Recognized for addressing stress
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2015 guidebook, which hits newsstands this week, highlights Wake Forest’s leadership in promoting students’ social and emotional wellbeing.
This is the latest high-profile story featuring Wake Forest’s innovative approaches to helping students tackle stress and build a sense of resilience, in keeping with a growing number of selective universities focused on holistic wellbeing and the essential elements for leading balanced lives.
The story, “Schools take on stress,” also appears in a U.S. News special report called “College of Tomorrow,” which provides in-depth look at how colleges and universities are adapting as demographics, the economy and technology change the landscape of higher education in the U.S.
The article includes positive feedback from recent graduate Elizabeth Law (’14) about campus changes designed to get students to take some down time: “You used to see students checking e-mails on their smartphones when they walked from one part of campus to another. This encourages you to unplug a little bit. More people are making eye contact and stopping to actually talk to each other.”
With thoughtful programming, new gathering places like Zick’s and fun improvements to public spaces such as an outdoor reading room, game carts and moveable tables and chairs, the University aims to increasing overall wellbeing.
The story also includes Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue’s advice on how parents can use open lines of communication to identify signs of stress and depression in their students.
On Sept. 5, students, faculty and staff explored the eight dimensions of wellbeing and found resources to support them.
Making wellbeing an integral part of the college experience is part of Wake Forest’s commitment to educating the whole person. On Sept. 5, the campus-wide introduction of “Thrive,” the University’s comprehensive approach to wellbeing, featured fun and thought-provoking activities to encourage students, faculty and staff to reflect, engage and connect.
Earlier this month, U.S. News ranked Wake Forest 27th among national universities. It is the 19th consecutive year Wake Forest has been ranked in the top 30.
Categories: Campus Life, Enrollment & Financial Aid, Research & Discovery, Wellbeing
Media Contact
Wake Forest News
media@wfu.edu
336.758.5237
