Participation efforts during the reporting year focused on increasing access, visibility, engagement, and connection across both student and employee populations.
The student-led Health Literacy Campaign was developed to improve awareness and understanding of campus support resources through peer-informed education and communication. Initial campaign topics include mental health, healthy relationships, and awareness and navigation of Lafene Health Center resources.
The campaign reflects a growing institutional emphasis on preventative education, proactive support, and reducing barriers to help-seeking behaviors. Engagement session findings reinforced the need for clearer communication and improved awareness of campus resources.
The WellCAT Ambassador initiative continued strengthening student leadership, peer engagement, and well-being advocacy across campus. Ambassadors contributed to student outreach, health literacy promotion, engagement initiatives, and institutional feedback efforts while helping connect institutional well-being efforts with the student experience.
Finals Refresh programming continued supporting student well-being and academic resilience during finals season. Events such as Refuel & Refocus with First Lady Linton, Paws Break with Oakley, Create Your Own Study Fidget, Espresso Destresso, Mindful Moments, and Late Night Breakfast provided opportunities for stress reduction, creativity, social connection, and restoration.
In the Spotlight
Health & Well-being Week continued serving as a visible, campus-wide initiative designed to normalize engagement in well-being and create opportunities for connection across the university community. Programming included wellness coaching, Noontime Yoga, Wildcat Walk for Well-being, Nutrition is Medicine Lunch & Learn sessions, financial wellness programming, strengths-based workshops, and employee engagement opportunities.
Wildcat Pause Day and Health & Well-being Month continued evolving as signature institutional initiatives focused on rest, restoration, and connection. Participation highlights included more than 750 students participating in Petal It Forward activities, over 200 students, faculty, and staff joining the Wildcat Walk for Health, and more than 400 students engaging in Fall Fest programming focused on community and belonging.
New and Notable
K-State developed a new Well-being Journey within the Navigate platform to help bridge academic success and holistic student well-being. Launching in October 2026, the initiative will be integrated into New Student Orientation and available for faculty, advisors, and student support professionals to share directly with students. The Well-being Journey reflects a broader institutional shift toward embedding health and well-being directly into the systems students already navigate throughout their academic experience.
Health Promoting University members joined a campus-wide planning committee to host Better Together. This event gathered the K-State community to address one of the most pressing well-being challenges: loneliness and social disconnection. Inspired by the 2025 K-State Common Read, Together by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the event highlighted the essential role that friendship, kindness, and meaningful relationships play in health and well-being.