Case Study: University of Arkansas Student Wellbeing
Objective
To help elevate the wellbeing programs offered through University Recreation + Wellness in support of students’ wellbeing & to raise student awareness of available campus wellness resources, especially among First Year students.
UARK at a Glance
Location: Fayetteville, AR
Enrollment: 32,140
Campus Lead: Casey Fant, Director of Wellness/Fitness
Implementation Strategies
Integrated card sort into UARK’s “University Perspectives” program, a course required for all First Year students, starting with the College of Arts & Sciences & College of Education.
Utilizing as a tool for wellness coaches, staff & GAs to use with students as a way to introduce the Wellness Wheel, and help students set a wellness goal.
Using aggregate card sort data to get a clear understanding of UARK’s wellbeing needs & resources, and to make strategic wellness program decisions.
Using as a resource to help guide decisions made by UARK Well being Task Force.
Data Insights
Physical activity, sleep & healthy eating topped students’ priorities.
Top Ten Student-Reported Wellbeing Priorities, University of Arkansas, Fall 2025 (n=2,910)
Learnings & Next Steps
UARK will expand WellSort’s use in first-year wellness education. All University Perspectives instructors will include the activity in their wellness lesson for first-year students across the College of Education and Health Professions and the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and UArk will expand to into the College of Engineering.
UARK’s new peer wellness coaching program will use WellSort to guide conversations and goal-setting. Students will complete the activity between coaching sessions. University Recreation + Wellness will also continue using aggregate student wellness priority data to inform its direction and decisions.
UARK identified faculty and staff education as a way to strengthen campus wellbeing. Offering a “Wellness Certificate” that includes a presentation on the card sort would help prepare faculty and staff to support students’ mental health and wellness needs, manage their own self-care, and improve wellbeing literacy across campus.
We were looking for a way to structure our wellness coaching sessions and better facilitate conversations with students about their wellbeing…WellSort has really helped structure that process, and allowed us to have better conversations with our students.
-Casey Fant Director of Wellness and Fitness, University of Arkansas
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