Jamie Adam, Elisa Greene, and Michael Oliver from Belmont University emphasize that faculty well-being is multidimensional, including aspects like purpose, relationships, and growth. This is crucial for the effectiveness, engagement, and retention within institutions.<\/p>\n
Faculty well-being is essential for the success of academic environments and institutions. However, educators often deal with challenges such as heavy workloads, scarce resources, isolation, and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. At our private Christian university in the South, we developed the Refresh and Renewal (R&R) initiative to support faculty well-being through structured small-group interventions focused on physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being.<\/p>\n
Research shows well-being is linked to performance, job satisfaction, and retention. Faculty with adequate resources and support are more engaged and productive, while lack of well-being can lead to absenteeism and turnover. Supporting faculty is both an act of care and a strategic investment in institutional health. Our approach was informed by models like PERMA and Ryff\u2019s psychological well-being framework, highlighting the relational and multidimensional nature of well-being.<\/p>\n
The R&R initiative involved inviting one faculty member from each college to participate in a monthly small group. The group met for two half-day sessions and six monthly off-campus meetings, each focusing on one of six well-being domains. Participants engaged with resources like podcasts and scholarly articles, and used the Rose, Bud, Thorn framework for reflection.<\/p>\n
Faculty were surveyed at the beginning and end of the academic year to assess well-being. Thirty-one agreed to participate, with ten completing both pre- and post-intervention surveys. The Perceived Wellness Survey and additional questions were used to measure changes in wellness. The intervention group showed significant improvement in well-being scores, particularly in emotional well-being, while the control group did not.<\/p>\n
Qualitative analysis revealed two key findings: sustaining factors for faculty include a supportive work environment and meaningful roles, while institutional needs include manageable workloads and opportunities for collaboration. Going forward, the university plans to explore more ways to support faculty well-being.<\/p>\n