“The Engelhard Project has become a model for the successful integration of themes of well-being and compassion into the classroom experience.”
What began as a curricular experiment has evolved into one of the hallmarks of a Georgetown undergraduate education, reaching thousands of students across campus. Since 2005, the Engelhard Project has offered nearly 500 courses taught by over 100 faculty members, for a combined enrollment of more than 19,200 students.
The Engelhard Project has forged strong connections among faculty, student affairs staff, and students, not only enriching the Georgetown experience but also engaging in national conversations about the role of well-being in higher education. The Project's work has been shared formally and informally through conversations across campus, in academic journal articles, at national higher education conferences, and with a presentation by President DeGioia at a 2013 White House Conference on mental health.
In addition to project publications and course profiles, the Engelhard Project's work has been captured and shared in many ways over the years, from articles in student newspapers to scholarly publications and case studies. Recently, the Engelhard Project was featured in Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, in an article about how our curriculum infusion model helps support belonging, community, and relationships.
“The Engelhard Project has become a model for the successful integration of themes of well-being and compassion into the classroom experience.”
“Take the Time to Reflect” Op-Ed (2017): CNDLS staff member and professor David Ebenbach outlines the values underlying the Engelhard project and writes to Georgetown students, “[r]eflection can help you understand the world and yourself better, and it can also become a process of discernment that helps you decide what to do.”
“The Engelhard Project: Health Learning, Healthy Living” (2017): The Georgetown student newspaper, The Hoya, featured the Engelhard Project in its February 2017 Health and Wellness Issue. The article lauded the project as “provid[ing] students with a rich platform that encourages them to embark on their own journeys to wellness.”
“Embody Engelhard” Editorial (2015): An October 2015 editorial highlighted the work of the project and its ten year anniversary, noting that the project “provides an excellent forum for students to create a personal connection with wellness in unique, seemingly disconnected contexts.”
Case Study for Bringing Theory to Practice (2016): Bringing Theory to Practice (BTtoP) is an organization dedicated to to supporting and encouraging liberal education in linking the learning, civic development, and well-being of students. The organization was one of the original funders of the Engelhard Project, and the Project was featured as one of seven case studies on Student Learning, Civic Engagement and Well-Being. The rest of the case studies can be found here.
“Crossing the Divide” (2017): David Ebenbach (CNDLS) discusses the benefits of faculty-staff partnerships at universities, and the ways in which this collaboration enriches our wellbeing work in the Engelhard Project.
National Conference on Mental Health, The White House (2013): Representing Georgetown University, President DeGioia discussed the work of the Engelhard Project at President Obama’s conference on mental health, as an example of the work of colleges and universities in this critical space. For more information and to view the full conference, visit the White House’s conference coverage.
