UC Santa Cruz has joined the ranks of approximately 30 U.S. higher education institutions that have adopted the Okanagan Charter, also known as the Health Promoting University.
By adopting the Okanagan Charter, the University aims to seamlessly integrate health considerations into its daily operations, business practices and academic pursuits. This adoption comes as the campus community faces heightened health and well-being needs every day in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a range of structural, environmental, social and political challenges.
“By committing to the Okanagan Charter, UC Santa Cruz is taking a proactive stance to prioritize the health and well-being of our campus community,” said UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “We hope this effort will foster a more supportive and nurturing campus environment in which all individuals can thrive.”
Based on the understanding that health and wellbeing are shaped by the interplay of complex factors at the individual, organizational and societal levels, the campus has three main objectives in adopting the Okanagan Charter.
First, the campus will seek to foster a cultural change that promotes well-being by expanding practices, policies, and philosophies that contribute to health and reducing aspects that impede health. Second, UC Santa Cruz will strive to maintain an unwavering dedication to its mission and purpose while cultivating a culture of sustained commitment at all levels of the campus community. Finally, the campus will expand opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to participate in activities that foster a sense of belonging, resilience, and self-awareness while aligning with their personal values.
UC Santa Cruz will focus on five key areas: strengthening belonging and connection, promoting faculty and academic success, fostering a culture of well-being, prioritizing sustainability and strengthening supportive infrastructure.
“We are in a truly unique and unsettling time in higher education,” said John Bollard, assistant vice-president for student affairs. “Paying attention to the well-being of individuals and communities has never been more important. And just as the work of our behavioral health team is focused on supporting students and expanding services in strategic and innovative ways, the adoption of the Okanagan Charter provides an opportunity to do the same on a community-wide scale. I am very optimistic and excited about the potential impact of these efforts.”
Central to the success of this effort is the UC Santa Cruz Wellbeing Collective, which provides essential support and has a dedicated program manager overseeing faculty wellness initiatives. An advisory board made up of institutional leaders provides expertise, bridges campus decentralization, and offers guidance on new research. A steering committee made up of students, staff, and faculty ensures long-term focus and alignment, incorporating community input in visioning sessions to define equitable goals and aspirations for campus wellness.
In mid-October, UCSC Okanagan Adoption Committee co-chairs Meg Corby and Jessica Burelli will speak at the United States Health Promoting Campus Network (USHPCN) annual summit in Albany, New York. Their talk will focus on UCSC’s journey to adopting the Okanagan Charter, with the goal of guiding other universities in the process. They will share how UCSC built student and employee wellness partnerships, identified leadership champions, and assembled a hiring committee. The co-chairs will discuss successes, surprises, and challenges they faced along the way, offering practical insights to help institutions adopt the Okanagan Charter on their own.
UC Santa Cruz has prioritized the health and well-being of its campus community through the adoption of the Okanagan Charter, which is more than just a commitment; it is a call to action. The initiative highlights the campus’ unwavering dedication to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment in which all individuals can thrive.
Join the Wellbeing Collective
If you would like to join the workgroup and contribute to creating a health-promoting campus, or receive updates on our progress, please fill out the participation form. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to participate.
About the Okanagan Charter
The Okanagan Charter is a guiding and aspirational document developed as an outcome of an international conference on university and college health promotion held in 2015. Health promotion scholars and experts from around the world came together to develop the document. Its purpose is to guide universities to use their unique position and role in research, teaching, and community service to become world leaders in developing and modeling health promotion strategies in campus environments. Communities can learn from the example and modeling of universities to influence global health and well-being strategies. The key is to move beyond traditional approaches of influencing individual behaviors and move upstream to systems-level and environmental strategies that impact the health and well-being of people, places, and the planet.
About the American Healthy Campus Network
Launched on January 15, 2020, the purpose of the United States Health Promoting Campuses Network (USHPCN) is to promote, advance, and advance the adoption of the Okanagan Charter. The adoption of the Okanagan Charter represents the beginning of an ambitious journey toward campus health leveraging a comprehensive environment and systems-level approach. The USHPCN is a support network that helps campuses define, develop, and create strategies and metrics that help define what a health-promoting campus is, recognizing that every campus is different based on their unique circumstances, resources, and needs. Currently, the network has 281 members. Each member campus appoints a liaison and meets regularly to share resources, best practices, and lessons learned to learn from, collaborate with, and support each other in this work. The USHPCN also collaborates with international networks and is one of 13 member networks within a broader international network, the International Health Promoting University Network.
