Meet the Staff

Message from the Associate Vice President

This past academic year brought into focus several of SHW’s priorities, which led us to publish our first strategic plan. In developing the 2024-2027 strategic plan, FIU Student Health & Wellness reviewed relevant research and national reports, departmental utilization data for the last four years, and student survey data for the last two years. The five areas of strategic focus we chose were:

• Ethically-driven management - Ethical practices, along with federal, state and institutional regulations, drive much of the work we do. Maintaining those standards is critical in providing a safe, welcoming environment to our students.
• Metrics-guided decision-making - Quantitative data, qualitative data, and assessment standards are important factors for quality care and impactful change.
• Integrated approach to student care - With all key wellness units now reporting to the same department, we must look at ways to make the student experience (especially for those that use multiple services) as seamless as possible.
• Centralized approach to operations - With multiple departments across two campuses and several buildings, a unified operational structure can be challenging, but it is necessary for creating efficiencies and increasing the impact on student services.
• Effective outreach and communication strategies - Utilizing multi-modal approaches are critical to reaching as broad an audience as possible. Knowledge and understanding of the latest tools, trends, and social norms will help us stay relevant to the student body.

By the end of the 2023-2024, we had accomplished all the goals set out for the year. We look forward to continuing this progress.

Additional highlights from the year included the hiring of our new Dean of Students, securing institutional funding to expand the Student Conduct & Academic Integrity staff, raising $34,000 for suicide prevention, and receiving approval for the expansion of the Student Health Center.

In the coming year, we look forward to hearing from our students at events and through surveys about our services, so that we may continuously improve. For any reader that may have questions or feedback about this report, please contact us at shwad@fu.edu.