UAlbany to Host U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network Summit

Students walking by the fountain at the Entry Plaza on the Uptown Campus.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 3, 2024) — The University at Albany will host the third summit of the U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network for designated Health Promoting Universities (HPU) and those interested or in the process of adopting the Okanagan Charter. The multi-day, in-person event highlights innovative approaches, strategies and practices that support a whole-system approach to promoting well-being for students, faculty and staff at higher education institutions.

The summit held Oct. 14-16 is titled, “Tying it all Together: How the Past Informs the Present, and How We Forge a Path for the Future as Health Promoting Campuses.” Designed to provide participants with a better understanding of the key aspirations of the Okanagan Charter, it offers participating universities the tools and resources to implement opportunities that move their campus toward a focus on the health of person, place and planet. For more information about the summit and how to register, visit the summit web page.

UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez will host a welcome event and presidents' panel Oct. 14, with Brock Tessman, president of Northern Michigan University, Matthew Shaftel, president of Russell Sage College, and Javier Reyes, chancellor of University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Highlights of the conference include:

keynote speakers Kiyaana Cox Jones from the International Institute of Restorative Practices and R. Kelly Crace from William & Mary
sessions on how to adopt the charter
guidance on assessing and evaluating impact
information about policies, systems and structures to support healthy campuses
programs on building a sustainable environment
case studies of successful programs

“The University at Albany is proud to host this year’s summit of U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network. As a Health Promoting University, and one of the first universities in the nation to sign the Okanagan Charter, UAlbany is deeply committed to embedding health and wellness across our operations. This holistic approach has already had significant positive impacts on our community, and I look forward to sharing our successes and learning from other institutions at the upcoming summit,” Rodríguez said.

The University adopted the Okanagan Charter in 2021, as part of the first cohort of higher education institutions in the United States. As a Health Promoting University, UAlbany has established itself as an institution committed to the health of person, place and planet while strengthening the overall well-being of its community.

Since adopting the charter, the University has continued to build on programs and services that promote health while also creating the new Office of Health Promotion to lead a public health approach to health promotion for the campus. In addition to focusing on focus on creating healthy systems and settings, the University implemented a health navigator program, which bridges students to resources both on- and off-campus. Some of the resources and support available through the Office of Health Promotion include:

well-being appointments
survivor support and advocacy
recovery support
wellness coaching
safer sex and harm reduction resources
self-assessments (screenings) for alcohol and cannabis use

The Okanagan Charter was developed in Canada in 2015 to apply settings-based health promotion to the setting of higher education, and it is now active across the globe. Universities that adopt the charter are members of the broader International Health Promoting Campuses Network, a global community that provides institutions with common language, principles and a framework that can be used to foster cultures of compassion, well-being and equity across their campuses.

The global initiative is based on evidence showing that people who experience well-being tend to be more productive, are better able to engage in deeper learning, have a greater sense of belonging and stronger sense of community.