Flourishing is the holistic development and thriving of every individual in our diverse community achieved through growth, well-being, resilience, trust, belonging, robust connection and sense of purpose. A flourishing community is built on collective experience and is made stronger by our shared commitment to one another.

Flourishing is a shared endeavor, built on the interdependence between each of us as individuals and the institution to which we belong. As a university we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes flourishing through policies, practices, curricular and co-curricular opportunities, and workplace and student programs. However, flourishing is ultimately a personal journey—each of us is an advocate and agent of our own flourishing.

To flourish, the institution must balance its efforts to support individuals with the broader mission and sustainability of the university. Mutual commitment of the University to its people and our people to the mission of the university is critical so that we can thrive together.

In alignment with this definition, we have adopted five domains of flourishing at the University of Oregon:

• Growth
• Well-being
• Resilience
• Community
• Purpose

Flourishing Domains

Growth

Growth is the process of individuals aligning their work with their personal goals and developing their skills and abilities. It can also refer to the university's ability to evolve its policies, processes and culture and to support student, faculty, and staffs’ personal and professional aspirations.

Well-being

Well-being is the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health' (Global Wellness Institute, 2020). Holistic health is not just absence of illness, it is a complex combination of 9 dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, occupational, creative, spiritual, financial, social, intellectual, environmental.

Resilience

Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands for individuals in our community and for the institution (American Psychological Association, 2018). Affirming resilience is not an excuse to avoid addressing underlying conditions that contribute to individual challenges, but to create an environment where our community can grow and support each other through adversity.

Community

Community is a group of individuals who share a sense of belonging, connection, and trust with one another, where members feel valued and supported, often through shared experiences, values, and a sense of mutual responsibility within the group; essentially, it's a space where people feel like they are part of something larger than themselves and can rely on others around them

Purpose

Purpose is intentional action toward goals that are meaningful to the self and contribute to the world beyond the self.