The University of California, Santa Cruz has joined a cohort of nearly 30 higher education institutions in the United States that have adopted the Okanagan Charter, also known as Health Promoting Universities.
In embracing the Okanagan Charter, the university aims to seamlessly integrate health considerations into daily operations, business practices, and academic pursuits. The adoption comes amidst the lingering aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and various structural, environmental, societal, and political challenges, and as the campus community confronts heightened health and well-being needs on a daily basis.
"By committing to the Okanagan Charter, UC Santa Cruz is taking a proactive stance in prioritizing the health and well-being of our campus community," said UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “Our hope is that this initiative will foster a more supportive and nurturing campus environment where every individual can thrive.”
Grounded in the understanding that health and well-being are shaped by a complex interplay of factors at the individual, organizational, and societal levels, the campus has three primary objectives in adopting the Okanagan Charter.
First, the campus seeks to cultivate a cultural shift that promotes well-being by amplifying practices, policies, and philosophies conducive to health while mitigating aspects that hinder it. Second, UC Santa Cruz aims to maintain steadfast dedication to its missions and objectives, fostering a culture of sustained commitment across all levels of the campus community. Third, the campus will expand opportunities for student, staff, and faculty involvement in activities that nurture belonging, resilience, and self-awareness, all while aligning with individual values.
UC Santa Cruz will concentrate on five key areas: enhancing belonging and connection, promoting faculty and academic success, fostering a culture of well-being, prioritizing sustainability, and fortifying supporting infrastructure.
“We find ourselves at a really unique—and unsettling—time in higher education,” acting Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success John Bollard shared. “Paying attention to personal and community well-being have never been more important. And just as the work of our behavioral health team is laser-focused on supporting our students and expanding our services in strategic and innovative ways, the adoption of the Okanagan Charter will provide an opportunity to do the same on a communal scale. I’m very optimistic, and excited, about the potential impacts of these efforts.”
Central to the success of this endeavor is the UC Santa Cruz Well-being Collective, which will provide essential support and a dedicated program manager overseeing faculty and staff wellness initiatives. An Advisory Council comprising institutional leaders will offer expertise, bridge campus decentralization, and provide guidance on emerging research. A steering committee inclusive of students, staff, and faculty will ensure long-term focus and coordination, with visioning sessions allowing community input to define equitable campus well-being goals and aspirations.
In mid-October, UCSC Okanagan Adoption Committee co-chairs Meg Kobe and Jessica Bulleri will present at the annual U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network (USHPCN) Summit in Albany, New York. Their presentation will highlight UCSC’s journey in adopting the Okanagan Charter, aimed at guiding other universities through the process. They will share how UCSC built partnerships between student and employee wellness, identified leadership champions, and assembled an adoption committee. The co-chairs will discuss the successes, surprises, and challenges faced along the way, offering practical insights to help institutions navigate their own adoption of the Okanagan Charter.
As UC Santa Cruz prioritizes the health and well-being of the campus community through the adoption of the Okanagan Charter, it signals not just a commitment but a call to action. This initiative underscores the campus’s unwavering dedication to nurturing a supportive, inclusive environment where every individual can flourish.
Get involved in the Well-being Collective
If you would like to contribute to creating a Health Promoting Campus by participating in a workgroup and/or want to be updated on progress, please complete the participation interest form. Faculty, Staff, and Students are all invited to participate.
About the Okanagan Charter
The Okanagan Charter is a guiding and aspirational document that was developed as an outcome of the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges. Health promotion scholars and professionals from around the world gathered to create this document. Its purpose is to guide colleges and universities, using their unique positions and roles in research, teaching and service to their communities, to be leaders for the world in developing and modeling health-promoting strategies in their campus settings. Local communities could then learn from their example and modeling, thus influencing global health and well-being strategy. The key is moving beyond traditional approaches of influencing individual behavior, and moving upstream to systems level and environmental strategies that influence the health and well-being of person, place and planet.
About the U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network
Initiated on January 15, 2020, the purpose of the U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network (USHPCN) is to facilitate, advance, and promote the adoption of the Okanagan Charter. The adoption of the Okanagan Charter represents the beginning of an aspirational journey toward campus well-being utilizing a comprehensive settings and systems-level approach. The USHPCN is a support network that helps campuses define, develop, and create strategies and metrics that help define what it means to be a health promoting campus, recognizing that it will be different for each campus based on their unique circumstances, resources, and needs. There are currently 281 members of the network. Each member campus appoints liaisons who meet regularly to learn from, collaborate with, and support each other in this work by sharing resources, best practices, and lessons learned. The USHPCN also collaborates with international networks and is one of thirteen member networks within a more extensive international network, the International Health Promoting Universities & Colleges Network.
