Case Study: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Anush Hansen

3 days ago

2 min read

Objective

To provide a proactive and preventative campus-wide digital resource promoting the mental health and wellbeing of all WPI students; introduce first year students to available campus wellness resources; and meet students where they are in their wellness journey.

WPI at a Glance

Location: Worcester, MA

Enrollment: 7,350

Campus Lead: Paula Fitzpatrick, PhD. Director, WPI Center for Well-Being

Implementation Strategies

Embedded well-being into the first-year experience by introducing the WellSort platform in the credit-bearing First-Year Insight Program, helping students navigate their transition to college.

Integrated WellSort into WPI Center for Well-Being Programming through wellness sessions led by Peer Well-Being Ambassadors and as a standing resource on the Center for Well-Being Website.

Incorporated the WellSort Employee Wellbeing Deck into a newly launched Well-Being and Belonging Certificate Program for WPI staff and faculty.

Evaluated program impact through the Well-Being Improvement Survey for Higher Education Settings (WISHES).e

Data Insights

Sleep, physical activity & financial stability topped students' priorities.

Top Ten Student-Reported Wellbeing Priorities, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Fall 2025

Learnings & Next Steps

Using WellSort data, WPI identified sleep as a top priority for students, and subsequently launched a 14-day Sleep Challenge. It ran for the first time in April 2025 with over 40 students participating, and is being run again in April 2026.

Data showing that 43% of WPI students prioritized limiting social media helped inform the planning of a Digital Wellness Event, which included a screening of the documentary Disconnected: Life in a Digital Reality and the launch of a Digital Wellness Challenge.

Based on student feedback highlighting the importance of healthy and nutritious foods, WPI recently approved a permanent Wellness and Physical Education (WPE) course: WPE 1614 – Exploring the Impact of Nutrition on Brain, Body, and Planet.