Bryant University’s new Wellbeing Center is barely a week old, but it already has devoted fans.
In the dimmed lighting of the lounge and cocooned in plush blue chairs, Will Hughes ’27 pages through his notebook, going over his notes from his last class, while Hardee Patel ’27 works on her laptop. Matthew Vicente ’28 flips through a book — Funny People by Emily Henry — recently lent to him by Marina Espinal ’27, who checks her email nearby.
As they work, they talk about classes, clubs, campus life, and life back in their hometowns, exchanging stories and laughs. At one point Patel and Vicente share an energetic high-five when he mentions his dorm, where she lived as a junior, too.
The students are busy, working on and thinking about a hundred things at once. But they are also in the moment, forming connections and taking a second to collect themselves.
This is what wellbeing looks like, Patel notes.
Bryant’s new Wellbeing Center was created around a very basic idea, notes Inge Lise-Ameer, Ed.D., vice president of student affairs and dean of students.
“We wanted to support what it means to be human,” she says.
Made possible by a generous gift from an anonymous Bryant alumna, the Wellbeing Center builds upon the university’s proactive and integrated approach to student wellbeing by providing a dedicated space that brings together resources, programming, education, and the Bryant community. It’s an evolution based on a very Bryant principle, Ameer states: We are all better together.
Wellbeing, Ameer points out, is central to all aspects of life, from health to academic success. From its calm room, meant to support quiet reflection, to its collaborative spaces to the classrooms where Bryant students explore wellbeing-related coursework, the center was purpose-built through research and student feedback.
“I had a tear in my eye when the center first opened,” Ameer admits. “It’s a physical example of how much Bryant cares about its students.”
Wellbeing, Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., notes, is a key element of Bryant’s Vision 2030 Strategic Plan. “It is important to everyone at Bryant University, that we foster an environment where students are prepared to succeed in their academic, professional, and personal pursuits,” he says. “Meaningful work and meaningful lives are both important.”
The center programming, notes Amy Webster, Bryant’s associate director of wellbeing, was designed to meet students where they are. “Each one of the eight dimensions of wellbeing — emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, and social — are really, really important for students, but they have different priorities at different points in their life, and even different priorities at different points at Bryant.”
“We want students to feel like they have resources in this space that can help them but also utilize their peers as a resource,"
First-year students are introduced to wellbeing through their “Student Success” and “Career Launch” general education courses, which take place in the center, Webster says. For them, wellbeing may involve adjusting to a new environment, developing independence, or building relationships. As they progress through college, student priorities might shift to academic and professional decisions, embracing leadership opportunities, and even preparing for life after graduation.
“We want students to feel like they have resources in this space that can help them but also utilize their peers as a resource,” says Webster, whose office is located inside the center alongside Health and Nutrition Educator Cheryl Brock, RD, LDN, and Alana Thompson, wellbeing coordinator and community director.
The center and its programming, Webster notes, will continue to evolve with student needs and suggestions. That’s what she’s most excited for, she says. “We have some really great ideas, but it's truly the students who will be guiding us,” says Webster.
Webster is especially eager to welcome others to the center, starting with a university-wide “Wellbeing Day” on September 30. “Come and join us!” is the message, she says.
Back in the Wellbeing Center lounge, the students depart, one by one — off to classes and clubs, or engagements off campus, or just to their dorm rooms. But they’ll be back, they know.
“It’s comfortable here, not fake comfortable,” Vicente says with a chuckle.
“I think this is going to be one of the highlights of my senior year,” says Patel. “I already love it and I know I’m going to be spending a lot of time here.”