Well-being at Columbia

Last reviewed: 3/31/2025

At Columbia, the World Health Organization definition of well-being is used as the basis of well-being on campus.

"Well-being is a positive state experienced by individuals and societies.​ Similar to health, it's a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic and environmental conditions. Well-being encompasses quality of life and the ability to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose​."

 

In all areas of the University, well-being is a priority that supports the advancement of knowledge and learning at the highest level and exists in a global context.

Well-being Dimensions

wellbeing visualization

Career Well-being: encourages exploration of personal and professional growth throughout the ebbs and flows of one’s work

Emotional Well-being: encourages recognizing, expressing, and managing emotions; it also encourages the ability to adapt to changing environments

Financial Well-being: encourages managing and navigating monetary resources to support current and future needs 

Intellectual Well-being: encourages lifelong learning and exploration of passions to engage the mind

Physical Well-being: encourages caring for your body

Relational Well-being: encourages developing social connections within your inner circles and broader communities to nurture a sense of belonging

Spiritual Well-being: encourages engaging in practices to connect to something beyond yourself

Acknowledgments  

Through a broad community-based participatory process, the following groups made material contributions to the development and approval of a University-wide definition of well-being and the associated dimensions. We express our ongoing gratitude for past, present, and future leadership to advance well-being among all members of the Columbia Community.  

  • Live Well | Learn Well, Columbia’s JED Initiative  
  • Columbia Health  
  • Healthier Columbia Network  
  • Wellness Advisory Committee, Office of Work Life  
  • Computer Workstation Ergonomics Working Group, Office of Work Life  
  • General Studies Student Council  
  • Columbia College Student Council 

 

Reference

  1. University of Minnesota - Taking Charge of Your Health and Wellbeing: What is Spirituality?