a Focus on Faculty and Staff is imminent.
“Putting on our own oxygen masks first is unquestionably a fundamental principle,” said Zesiger. “It is crucial that we maintain our health so that we can be the best at the work we do on campus and serve as a paradigm for students. Students see us in all of our responsibilities, so we all have the opportunity to demonstrate healthy, caring, and inclusive behaviours. There are also structural measures we can take to improve everyone’s health and preserve a healthful campus environment. In addition, we are challenging outmoded narratives to imply that compassion and rigour can coexist and that advancing faculty and staff well-being simultaneously with student well-being is not a zero-sum game.”
Highlighted by the relaunch of the Centre for Mental Health Care and Resources and a new identity for the Wellness Empowerment Centre, eight of the 26 action strategies outlined in the student roadmap were implemented in the past year. The faculty and staff road map will include a similar plan to more effectively assist those in need, reduce the stigma associated with seeking help, and broaden the campus community’s understanding of how the eight dimensions of wellness — emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, and social — intersect.
New technology sheds further light on how life formed on Earth
Georgia Institute of Technology’s Faculty and Staff Roadmap Continues Institute’s Commitment to Well-Being
Zesiger has over 25 years of professional experience, which she applies to her position at Georgia Tech. She is responsible for supervising the implementation of the plan, which she describes as “among the most audacious” she has seen in higher education. Citing Institute leadership for the inclusion of well-being in the strategic plan and Luoluo Hong, vice president for Student Engagement and Well-Being, for the creation of the student roadmap, Zesiger identifies the current time as one of profound change for the Tech community.
“The best practises in my profession acknowledge the interconnectedness of the concepts of community, belonging, health, and learning. Therefore, as we improve one, it will affect the other. As we eliminate obstacles to each element, we will see improved results,” she said. “In the student population, both their academic performance and their outlook on the future are improving. We observe similar situations with faculty and staff when performance is substituted for learning, so performance, health, and community also share this relationship.”
New Initiatives
As the world emerges from the pandemic, which took a toll on physical and mental health, Zesiger emphasised that wellness has taken on a new meaning, and this road map is another instrument to study and address its long-term effects.
Faculty and staff members are not graded at the conclusion of each semester, nor are they given tests every few weeks to evaluate their progress. A portion of the road map will be devoted to redefining success and fostering a culture in which employees feel valued. It also includes recommendations for the promotion and expansion of strategies consistent with improved faculty and staff mental health outcomes.
The implementation of both roadmaps will not occur instantaneously, but metrics will be used to track the progress of the action strategies with the aim of institutionalising the most successful elements by 2030. However, Zesiger observes that the strategic plan will not be the final step in fostering a healthy campus.
She stated, “Well-being does not end in 2030.” “This value is woven into the fabric of Tech, hopefully forever.”
