UW Wellness Center Receives National Award

The University of Wyoming Wellness Center is the recipient of the Outstanding Emerging Wellness Program Award from a national student affairs organization.

The American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Wellness Commission selected the Wellness Center for the honor. ACPA supports and fosters college student learning through the generation and dissemination of knowledge, which informs policies, practices and programs for student affairs professionals and the higher education community.

The award recognizes a breakout wellness program or department, which effectively encompasses areas including, but not limited to, physical, emotional, spiritual, occupational, social and intellectual dimensions, says Arif Nuri, ACPA Wellness Commission chair-elect.

“We gauge a potential recipient of the award on an innovative program/department that has wide-reaching influence on student wellness on campus and/or how the program/department is geared to improving wellness for students and/or staff,” Nuri says.

Lena Newlin, Wellness Center assistant director, says it is an honor for the center’s staff members to be recognized for their work in health promotion and wellness at UW.

“We know that there is a direct connection between health and academic success, and we are grateful that UW has invested in the Wellness Center to support students and promote campus health,” Newlin says.

The UW Wellness Center opened in November 2015, following a two-year renovation and expansion project of the UW Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center. Located in the southwest part of Half Acre in the “free zone,” which requires no gym membership to access, the center is open to students and members of the university community.

With an emphasis on primary prevention and education, the Wellness Center focuses educational programs and services on 10 areas: academic impacts; alcohol and other drug abuse; general health; mental health; nutrition; physical activity and fitness; safety; sexual health; tobacco use; and occupational and financial wellness.

While the Wellness Center is located in Half Acre, its focus is on more than just physical wellness. The Wellness Center offers a variety of programs and services, including stress management workshops, health assessments and screenings, athletic training, cooking classes and nutrition seminars, faculty and staff adult wellness, health education workshops, educational materials and health promotion supplies.

Most services in the Wellness Center are free; however, personal training, massage therapy and rental of chair massage services have fees.

Additionally, the Wellness Center provides multiple student involvement and leadership opportunities. These include the Wellness Ambassadors student organization, the Health Leadership Certificate Program, Wellness Center internships and student employment opportunities.

For more information about the Wellness Center, visit www.uwyo.edu/wellness, like the center on Facebook, or follow on Instagram @uwwellness.

To view Wellness Center events throughout the year, go to WyoCal, UW’s online calendar, at www.uwyo.edu/uw/calendar.