Today, Towson University announced its adoption of the international Okanagan Charter, which calls on post-secondary schools to embed health into all aspects of campus culture and to lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally. The charter guides the (USHPCN) and puts higher education on the forefront of confronting increasingly complex issues related to the health, well-being and sustainability of people on the planet.

"Adopting the Okanagan Charter is a powerful affirmation of Towson University鈥檚 commitment to the holistic well-being of our campus community,鈥� says TU President Mark Ginsberg. 鈥淏y embedding health and wellness into every aspect of university life, we are not only supporting our students, faculty and staff鈥攚e are cultivating a culture where everyone can thrive."

Evident in Towson University鈥檚 strategic plan, TU is committed to offering effective support services and an engaging campus experience so students are prepared for careers or advanced education beyond the walls of the university or graduate education.  Building on the strengths of Campus Recreation and the Health and Counseling centers, the unit has expanded to include Health Promotion and Prevention Education, ensuring a comprehensive and proactive approach to university-wide well-being.

鈥淲ell-being is a fundamental aspect of the entire student experience,鈥� says Nora Clark-Giles, assistant vice president for SHAW. 鈥淏y adopting the Okanagan Charter, Towson is not only affirming the important work already happening across our campus but committing to a university-wide approach that fuels mind, body, purpose and community.鈥� 

The Okanagan Charter was an outcome of the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges. Since its development, 39 institutions across the U.S. have adopted the charter, and Towson University is the first in Maryland. TU joins 320 other institutions in the U.S. as members.

鈥淏eing part of this global network of institutions committed to well-being and sustainability empowers us to continue leading meaningful change together,鈥� says Vernon Hurte, senior vice president for student affairs and university life 丝瓜视频. "The Okanagan Charter provides a powerful framework to expand the integration of health and well-being throughout student life. I鈥檓 excited for what鈥檚 to come.鈥�

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About Towson University

Towson University is Maryland鈥檚 university of opportunities. With more than 150 years of experience pushing possibilities, TU is a nationally recognized leader in inclusive excellence, social mobility, research and discovery. As the largest university in greater Baltimore, TU鈥檚 momentum is always accelerating, with more than 20,000 students and 100 bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences and applied professional fields. Located amid one of the East Coast鈥檚 cultural and economic epicenters, TU is a beacon and powerful catalyst in the Mid-Atlantic, partnering with hundreds of businesses and organizations, impacting communities and fueling change. TU meets the holistic needs of each student to achieve success, a result of a deeply inclusive culture with a focus on equity among all students, faculty and staff.

About the Okanagan Charter 

Okanagan Charter: The Okanagan Charter is a guiding and aspirational document that was developed as an outcome of the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges. Health promotion scholars and professionals from around the world gathered to create this document. Its purpose is to guide colleges and universities, using their unique positions and roles in research, teaching and service to their communities, to be leaders for the world in developing and modeling health-promoting strategies in their campus settings. Local communities could then learn from their example and modeling, thus influencing global health and wellbeing strategy. The key is moving beyond traditional approaches of influencing individual behavior and moving upstream to systems level and environmental strategies that influence the health and wellbeing of person, place and planet. 

About the U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network 

Initiated on January 15, 2020, the purpose of the U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network (USHPCN) is to facilitate, advance, and promote the adoption of the Okanagan Charter: An International Charter for Health Promoting Universities & Colleges for U.S. Colleges and Universities. The adoption of the Okanagan Charter as an aspirational document represents the beginning of an aspirational journey toward campus wellbeing utilizing a comprehensive settings and systems-level approach. The USHPCN is a support network that helps campuses define, develop, and create strategies and metrics that help define what it means to be a health promoting campus, recognizing that it will be different for each campus based on their unique circumstances, resources, and needs. There are currently 310 members of the network. Each member campus appoints liaisons who meet regularly to learn from, collaborate with, and support each other in this work by sharing resources, best practices, and lessons learned. The USHPCN also collaborates with international networks and is one of sixteen member networks within a more extensive international network, the International Health Promoting Campuses Network.