With Okanagan Charter, Cornell to become health-promoting campus

On Oct. 26, Cornell administrators will sign the Okanagan Charter, a formal pledge to promote health and well-being across all facets of university life.

The charter, developed in 2015 by health promotion scholars, researchers, practitioners and administrators from 45 countries, aims to guide institutions of higher education to lead in developing and modeling health-promoting strategies in their campus settings.

President Martha E. Pollack and university leaders representing all areas of the campus community will sign the charter, which embraces Cornell’s commitment to prioritizing health and well-being and ushers in the next phase of the student Mental Health Review.

“The Okanagan Charter is an important way for Cornell to both reaffirm and formalize our commitment to supporting the health of our students, faculty and staff,” Pollack said. “It will support us in seeking new ways of incorporating health-promoting behaviors into our campus culture, and in identifying and sharing best practices to support community well-being.”

More than 100 U.S. colleges and universities are currently exploring adoption of the charter; Cornell is one of around a dozen adopting it this fall.

For more, read the full story on the Cornell Chronicle.