The Wellness HORIZON Line: How Collegiate Rec, Wellness and Student Health are Evolving to Shape Brighter Futures

Across the country, colleges and universities are evolving their program offerings, operations and facilities to focus on not just physical health, but holistic health and wellbeing. This is an exciting shift - amplified by the pandemic - in line with a new generation of students bringing new recreational preferences, personal health goals and challenges, data-rich tech and a bolstered commitment to wellbeing and inclusivity to campus.

Within this evolution, exciting possibilities abound. Silos are being knocked down as today’s recreation spaces are just as likely to be infused with demonstration kitchens and counseling spaces as they are dumbbells and basketball courts. Student health centers - traditionally undesirable locations on campus - are being designed as campus beacons, also welcoming new departments and programming. Previously taboo issues like mental health and food are being discussed and addressed.

This presentation highlights the different forms this shift is taking across the higher education landscape and inspire attendees to boldly reshape student health and wellness on their campuses.

Learning Objectives

• Attendees will understand the full scope of changes occurring in health and wellness across higher education campuses.
• Attendees will learn how students and society are driving these shifts and what that means for the future.
• Attendees will be immersed in the full continuum of responses institutions can take across programming, policy and built environment.
• Attendees will be inspired to drive change at their specific college and/or university moving forward to better help their students.

Presented by Collen McKenna and Roland Lemke, AIA, LEED AP, of CannonDesign