NASPA and Partnering Associations Select Well-being Research Applicant

Health and Well-being in Higher Education: A Commitment to Student Success was first published in March 2018 and has been steadily gaining support and partnership ever since with 15 associations currently undersigned to the statement. At the heart of the statement is a four part Call to Action: Commit Board of Directors, Convene through Professional Development, Develop of Research Frameworks, and Host Global Discussions. Specifically, the Develop Research Frameworks Call to Action, led by ACHA, NASPA, and NIRSA, is to lean into research and develop evidence-based activities to improve the health and well-being of the entire campus community.

To fulfill the Research Frameworks Call to Action, the three associations opened a request for research applications in late 2019. Successful applicants would seek to conduct innovative research that utilized the current inter-association well-being definition, confirm or deny integrated well-being campus efforts, and contribute to the larger conversation around collegiate well-being. We are proud to announce that Dr. Micah Griffin, director of health programs at Kingsborough Community College - CUNY, has been selected for this research opportunity.

Dr. Griffin will be researching how the organizational structure of well-being programs varies by institution size and scope to best support the dimensions of student wellness on campus. Upon completion, this research will support institutions of higher education in applying a framework for developing interdepartmental well-being programs on campus. Dr. Griffin began his research in summer 2020 and will present the current status of the research opportunity at the 2021 NASPA Strategies Conferences.