Texas Higher Education (THE)
Collaborative for Wellbeing

Apply by August 15th to Join a Community of Texas Institutions Working Together to Improve Student Wellbeing and Mental Health

Texas Higher Education (THE) Collaborative for Wellbeing is an action-oriented and results-driven community of Texas colleges and universities focused on catalyzing large-scale impact within and across campuses to enable more students to thrive and flourish. For Texas by Texas, THE Collaborative for Wellbeing is grounded in the basic principle that we can accomplish more together than even the best of us can accomplish alone.

THE Collaborative for Wellbeing invites Texas HBCUs and 4-year public postsecondary institutions to apply to join a groundbreaking cohort-based opportunity to learn and take action together. Between September 2024 – June 2026, this inaugural cohort of institutions will focus on building a strong foundation to use data-driven improvement, human-centered design, and innovation methods to identify and address systemic barriers to wellbeing and mental health. Thanks to generous funding by the Trellis Foundation, institutions may receive up to $5,000 to participate in THE Collaborative for Wellbeing.

Institutions interested in joining THE Collaborative for Wellbeing are encouraged to start the application process as soon as possible.  Your institution will not be able to complete all aspects of the application if you wait until the last minute.

Informational Webinar: Stream now

Virtual Coffee Chat with THE Collaborative Team

Join members of THE Collaborative Team for an informal, drop-in virtual coffee chat. This is your chance to ask questions and get to know us better in a relaxed setting. With no formal presentation or agenda, you’re free to steer the conversation. We recommend reviewing the webinar recording and website beforehand so you can make the most of this opportunity. Feel free to drop in at any time during the hour.

Date: July 23
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM CT

Date: August 1
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CT

Our Shared Purpose

Our purpose is to accelerate large-scale impact across Texas colleges and universities to:

  • improve student wellbeing now to improve lives for a lifetime
  • remove wellbeing related barriers to learning, academic achievement, and overall student success
  • narrow wellbeing disparities among students populations

THE Collaborative for Wellbeing catalyzes impact by focusing on:

  • who is involved in changemaking through unprecedented co-leadership, collaboration, and co-production of changes
  • how we create change through the use of improvement science, human-centered design, and innovation methods
  • what changes get made by addressing root causes and shifting to systems-based approaches

The Need

Colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to influence the trajectory of lifelong mental health and wellbeing for a large segment of the Texas population. Higher education in Texas and nationally have yet to realize this potential.

How it Works

THE Collaborative for Wellbeing provides Guided Changemaking Pathways, intensive support, and community that lay the foundation for institutions to achieve long-term impact toward all students thriving and flourishing.

About WISHES

The Wellbeing Improvement Survey for Higher Education Settings (WISHES) is a brief survey, available at no cost, that provides colleges and universities with timely and actionable data.

How to Apply

If your institution is considering applying, we strongly encourage you to start the process as early as possible. Your institution will not be able to complete all aspects of the application if you wait until the last minute. Enrollment closes August 15 or when all spots are filled.

Our Stories

Texas A&M University

The Wellbeing Improvement Survey for Higher Education Settings (WISHES) has played a pivotal role in understanding the key influencers of student wellbeing at Texas A&M University. Read Texas A&M’s comprehensive approach that collects, analyzes, and leverages WISEHS data to create actionable insights that have helped them to foster a supportive and thriving TAMU community.

Texas Tech University

Texas Tech is brand-new to WISHES, but it’s been an extraordinary experience so far. Read how WISHES is uncovering unexpected insights about students, including the connection between financial wellbeing and overall wellbeing, and leading to important questions, such as how to more effectively address food insecurity issues on campus.

University of Houston

Read from Chris Dawe, AVP Health & Wellbeing, about his experience working within a shared learning community and how this led to a the implementation of WISHES at the University of Houston, facilitating access to better data that is being utilized to tell the story of students’ health and wellbeing and actioned upon to make better decisions that positively impact students.

Proudly convened by:

Texas A&M University

Texas Tech University

University of Houston