A community is able to cultivate a positive and thriving environment for its members by encouraging well-being. George Mason University has partnered with The Gallup Organization in order to do just that.
Although Gallup’s programs have been used at the university for the last ten years, the partnership began in 2014.
“The formal partnership began last summer, because when the university identified well-being as one of the twelve strategic goals in the new plan, we wanted to measure it,” said Nance Lucas, executive director for the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. “So part of what the Gallup Organization does is measurement activities around well-being.”
A result of the partnership was the creation of a well-being survey to be sent to the Mason community. The survey has already been sent out to Mason alumni. Expecting to receive the results later in March, Mason hopes to use the findings in order to learn how to better the university and its members.
“We will receive a written report from [Gallup] summarizing the data and analyzing the data along with written recommendations for our institution so that we can continue to enhance our programmatic and service efforts on well-being,” Lucas said.
Following spring break, the well-being survey will also be sent to all Mason undergraduate students. The survey looks at the levels of students’ well-being, hope, and engagement.
It is highly encouraged for students to take the well-being survey in order for the university to get a greater grasp on the well-being and satisfaction of their students.
“It is important for the students to take the survey because it gives the university a snapshot of how they are feeling. Are they thriving or are they languishing? Are they engaged in the university and their academics and their social life or are they disengaged? Does this university enhance their well-being? So those are the types of things the survey will report on,” Lucas said.
Chelsie Kuhn, program coordinator for the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, said, “As a model well-being university, we want to help our faculty, staff, students, and alumni to build a life of vitality, purpose, resilience, and engagement. This includes thriving across a range of domains (physical, career, social, community, psychological and financial) and being satisfied with one’s life while experiencing curiosity, hope, meaning and joy. Our measurements and data around these concepts allow us to see what we are doing well and where we can improve in the future.”
In answering these questions, Mason will be able to better serve and help its students in not only their college lives, but also in their future endeavors.
“We want students to walk away from Mason understanding what it means to live a well life, not just to graduate and find a job to make a lot of money,” Lucas said. “These are the kind of skills, competencies, and knowledge that students can acquire while they are at Mason that they will be able to use beyond graduation and in their personal lives and careers. And hopefully they will soon become the facilitators of others’ well-being in the world.”
