Engelhard Project for Connecting Life and Learning

The Engelhard Project for Connecting Life and Learning at Georgetown University integrates health and wellbeing into the academic curriculum through a model of curriculum infusion, reflective pedagogy, and cross-campus partnership. Faculty across disciplines embed structured opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and engagement with wellbeing topics directly into their courses, in collaboration with campus resource professionals.

Since its launch in 2005, the Engelhard Project has transformed more than 400 undergraduate courses, engaged over 200 instructional faculty and 100 campus partners, and reached more than 16,000 students. The program is now embedded across the undergraduate experience and serves as a sustained, institution-wide approach to connecting academic learning with student wellbeing.

Colleges and universities often separate personal wellbeing from intellectual inquiry and have traditionally addressed student wellbeing through services and co-curricular programs, often separate from the academic experience. At the same time, rising concerns about student mental health and engagement have highlighted the limitations of this approach.

The Engelhard Project was launched to explore whether integrating wellbeing into academic courses, ​​not just through student support services, could strengthen both learning and student support. The model is grounded in research showing that factors such as belonging, faculty relationships, and opportunities for reflection are closely tied to student success, persistence, and wellbeing.

By embedding these elements into the curriculum, the Engelhard Project positions wellbeing as part of the learning process rather than an add-on. Engelhard courses recognize that students bring their full selves into the classroom, and that their ability to learn is inextricably linked to their mental, emotional, and social health.

The Engelhard Project operates by integrating wellbeing into existing undergraduate courses through structured collaboration between faculty and campus resource professionals. Faculty voluntarily designate their courses as Engelhard Courses and incorporate key components, including a guest engagement from a wellbeing expert, a reflective assignment connecting course content to students’ lives, and ongoing discussion that links academic material to broader questions of identity, purpose, relationships, and resilience. Courses span disciplines and are adapted to each instructor’s approach, while maintaining a consistent set of core elements. The project is run out of the university Teaching and Learning Center, which has a mission to support faculty teaching across all disciplines. This course-based model is supported by a broader ecosystem that includes faculty development, campus partnerships, and co-curricular programming, reinforcing a coordinated, institution-wide approach to student wellbeing.

The Engelhard Project began with a small group of faculty exploring how to connect students’ academic learning with their lived experiences, particularly around issues of health and wellbeing. The initial model emerged from existing teaching practices in which faculty intentionally incorporated students’ interests, experiences, and challenges into course discussions. Early efforts were supported by a grant from the Bringing Theory to Practice initiative, which focused on the intersection of student wellbeing, engaged learning, and civic development.

Building on early success, Georgetown formalized the initiative through the creation of the Engelhard Faculty Fellows program. Faculty, student affairs professionals, and campus leaders collaborated to establish a simple and scalable model centered on three core elements: integrating a wellbeing-related topic into a course, partnering with a campus resource professional, and incorporating a reflective assignment. Institutional support, including multi-year external funding and leadership from both academic and student affairs, enabled the program to expand across disciplines while maintaining a low barrier to faculty participation.

The Engelhard Project has since become an established part of the undergraduate experience at Georgetown. Ongoing faculty recruitment and support, including orientation, workshops, and a community of practice, have helped sustain participation across departments. The program has maintained a flexible structure that allows faculty to adapt the model to their courses while preserving core components. Over time, the initiative has expanded its partnerships across campus, deepened its integration into teaching and learning, and extended to Georgetown’s Doha campus, demonstrating adaptability across contexts.

The Engelhard model is designed to be adaptable across disciplines and institutions. Its core components, including faculty-led course integration, structured reflection, and partnership with campus resource professionals, can be implemented without requiring major curricular redesign.

At Georgetown, the model has scaled through a consistent course structure, faculty participation across departments, and strong collaboration between academic and student affairs. This approach demonstrates how integrating wellbeing into existing courses can lead to sustained, institution-wide impact.