Who We Are
Representing UConn’s eleven schools and college, the Academic Affairs Partnership Committee is composed of faculty and staff dedicated to creating a culture of wellbeing in UConn’s academic environments. Committee members recognize the critical role wellbeing plays in supporting student learning, success, and persistence. Leveraging community assets, the group collaborates in developing multidisciplinary strategies to foster student wellbeing and champion student success.
Goals
1. To better understand the faculty’s experiences and concerns related to students’ wellbeing
2. To prepare and support faculty and staff to best support students whose behaviors might be interfering with their learning and academic goals
3. To work together to develop and promote a culture of wellbeing across the UConn schools and colleges
Projects
Develop training modules for faculty and staff. (Current)
The Academic Affairs Partnership Committee is developing a library of training modules that every faculty and staff member can access. These training sessions are designed to enhance the knowledge and skills needed to foster student wellbeing in academic settings.
Map existing structures. (2021)
During the spring of 2021, interviews with each committee member were conducted to map existing structures around student wellbeing that are in place in each school/college. This included identifying:
- Best practices. What about the existing structures and/or current practices are working? What is not working?
- Key person dependencies that could put institutional knowledge at risk.
- Existing mechanisms in place that could be leveraged to deliver content/training.
Create a central souce of “moment of need” information. (2021)
Referred to as the "Red Folder", this source of key information allows faculty and staff to easily access and discern next steps for students t in distress.
Produce Academic Affairs Partnership Committee Welcome video. (2021)
The Wellness Coalition’s Academic Affairs Partnership Committee understands that student wellbeing is the key to student success. In this video, the committee highlights important health and wellness resources for students and invites you to share your ideas for improving student wellbeing at UConn in the 2021-2022 academic year. Welcome back Huskies!
Wellness Coalition – Academic Affairs Partnership Committee Fall 2021 Welcome - YouTube
Resources
The Red Folder
Red Folder is an important resource to help faculty and staff recognize, respond to and connect students in distress.
UT Austin Faculty Wellness Guidebook
Developed in partnership with colleges, schools, and departments at the University of Texas Austin, Well-Being in Learning Environments provides a compendium of strategies designed to help faculty make small shifts in teaching that could make a major difference in students’ mental health and well-being.
University of Montana Faculty Toolkit 2019
Based on the well-documented concept that student wellbeing is critical to learning, success and persistence, this toolkit provides a foundation on how instructors can integrate vital conditions for well-being in the learning environment.
University of Montana Faculty Toolkit 2019
Get Involved
To Get Involved: email wellnesscoalition@uconn.edu
