So far this spring, I have explored the first three “essentials” for workplace mental health and well-being—protection from harm, connection and community, and work-life harmony—in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being. The authors of the framework argue that “organizational efforts to invest in workplace well-being . . . can in turn support the development of a happier, healthier, more productive workforce” and, furthermore, “organizations can use this Framework to support their workplaces as engines of mental health and wellbeing” (p. 9). I think higher education can use this framework as a jumping-off point to do the hard work of looking in the mirror to make some strategic and systemic changes to how the sector treats people and accomplishes its mission. In this article, we look at the final two essentials of the framework, mattering at work and opportunity for growth, and how they pertain to higher education.
Why We Need to Fight for Our Students: The Example of Stephanie Land
It is a commonplace to say that our campuses need to be “student centered.” That we need to “meet students where they are” and recognize that our students are less
Constance C. Relihan
January 2, 2024
