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Recap of Alma College Wellness Program Components

Alma College has been active with the Gratiot County Chamber of Commerce Wellness Matters-Gratiot Initiative from a county perspective as well as taken a number of initiatives on campus to further the wellness of faculty and staff. Elements implemented on the campus include the following:

  • Added wellness components to our health plans in 2003.

  • Actively participating in the Wellness Matters-Gratiot wellness initiative.

  • Instituted a policy formally approving a 15-minute extension of the lunch hour for faculty and staff who may wish to exercise during their lunch.

  • Instituted summer competitions for four-person faculty and staff teams in miles logged in biking, minutes logged in walking and miles logged in running.

  • Held two community-building summer barbeques with a promotional give away drawing in each of them. The menu in both barbeques had a wellness component.

  • Created a separate Web site for the Alma College wellness initiative.

  • Handed out Alma College/Wellness Matters-Gratiot t-shirts to participants in the February 2006 wellness screening.

  • Partnered with Sodexo to offer healthier food choices in the Joe’s dining area.

  • Created and distributed workout routines for individuals at various levels of fitness needs and goals at the Stone Recreation Center front desk.

  • Created two walking routes on campus to encourage walking as part of the wellness initiative.

  

From left, custodians Shirley Rice, Karen Fisk, Karen Lake and Judy Bigelow formed the "Spic N Span" wellness team as part of the 2008 summer wellness challenge.

In addition to the above activities, the following events took place as a result of the College's participation in Wellness Matters:

  • First pilot site for the Wellness Matters-Gratiot workplace wellness screenings.

  • Winners of the summer competitions each received a gift card from MC Sports. Prizes were distributed by President Tracy, and winners recognized publicly, at the kick-off Fall Conference gathering at the beginning of the 2006-07 academic year.

  • From the aggregated data received from the University of Michigan processing of the wellness screening and risk assessment questionnaires completed by 65 faculty and staff participants in February 2006, a specific matrix has been established for improving employee wellness.

  • As part of the February 2006 wellness screening two-day event, health- and wellness-related literature from the hospital, American Cancer Society, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan were distributed to employees.

  • After employees received the results of their health risk assessment and wellness screenings, both group and one-on-one follow-up sessions were held on campus with Dr. Gregg Stefanek as a way to leverage the results and help people take advantage of the recommendations coming out of the report findings.

  • While it has been true for many years, Alma College provides free membership to its faculty and staff to the Stone Recreation Center and the Hogan Center.

  • Orientation sessions for using the Stone Recreation Center fitness equipment were held for faculty and staff.

  • Wellness screenings for faculty and staff took place Oct. 18 and 19, 2006, at the Stone Recreation Center.

  • Wellness screenings for faculty and staff took place Jan. 31, 2008, with free pedometers given to the participants.

  • A "Stepping Up for Spring" walking/running competition in May 2008 exceeded a campus goal of 10 million steps.

  • Campus teams lost a total of 336 pounds during the Winter 2009 "Weight Loss Challenge," and 336 pounds of food was donated to the food bank at the Alma United Methodist Church.

  • A summer 2009 wellness challenge saw 50 members of the campus community achieve 15, 637, 828 steps. The winning 4-person team tallied more than 1.8 million steps during the 4-week program. 

  • The summer 2009 initiative featured weekly lunchtime walks to various community destinations, including the local Farmer's Market.

 

In December 2011, Alma College students, faculty and staff designed and hosted a conference in Washington, D.C., on the 500th anniversary of human rights advocacy. Earlier in the year, Alma College became one of the first undergraduate colleges in the United States to belong to the International Criminal Court Student Network, joining Duke University School of Law, The University of Cambridge and other prestigious institutions in a global community that connects students who share an interest in the ICC.

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Leadership Profile

Kailey Vlug

Kailey Vlug
Graduation: 2015
Major: Business Administration

When she started playing soccer as a child, Kailey Vlug already had her eye on the prize: to play the sport she loved on the collegiate level. Now, she’s playing on the Alma College women’s soccer team, on which she is considered a leader.

“Coming into a whole new team after being with my same high school team for years was challenging as a freshman, but I did my best and worked hard,” she says. “I’ve learned that I can lead through example. My coach, Jeff Hosler, trusts me and gives me leadership responsibilities, so I’ve risen to meet his expectations.”

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