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The Wellness Center Building Campaign
The wellness center will provide opportunities to develop healthy students and graduates who will impact the lives of countless people beyond our classrooms. Resilient, whole and vibrant students will be prepared to shape a challenging and demanding world. The University of California, San Diego develops the mind, body and spirit of the student. We are committed to the "whole person."
Vision
Our goal is to create a Wellness Center to meet the physical, psychological, spiritual, ethical, occupational, social and intellectual needs of a diverse student population.
The mission of the Wellness Center is to promote the well being of UCSD students through an integrative approach by fostering lifelong intellectual, psychosocial, physical and spiritual wellness and advocating for healthy practices throughout the campus, curricula and community.
Our students will be able to put their wellness goals into action in a centralized location, where complementary physical and programmatic resources are marshaled under one roof. By locating the a multidisciplinary team of professionals here, services will be collaboratively developed, provided and evaluated in an efficient and effective manner – a team approach integrated with broader student life initiatives supporting personal development, academics and career advancement.
Students Crave Connection and Meaning
Across the nation there has been a rise in the number of students entering with or experiencing psychological challenges while in college; these trends are evident at UC San Diego.
In an annual report published by the International Association of Counseling Services, Robert P. Gallagher, author and professor at the University of Pittsburgh, says the majority of students who commit suicide on campus, a rising trend, "have never sought out counseling," says Gallagher. "Campuses need to do more to reach out to students and help them not be fearful."
In a recent report by the University of California Student Mental Health Committee reported that the "increasing demand and declining capacity for mental heath services pose a threat to the learning environment." Among their recommendations was a comprehensive institutional approach to creating healthier learning environments...(to) influence communication and collaboration."
The number of students seeking spiritual fulfillment during their college years is also on the rise at UC San Diego, as evidenced by the continually increasing number of student organizations associated with various religious traditions.
We know through research that there is a close correlation between the ability of students to manage the stresses of early adulthood and college life and their academic performance. The ability of UCSD students to cope and succeed is directly dependent upon their access to wellness-related information, services and engagement opportunities, and their ability to connect with one another.
A Center at the Heart of Student Campus Life
Designed for the healthy as well as those in need, the Wellness Center at UCSD will have a positive atmosphere, without the potential for negative stigma attached to seeking personal help or fulfillment.
The Center's physical manifestation – adjacent to the campus' Main Gym complex – is currently designated in UCSD's Long Range Development Plan. It is part of neighborhood of student services on the west side of campus including the Women's Center, the Student Center, LGBT Resource Office, the Main Gym, The Grove Café, the University Art Gallery and the Muir Campus. In proximity to these services, we can more effectively attract students to the following services, which has been proven to be very popular in campus communities around the country.
- Health Education
- Recreation
- Personal Wellness
- Counseling and Psychological Services
- Center for Ethical and Spirituality (CES)
WHAT IS INSIDE? VIRTUAL & ACTUAL COMPONENTS
The Wellness Center will have five wood-floor activity rooms for recreation classes and clubs, as well as sports teams. It will also provide two classrooms, several examination/testing rooms for personal wellness programs, interview/counseling rooms for psychological and counseling services, offices for the Student Health Education Program, Recreation Professionals, Psychological Service Professional and various spaces – contemplative, general gathering, counseling and administrative – associated with the Center for Ethics and Spirituality The Center for Ethics and Spirituality at UCSD, established as the Office of Religious Affairs at UCSD in 1967, provides an accessible source for students to find spiritual, moral and ethical guidance and support. The member denominations are all led by professionals for whom the campus is the primary responsibility.
All operations will be integrated in such a way that, at any given time, the activity rooms will be filled with students engaged in martial arts, dance, yoga, fitness classes, meditation sessions, fencing, spiritual pursuits, student organization meetings and events or combinations of these and other activities.
Anticipated classroom uses include recreation, health education and nutrition, lectures and workshops on ethics, honesty, integrity, meditation and spiritual inquiry, as well as much-needed space for student organization meetings. A ground-floor courtyard café with indoor/outdoor seating will support socialization and community building. The café will provide delicious, healthy and, when possible, locally grown and organic food and drink.
The proposed four-story building, currently estimated at a cost of $40 million, would have a footprint of approximately 10,000 square feet and contain 30,000 to 35,000 assignable square feet. Plans are for the materials and treatment of the exterior of the building to integrate with the existing Main Gym complex and complement the surrounding eucalyptus and open field space.
The proposed facility will be incorporate a "well building" approach using environmentally friendly, non-toxic, natural materials where possible and incorporating sustainable building principles, including energy efficiency via passive and active solar design components. Exterior landscape and hardscape will facilitate outdoor activities, contemplation and community.
WHERE WE STAND: FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS
The university has assigned space, funded a feasibility study, developed a building plan, hired a "point person" to manage and spearhead the project. We have developed and refined a variety of multidisciplinary services including:
- Student Personal Wellness Program offered by Recreation and Student Health Education.
- A wellness class offered by Recreation and Nutrition Services,
- A weight management program integrating behavioral, medical and nutritional services,
- A stress management and biofeedback program,
- The LiveWell Program, a holilstic program integrating mind/body/spirit/relationships offered to freshman residents to improve stress management.
- Wellness Coaching involving the Student Health Advocate and Wellness Peer Education programs, providing wellness education and services for student
- Integrative and transdisciplinary workshops such as mindfulness meditation, stress management, health and peak performance and hypnosis.
- LiveWell Balance Test at http://wellness.ucsd.edu/survey/ an online assessment of wellness needs.
Immediate plans include developing a virtual wellness website, piloting additionalcollaborative wellness services, expansion of the wellness peer education program, and providing more trans-disciplinary programs and services.
SUPPORT US
We need your help to identify partners who can support the Wellness Center programmatically or to help fund the building.
Ready to give? Contact Kim Signoret-Paar, Director of Student Affairs Development at kspaar@ucsd.edu or (858) 822-1536 on how to support this effort. You may also give now by accessing our secure online giving page.
Learn more about Student Affairs Development efforts at http://studentsupport.ucsd.edu.
