Wildcat Well-Being Launch Event is First Step in Creative Approach
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2018) — The University of Kentucky is using an innovative approach to discover the best ways to support the university community’s well-being.
To fully understand the well-being needs at UK and develop creative solutions, the Wildcat Well-Being is beginning with seeking input. By using an empathetic, solution-finding approach, UK can establish a base understanding of how the university approaches well-being and identify unmet needs. These insights can then address key challenges with new solutions.
The process is a form of “design thinking,” which aims to redefine problems and consider the end users, then create many prototype solutions for testing.
For the Wildcat Well-Being initiative, the goal is to build a national model for well-being in higher education that addresses eight dimensions of well-being:
- Emotional;
- Spiritual;
- Intellectual;
- Physical;
- Environmental;
- Financial;
- Occupational; and
- Social.
“We want to engage the entire UK family in supporting the well-being of their peers and colleagues,” President Eli Capilouto said. “Together, our campus can be a place where all can flourish in their education, teaching, research, service and care.”
The design thinking process includes five phases:
- Observe and understand
- Synthesis and focus
- Ideate
- Prototype and test
- Launch
To facilitate Step 1, anyone at UK who is a provider of well-being services — in any of the eight dimensions — is invited to a launch event to help further define well-being needs. The goal of the event is to create a list of well-being services currently available and gather an array of visions for well-being at UK in the future.
The event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to noon, Nov. 27, at the Gatton Student Center Ballroom. Click here to register to attend, and share the link with anyone in the UK community who might be interested in participating.