About us

• To improve the health of staff and students
  
• To support healthy living, working, and studying
• To create a university culture that promotes health
  

The Healthy University Working Group aims to promote healthy living, working, and studying at the University of Bayreuth.

Established in early 2013 under the leadership of the university management, the Healthy University Working Group brings together members from different areas of the university. The group meets regularly and works to develop and implement sustainable measures that promote health at the University of Bayreuth.

Its goal is to create conditions that have a positive impact on the health and well-being of all staff and students.

In 2018, the Healthy University Working Group developed a comprehensive concept for the sustainable promotion of the physical, mental, social, and environmental health of everyone at the university.

The concept is divided into two parts: employee health and student health. Each part includes specific goals and measures to achieve these goals.

The concept was officially approved by the university management and is available on the intranet.

To mark our five-year UGM anniversary, the first UGM report was published in 2018.

The report provides an overview of the ideas, projects, and developments during the first five years of University Health Management at the University of Bayreuth.

The full report is available for download on the internet.

To firmly establish the topic of health within the university culture, we focus on communicating the importance of health, for example through the university’s mission statement, the University Development Plan 2030+, and other agreements.

University Development Plan 2030+:

• Teaching and students:
  

“We place particular importance on forms of teaching that support our students’ motivation. At the same time, we promote the social skills of our teaching staff and their ability to recognize their own limits and responsibilities. Our approach also includes strengthening the mental health and resilience of our students in a health-promoting teaching and learning environment.”

• Administration and infrastructure:

“We want to retain employees at the University of Bayreuth by providing a diverse and positive working environment that is particularly appreciative and health-promoting, with equal opportunities for everyone. [...] Equally important is the development of modern workplaces and working conditions that promote health, supported by University Health Management, which also increases awareness of health-promoting measures.”

Nach der Unterzeichnung der Charta: Pia Laemmert, UGM Koordinatorin der UBT (2. v. r.) im Kreise der MitunterzeichnerInnen. - © UBT

 The University of Bayreuth was the first German university to sign the international Okanagan Charter for health-promoting universities and colleges.

Universities and colleges are in a unique position to promote well-being through education, research, and practices that can be developed on campus. The Okanagan Charter provides a common framework for universities and colleges to fulfill this important role.

The main calls of the Charter are:

• Integrating health into all aspects of university culture, as well as into administrative, operational, and academic activities
• Guiding health promotion activities and cooperation at both local and global levels

By signing the Charter, the University of Bayreuth joins international universities such as the University of British Columbia, which are actively working to create a campus that improves the health and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.

In 2020, the University of Bayreuth was awarded the “Healthy Workforce” certification by the nationwide Corporate Health Initiative.

The certification is considered one of the prestigious awards for outstanding concepts and measures in the field of health promotion. It is awarded by the nationwide Corporate Health Initiative, a joint project of Handelsblatt and EuPD Research.

For us, this award confirms that, since the establishment of UGM in 2013, the University of Bayreuth has already made significant progress towards becoming a health-promoting university. At the same time, it motivates us to continuously further develop UGM.

Fabian Binder studied Sports Economics (M.Sc.) and worked with us for several semesters as a student assistant in SGM. In an interview, he talks about his tasks, what he enjoyed about the experience, and, most importantly, what he took away from his time as a student assistant.

Press here to read the interview