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Rethinking Campus Wellness: 8 Ideas That Help Students Thrive

Written by: Parcel Pending

6 Min Read

Published: May 9, 2025

In today’s high-pressure academic environment, the state of student mental health has reached a critical point. Recent data paints a concerning picture for higher education administrators: 35% of students have considered abandoning their academic programs in the past six months.1 When asked why, 43% cited mental health challenges and an alarming 53% pointed to emotional stress as their primary reasons.2 Meanwhile, young adults between 18-25 years old are reporting unprecedented levels of loneliness.

Dr. Angie Paccione, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, powerfully explains: “We know that poor mental health can impact a student’s success in the classroom, in their personal life, and on their pathway to economic mobility.”3

The Wellness Gap in Higher Education

Given the data above, it’s no wonder that 70% of college presidents are investing in campus wellness facilities. Unfortunately, there’s an apparent disconnect between what a university offers and what funding, resources, or services students are utilizing.4

A 2024 Hope Center at Temple University survey reports nearly half (48%) of respondents didn’t tap into college resources. Further, two in three students reported they didn’t know about on-campus services and supports, and 26% had concerns about resource scarcity, leading them to use fewer on-campus resources than they would have otherwise.5

Centralizing and maximizing student wellness offerings can help higher education institutions serve students more effectively. The more visible and accessible an institution can make their wellness center, the more likely it is that students will engage and get the support they need.

8 Ideas for Your Campus’s Student Wellness Offerings

Thinking beyond traditional approaches to student health and wellness can help to transform your offerings into effective support systems. Below, we explore innovative amenity ideas universities are leveraging that prioritize holistic student well-being and address the real challenges today’s students face.

1. Brain Recharge Station

Currently in place at the University of Texas, Dallas, the brain recharge station acts as a quiet place for students to recharge or relax between classes and study sessions.6 Digital devices are discouraged to create a space of mindfulness.

2. Self-Service Supply Access

The state of California pioneered this service with its Wellness Vending Machine Pilot Program, which was passed in 2022.7 Housed in central areas, the vending machines dispense condoms, dental dams, menstrual cups, lubricants, tampons, menstrual pads, pregnancy tests, and emergency contraception pills. Band-aids are free at the University of the Redlands, and the program is monitored to determine the items needed.

3. Student Wellness Centers

New student centers focused on wellness are popping up across the United States, including on these campuses:8

  • Michigan State University will unveil its impressive 293,000-square-foot Student Wellness and Recreation Center in early 2026. Brian Mullen, explaining the rationale behind this substantial investment, notes: “This investment by our students, and their request, supports their ability to care for themselves as they work toward graduation.”
  • The University of Pittsburgh opened its Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in mid-2025. It is a nine-story, 276,000 square-foot, $250 million building dedicated to student health and wellness. Beyond traditional fitness facilities, the center features intentional “hang spaces” designed to nurture the sense of community that students increasingly crave.
  • The University of Miami in Coral Gables was an early pioneer, opening its comprehensive Wellness Center in 1996, setting a standard others follow.
  • Marquette University has taken an integrated approach, consolidating all health services — counseling, medical care, alcohol and drug recovery programs, and sexual violence protection — under one roof.
  • Elon University is implementing a similar one-stop wellness concept to house an aquatic center, gym, fitness facilities, physical therapy services, and nutritional counseling.

4. Dedicated Counseling Centers

The new Imperial Valley campus of San Diego State University recently unveiled its new holistic center as a one-stop shop for counseling services: crisis intervention, assessment, short-term therapy, low or no-cost medical services, including preventive care, immunizations, and psychiatric treatments.

5. Wellness Zones

The Wellness Zone at Clemson University allows groups of students to engage in various activities.10 Yoga, stretching, and meditation are all part of the offerings. Meanwhile, the Wellness House at Indiana University also welcomes groups but has dedicated rooms for each activity.11 For example, the Fireplace Room is focused on studying and unwinding, whereas the Quiet Room has flexible seating such as beanbags and pillows for greater relaxation. And Yale University adopts a similar philosophy to IU with five themed rooms including a “tree house”, music room, game room, sensory room, and balance room.12

6. Wellness Training for Faculty

Faculty training programs are being implemented to help professors recognize early warning signs of mental health struggles, such as slipping grades or subtle but consistent changes in student demeanor.

7. Homeless Liaison Roles

Homelessness has risen to the forefront as a key component of keeping students healthy. Approximately 8% of undergraduates and nearly 5% of graduate students reported experiencing homelessness in a survey published in 2023 by the National Center for Education Statistics.13 As such, universities are beginning to adapt means of helping students unhoused students. For instance, all 64 campuses at the State University of New York (SUNY) must have a homeless liaison officer to assist with students’ housing insecurities.14

8. Food Pantries

Food insecurity is also a major issue for college students. It’s no wonder, then, that food pantries have become the most prevalent campus support program, with an astounding 95% of schools now offering one. Their impact is significant. In 2024 alone, campus pantries distributed over 8 million meals and 687,000 additional items, including toiletries, diapers, and appliance lending services.15 Innovative institutions are finding ways to make these essential services more accessible and dignified:

  • SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Marcy recently unveiled its Poly Pantry Food Lockers, an innovative system providing students with 24/7 access to food resources.16 As part of a broader SUNY pilot program addressing campus food insecurity, students can scan their codes at a centralized kiosk to access food items, with lockers programmed to permit access for up to 72 hours.
  • Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) has emerged as a leader by integrating parcel lockers into its DISH food pantry system, reducing stigma, streamlining distribution, and offering a more convenient, self-service model for needy students. In 2024, DISH distributed 95,659 pounds of food, filled 3,286 grocery orders, and fulfilled 35,809 Grab & Go visits.17

As students struggle with mental health issues, wellness emerges as a top priority. Colleges nationwide are implementing new programs to keep students healthy and happy.

Want to learn more about how smart lockers can support your campus wellness initiatives? Speak to a Parcel Pending representative today for more information.

Sources:

  1. Griffin, Alison. Colleges and Universities Are The Front Lines Of Mental Health Support. www.forbes.com. May 30, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisongriffin/2024/05/30/colleges-and-universities-are-the-front-lines-of-mental-health-support/
  2. Caulfield, John. Recreation and wellness are bedfellows in new campus student centers. www.bcdnetwork.com. October 15, 2024. https://www.bdcnetwork.com/home/news/55237393/recreation-and-wellness-are-bedfellows-in-new-campus-student-centers
  3. Griffin, Alison. Colleges and Universities Are The Front Lines Of Mental Health Support. www.forbes.com. May 30, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisongriffin/2024/05/30/colleges-and-universities-are-the-front-lines-of-mental-health-support/
  4. Mowreader, Ashley. Survey: College Students Consider Health and Wellness Services Average. www.insidehighered.com. November 1, 2024. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2024/11/01/four-wellness-services-college-students-want-campus
  5. Mowreader, Ashley. Survey: 3 in 5 College Students Experience Food or Housing Insecurity. www.insidehighered.com. February 27, 2025. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2025/02/27/most-college-students-lack-sufficient-food-housing
  6. Mowreader, Ashley. Colleges Expand Wellness Offerings for Student Success. www.insidehighered.com. April 17, 2025. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2025/04/17/five-new-well-being-spaces-college-campuses
  7. Mowreader, Ashley. A Vending Machine for Health Supplies. www.insidehighered.com. April 15, 2025. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2025/04/15/cash-strapped-colleges-opt-wellness-vending
  8. Caulfield, John. Recreation and wellness are bedfellows in new campus student centers. www.bcdnetwork.com. October 15, 2024. https://www.bdcnetwork.com/home/news/55237393/recreation-and-wellness-are-bedfellows-in-new-campus-student-centers
  9. Mowreader, Ashley. Colleges Expand Wellness Offerings for Student Success. www.insidehighered.com. April 17, 2025. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2025/04/17/five-new-well-being-spaces-college-campuses
  10. Ibid.
  11. Ibid.
  12. Ibid.
  13. McLean, Danielle. More colleges are creating homeless liason roles. Here’s why. www.highereddive.com. April 3, 2025. https://www.highereddive.com/news/more-colleges-are-creating-homeless-liaison-roles-heres-why/744262/
  14. Ibid.
  15. Mowreader, Ashley. Infographic: Food Support Programs Reach 700,000 College Students. www.insidehighered.com. February 18, 2025. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2025/02/18/39-colleges-rely-donors-address-food-insecurity
  16. Neff Roth, Amy. Some college students don’t get enough to eat: SUNY Poly has new way to help them. www.uticaod.com. March 11, 2025. https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2025/03/11/food-insecurity-issue-for-college-students-food-pantries-help-suny/82239205007/
  17. Bunker Hill Community College DISH Food Pantry. 2024 DISH Annual Report. www.bhcc.edu. n.d. https://www.bhcc.edu/media/03-documents/dishfoodpantry/Dish-Annual-Report.pdf
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