Cornell University

Health Promoting Campus

Cornell University's commitment: People. Places. Planet.

Cornell's Wellbeing Vision and Mission

Aerial view of fall foliage and pathsThe following vision and mission statements were created in partnership with members of the Community of Practice, based on input from over a dozen focus groups with a wide range of Cornell students, staff, and faculty.

Wellbeing Vision

Our vision is to create and sustain a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive culture in which students, staff, and faculty can flourish. This culture is supportive of holistic individual, social, and ecological wellbeing.

Wellbeing Mission

We support this vision from a systems-level approach and provide equitable access to services and resources which promote care for ourselves, our community, and the environment, and offer opportunities for meaningful connection. We create sustainable environments that meet the interdependent needs of people, places, and the planet. Input gathered from stakeholders will help guide priorities and develop strategies to achieve our vision.

How we arrived at our Vision & Mission

Eighteen "Visioning Sessions" were conducted in fall 2022 to gather feedback from students, staff, and faculty with the goal of creating a wellbeing vision for Cornell to guide our future work as a health-promoting campus. Nearly 400 people participated, with representation from:

  • Body Positive Cornell
  • Career Services
  • Coalition on Mental Health
  • Cornell Health   
  • Cornell Minds Matter
  • Empathy, Assistance & Referral Service (EARS)
  • Executive Accountability Committee for the student Mental Health Review
  • Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA)
  • Health and Welfare Committee of Employee Assembly
  • Mental Health Programmers Committee
  • Professional Academic Advising Leaders (PAAL)
  • Student and Campus Life's Divisional Leadership Team
  • Student Disability Services
  • University Assembly
  • University Student Service Leaders (USSL)

Open sessions were also available in which any member of the Cornell community could attend. Additional input was collected via Qualtrics survey.

Questions asked of participants during the Visioning Sessions:

  • "What does a healthy Cornell University mean to you?"
  • "What do you think it means to our students, employees and/or faculty?" (answer with an identity you don't hold)
  • "What are important characteristics of a healthy community for all who live, work, and learn here?"
  • "Starting from where we are today, what would you like Cornell to look like in the next five to ten years?"