Refresh and Renewal: A Pilot Study Intervention for Faculty Well-Being

Jamie Adam, Belmont University

Elisa Greene, Belmont University

Michael Oliver, Belmont University

Key Statement: Faculty well-being is multidimensional, encompassing purpose, relationships, and growth. It is a critical determinant of institutional effectiveness, engagement, and long-term retention.

Key Words: Well-Being, Faculty, Intervention

Faculty well-being is a critical component of a thriving academic community and the success of educational institutions. Yet, many educators face challenges on both personal and institutional levels including heavy workloads, limited resources, feelings of isolation, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At our mid-sized, private Christian university in the South, we wanted to explore a structured way to help faculty flourish. The Refresh and Renewal (R&R) initiative emerged from that goal: a small-group intervention aimed at improving physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being through intentional connection and reflection.

Island fall foliage in a blue lake.

Why Faculty Well-Being Matters

Research consistently links well-being with performance, job satisfaction, and retention. Faculty members who have the resources, recognition, and support to address challenges are more engaged and productive, while lack of well-being is associated with absenteeism, turnover, and diminished effectiveness. In other words, supporting faculty is not just an act of care, but also a strategic investment in the health of the institution (Abid et al., 2025; CUPA-HR, 2023; Parveen & Chary, 2025).

Our work was also informed by earlier and recent studies showing that well-being encompasses far more than the absence of burnout. True well-being includes purpose, meaning, collegial relationships, engagement, and opportunities for self-actualization. Models such as PERMA (Seligman, 2018), Ryff’s six-factor model of psychological well-being (Ryff, 1989), and recent applications in education emphasize the multidimensional and relational nature of well-being (Ozturk, 2024).

The Intervention: Refresh and Renewal

As part of a faculty-led project, one faculty from each college was invited to participate in a monthly small group, titled: Refresh & Renewal (R&R). The R&R group met for two half-day sessions and six two-hour monthly meetings off campus. Each gathering centered on one of six domains of well-being: emotional, intellectual, physical, psychological, social, and spiritual.

Resources such as blogs, podcasts, and scholarly articles supported each month’s focus, and participants were encouraged to engage in short reflective journaling using the Rose, Bud, Thorn framework:

• Rose: what is going well

• Bud: what is emerging or growing

• Thorn: areas of struggle or challenge

The emphasis was on creating a supportive, collegial space that encouraged authentic sharing, spiritual integration, and practical strategies for sustaining well-being.

The Study Design

University faculty were invited to participate in a survey at the beginning and end of the academic year to assess their well-being. Thirty-one faculty members agreed to participate: six in the R&R group and twenty-five faculty who did not participate in the R&R group, which served as a control. Only ten participants (five in each group) completed both the pre- and post-intervention surveys and were used in the data analysis.

We used the Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS), along with additional Likert-scale and open-ended questions, to measure changes in wellness and explore perceptions of occupational well-being.

The first 3 questions explored factors impacting occupational well-being:

1. What factors most impact your decision to stay in your current role versus look for new employment?

2. What factors most contribute to job satisfaction?

3. What factors most contribute to your sense of calling as it relates to work?

The last 3 questions explored institutional support needed to foster faculty well-being.

1. What do you need from the university to support you most as a person of faith, a teacher, and a scholar?

2. How could the university provide more space for creative exploration of how Christian thought and practice intersect with your academic vocation?

3. What would support your development of a stronger connection to the religious identity and mission of the university?

What We Found

For the control group, there were no differences in PWS scores over time, t(4) = -0.791, p = 0.473. However, for the intervention group, overall PWS score post-intervention (M = 4.800, SD = 0.474) significantly increased compared to pre-intervention (M = 4.499, SD = 0.563), t(4) = -3.011, p = 0.040. Faculty in the R&R group showed a significant improvement in overall well-being scores, while the control group saw no significant changes over the same period. Emotional well-being was the most notably improved domain.

Through thematic analysis of open-ended responses, two key sets of findings emerged in our qualitative results:

1. Factors that sustain faculty: work environment, meaningful role, fair compensation, faith and purpose, supportive colleagues, and student connections.

2. Institutional supports needed: manageable workload, greater autonomy, alignment with Christian identity, opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration, and caring, competent leadership.

Table 1: Occupational Well-Being Themes and Exemplars

Theme	Exemplars
Work environment	“I'm happy with the Christian, scholarly and ethical environment in which I currently work.” “Flexibility in schedule to attend spiritual services (i.e., Ash Wednesday)”
Role	“Support in role as an educator, a Christian, and as a mother” “Match with my skills, challenge and fulfillment, autonomy”
Compensation	“Pay scale matching amount of work invested and experience” “Salary”
Faith and Purpose	“Opportunity to use my spiritual gifts in a meaningful way” “My Christian faith; I am not here by chance” “Ability to connect my work to my Christian identity”
Colleagues	“My relationship with my coworkers” “The most important factor that keeps me here is my boss and those immediate colleagues I work with every day” “Feeling accepted and appreciated in my dept”
Students	“The spark of learning you see in students’ eyes” “Observing my student develop professionally”

Table 2: Institutional Support Needs Themes and Exemplars

Theme	Exemplars
Time and Workload	“Better work life balance. Move towards a more manageable teaching load.” “Reduce workload hours.” “Opportunity to organize my job responsibilities so that there are periodic blocks of time to think, consider, ponder.” “First we need time to think!! I often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I have!”
Autonomy and Flexibility	“Trust instead of micromanaging. Ask question on needs from faculty instead of focusing on telling them what they should do. Ask them what they want to do.” “more autonomy and flexibility”
Alignment with Christian identity	“Open conversation about what faith means to the individual and how faith is used to navigate the world we live in, not functioning separate from reality.” “A more authentic engagement with this identity. It often feels more like branding and less like an authentic aspect of our identity.” “I feel like it's growing already…The more we see actions matching our stated values, the more I can connect to that identity and mission.”
Collaboration and community	“Explicit inclusivity” “Inclusion of more faculty and staff from non-Christian backgrounds” “More ways to meet and discuss this between departments and colleges” “More intentional avenues for fellowship among faculty and staff.” “Honestly… for my department colleagues to be my friend” “Allow for more opportunities for people in different disciplines to talk to one another and explore their faith. If you are only within your college or department, then you run the risk of feeing judged.”
Leadership and support	“Stability in leadership” “More buy in from leadership.” “Affirmation, support, better systems” “I want a leadership that is honest, genuine, and kind.” “A leader (and leadership) who can shepherd and love me and colleagues in a thoughtful way and actually care about me as a person and my transformation. Essentially, competent, discerning, and compassionate leadership.”

Implications for Institutions

The results suggest that targeted, small-group interventions can meaningfully improve faculty well-being, particularly in the emotional domain. This study was conducted in and draws conclusions for a small, Christian community as a sample. However, we propose that spirituality/religion is a critical component of well-being across belief systems.

Key takeaways for institutions include:

• Structured Connection Matters: Intentional time away from campus for reflection and relationship-building can reduce isolation.

• Holistic Approaches Work: Addressing emotional, spiritual, physical, and social dimensions together yields stronger results than focusing on a single aspect.

• Leadership Buy-In Is Critical: Faculty need visible support from leadership, not only through words but through policies that align with stated values.

Practical Steps for Adapting This Model

For campuses interested in replicating or adapting R&R, consider:

1. Small Cohorts: Keep groups intimate to foster trust and authentic conversation.

2. Dedicated Time and Space: Hold sessions off-site or in a relaxed setting to encourage openness.

3. Multi-Domain Focus: Incorporate physical, emotional, spiritual, and social elements in each session.

4. Structured Reflection: Use simple frameworks like Rose, Bud, Thorn to prompt meaningful dialogue.

5. Faculty-Led Design: Ensure topics and approaches are informed by faculty voices and needs.

Conclusion

Faculty well-being is essential for sustaining not just individual educators, but for the vitality of higher education as a whole. Initiatives like Refresh and Renewal offer one pathway forward, combining structured support, holistic reflection, and genuine collegial connection.

When we invest in our faculty, we invest in the heart of our academic communities.

Discussion Questions

• What structures currently exist at your institution to support faculty well-being?

• How might you adapt a multi-domain approach to fit your campus culture?

• What one change could you make this semester to foster a stronger sense of connection among faculty?

References

Abid, M. N., Rehman, H. U., Khan, M. J., Nisar, Q. A., & Arshad, A. (2025). Enhancing faculty teaching performance through job satisfaction and well-being: The mediating role of leadership. Scientific Reports, 15, 97426. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97426-0

CUPA-HR. (2023). The 2023 higher education employee retention survey. College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. https://www.cupahr.org/resource/higher-ed-employee-retention-survey-findings-september-2023

Ozturk, M. (2024). A conceptual model for teacher well-being: A positive psychology perspective. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2396156. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2396156

Parveen, S. J., & Chary, P. S. (2025). Navigating employee retention in higher education: A systematic review of the new normal. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 11(14S), 1–12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/394282866

Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069

Seligman, M. E. P. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 333–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1437466

About the Authors