Happy New Year, Clemson Family!
I’ll start with a confession: I don’t like New Year’s resolutions.
Every January, we’re bombarded with messages telling us to reinvent ourselves — overnight. We must reset everything, overhaul our lives and be “new” by February. Honestly, I’m a professional in this world and I find it exhausting, and I tend to just tune out the noise. True well-being doesn’t work that way. Human thriving is not a single moment in time; it’s a continuous, strategic process of aligning our choices with what matters most.
Resolutions tend to be reactive. Strategy, on the other hand, is intentional.
As we step into 2026, I’m far less interested in fleeting promises and far more committed to clarity, direction and sustainable progress for our entire Clemson community. And after the extraordinary success we saw in 2025 — from national recognition to measurable growth in posttraumatic growth skills, to record engagement across our ecosystem — we have real momentum to build upon.
So rather than offering a list of resolutions we’ll forget by spring, I want to share my thoughts on what 2026 can bring. These thoughts reflect 18 months of systems building, hundreds of voices from across campus, and the data, feedback and outcomes that are shaping Clemson’s whole-community approach to well-being.
Below are my well-being priorities for 2026:
Finalize and Launch 2026–27 Well-Being Strategic Priorities
On Jan. 7, we convened a university-wide strategic planning retreat to identify our next set of goals. We will anchor these goals in community voice, data, our SOP framework and Clemson Elevate. We are ready for the next level of institutionalization. What do you think about being “Fiercely Well” for 2026?
Implement the Systematic Survey & Assessment Process
In 2025, our Evaluation & Assessment Working Group completed a comprehensive review of all well-being surveys across the enterprise.
This year, we aim to:
- Finalize governance and methodology
- Deploy surveys in a streamlined, intentional cadence
- Provide units with meaningful, actionable reports and recommendations
This represents a major step toward becoming a true learning organization, one that makes decisions rooted in evidence and community perspective.
Expand and Deepen Struggle Well: Learning to Live and Thrive
Last year, more than 100 faculty and staff completed this training, showing:
- 4.9/5 satisfaction
- 20% improvement in the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory
- 10% improvement in life satisfaction
In 2026, we will broaden reach, build additional facilitators, integrate organizational metrics and extend offerings into more colleges, divisions and statewide Extension networks.
Enhance and Expand the Well-Being Digital Resource Hub
Our “one front door” for well-being saw an 11,500% increase in engagement after centralization. This spring, we’ll add improved usability, stronger search functions and more centralized pathways for students, employees and Extension agents. This is about reducing friction and increasing self-agency.
Continue Strengthening Communication and Culture Strategy
With nearly 6,000 CWO and Elevate Well-Being blog reads in 2025, the well-being conversation is taking root.
In 2026, we aim to:
- Link messaging to enterprise risk themes and seasonal needs
- Amplify leadership voices
- Increase micro-engagements through Wellness Ambassadors
- Reinforce a culture of connection, compassion, purpose and care
Culture is built one conversation — and one consistent message — at a time.
Continue Building the Infrastructure to Become a National Flagship University for Well-Being
Our Honorable Mention for the 2025 Carol C. Mattingly Award was a powerful signal: Clemson’s approach is working — and being noticed nationally.
This year, we will:
- Strengthen alignment with state and national well-being frameworks
- Deepen Extension partnerships to support rural mental health
- Expand data-sharing, impact reporting and collective impact strategies
- Prepare for future applications and recognition that position Clemson as a model for others
A New Year Without Resolutions — But With Purpose
I don’t need resolutions to start the year with energy and hope. I see it every day in the leaders who model well-being, in the students who seek connection, in staff and faculty who care deeply for one another, and in the collective belief that we can build a healthier, more resilient Clemson community.
2026 will be a year of alignment, integration and improving what we’ve built together. Hope is my strategy. Because when we have hope, we have possibility. And I want Clemson to be hopeful as we look toward the challenges and opportunities of a new year.
Thank you for the work you do each day — for your people, your departments, your students and for the greater Clemson Family. I look forward to continuing this 2026 journey with you.
Editor’s Note: Every Tiger deserves the opportunity to thrive. Your support for Clemson’s well-being initiatives helps create a campus where every student, faculty and staff member can live, learn and grow with purpose.
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