Worcester, MA—January 26, 2023—At a ceremony held today, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) officials cut the ribbon to launch the Center for Well-Being, a groundbreaking model of wellness programming and support for the campus community. To help foster a more holistic approach to student health and well-being, the university has also co-located the new Center with its Student Health Services (SHS) and offices for the Student Development and Counseling Center (SDCC). The convergence of these three entities, plus WPI’s Office of Accessibility Services, comprises WPI’s pioneering Health & Wellness Collaborative.
“The connection between mind, body, and spirit is undeniable, and the creation of the Center for Well-Being and the establishment of the Health & Wellness Collaborative demonstrates a thoughtful and holistic approach to more fully supporting the wellness of every individual in the WPI community,” said Winston (Wole) Soboyejo, WPI Interim-President. “Academic success is best achieved when a student’s needs are met such that they can thrive both in and out of the classroom. This ethos of care also extends to supporting our faculty and staff in their work. I am truly grateful for all who worked tirelessly to bring this Center – and this Collaborative – to fruition, and I believe WPI’s experience can ultimately benefit others.”
"The connection between mind, body, and spirit is undeniable, and the creation of the Center for Well-Being and the establishment of the Health & Wellness Collaborative demonstrates a thoughtful and holistic approach to more fully supporting the wellness of every individual in the WPI community." -Winston (Wole) Soboyejo
Centralizing Care for the WPI Community
The opening of the Center for Well-Being is the culmination of years of planning to centralize a broad range of services to support students in an integrated approach that recognizes the important connections between physical health, mental health, overall well-being, and academic and professional success. Guided by input from an internal Mental Health and Well-Being Task Force composed of students, faculty, and staff and collaborations with external consultants, this new Center will allow WPI to apply evidence-based practices that promote well-being for students and the broader campus community, recognizing the importance of faculty and staff in creating, maintaining, and modeling a healthier environment for all. Importantly, all components of the Center and Collaborative are built on engagement and connection and provide not only programming and resources for individuals to support their own wellness, but advisors, guides, and peers to help along the way, as well as structural and systems level changes to better support the well-being of the community.
The visionary new Center, designed by Lamoureaux Pagano Associates/Architects and built by Shawmut Design Construction, includes a welcome desk staffed by students serving as Peer Well-Being Ambassadors, staff offices, and a wellness hub with comfortable seating where students can connect or relax to the gentle and soothing sounds of water flowing in the waterfall feature. The Center also features a programming room for hosting wellness activities (such as meditation or yoga) and a rest and recovery room equipped with a zero-gravity chair, compression boots, and red light therapy to virtually connect with nature, find balance, and ground yourself with restorative content. The Center is adjacent to new spaces for Student Health Services, which relocated from another area of the campus and additional offices for the Student Development and Counseling Center. The overall project, supported by a $10 million commitment by the university, positions these significant health and well-being services next to the campus quad in an area well-traveled by students heading to the university’s largest dining hall.
“Although these initiatives were years in the making, the importance of this work was underscored and accelerated last academic year — a time that brought unprecedented challenges and a major focus on mental health and well-being to the WPI campus,” said Charlie Morse, WPI Dean of Student Wellness. “Young people everywhere are grappling with a mental health crisis that was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now all colleges and universities must gain a better understanding of how mental health and well-being intersect with the rigors of higher education so that we can identify opportunities to better support our communities.”
“Our belief is that this new approach will help nurture a culture of wellness that promotes healthier habits, behaviors, and decisions that permeate all areas of the community. We aim to help students, faculty, and staff at WPI, while also sharing what we’ve learned with other colleges and universities so they can help their own campus communities as well.”
