University Well-being Leadership Alliance (UWLA)

In July 2016, Iowa State University’s 2017-2022 Strategic Plan was completed and adopted by the Iowa Board of Regents. In the plan, the University adopted several Goals designed to encompass the spirit of whole person and whole system approaches to well-being, including Goal 3: Improve the quality of life for all Iowans through services and programs dedicated to economic development and the promotion of healthy communities, people, and environments, and Goal 4: Continue to enhance and cultivate the ISU Experience where faculty, staff, students, and visitors are safe and feel welcomed, supported, included, and valued by the university and each other. These goals recognize the importance of the interdependence of our people, our communities, and our world in transforming the culture at Iowa State University.

The University Well-being Leadership Alliance (UWLA) provides a venue for cultivating this interconnectedness and affirming the strategic direction for well-being at Iowa State University through ongoing communication, innovation, and collaboration. This systemic approach will create the opportunity to tap into the energy and enthusiasm of invested individuals and entities for thoughtful dialogue, aligned direction, and coordinated action across the University.

The purpose of the University Well-being Leadership Alliance (UWLA) is to create a teaming environment that provides an opportunity for invested stakeholders to collaborate across the University, to better align well-being priorities, and to take action in mobilizing the strategic direction for well-being at Iowa State University. By focusing on Goal 4 (and specifically Subgoal 4.2), the UWLA will enhance and promote all dimensions of well-being on the individual and institutional level. This focus will also indirectly address Goal 3, as campus is the hub that impacts our land grant mission throughout the state of Iowa. This cultural and systemic approach would include the following:

• Built environments (anything structural with a focus on safety, functionality, sustainability, and connection to nature and to other people),
• People (utilization of programs, policies, and practices that encourage and support employees and students), and
• Social norms (the “why we do what we do” – shifting toward a more sustainable work life, more supportive student life, and more welcoming campus).

While the UWLA supports all subgoals under Goal #4, the UWLA’s primary focus is to advance Subgoal #4.2 to enhance the safety, health, well-being, and security of faculty, staff, students and visitors. The deliverables would include but are not limited to:

• Improving the climate at Iowa State University with physical changes that cultivate a safe and supportive environment thereby recognizing the interconnectedness of individuals and the environment.
• Strengthening our ISU culture to foster compassion, collaboration, and connection by promoting an inclusive community, positive social interaction, and mutual respect.
• Enriching the quality of life for ISU students and employees by emphasizing individual and institutional well-being and addressing determinants of health, including:
  • improved equity,  
  • mental, physical and economical health,
  • social justice and respect for diversity,
  • safety and security,
  • sustainability, and
  • access to food.
• Enhancing the ISU Experience by creating conditions to continually encourage well-being, engage strengths, and inspire personal development throughout the university.

Click to view the full UWLA Charter
Click here to view the UWLA Strategic Priorities

For more information email ISU WellBeing at worklife@iastate.edu