On April 30th, 2025, National College of Ireland was one of the many companies who took part in marking the 11th annual National Workplace Wellbeing Day. This year, we were honoured to welcome two special guests, Caroline Mahon, National Healthy Campus Coordinator from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), and Kristen Venianakis, representing Healthy Campus HEA, to join us as Professor Gina Quin, President of NCI, officially signed the College’s Healthy Campus Charter.
Emphasising the importance of wellness at NCI
Consistently in Ibec’s Top 100 Companies Leading in Wellness index, the launch of NCI’s Healthy Campus Charter illustrates another step in the College’s ongoing commitment to promoting a healthier, more inclusive, and wellbeing-focused campus for all staff and students.
Mary Connelly, Director of Human Resources at NCI said “We would like to thank Caroline and Kristen from the HEA Healthy Campus for their engagement with NCI on the Healthy Campus Charter. Today marks a significant moment for us as we demonstrate our commitment to creating a thriving, inclusive, and wellbeing-first campus. This is the future we are working to build. We also want to acknowledge the enthusiasm and dedication of our committee members, whose efforts have been crucial in bringing this initiative to life at NCI.”
By signing the Healthy Campus Charter, NCI acknowledges our role and achievements to date in supporting the vision of a Healthy Ireland, “Where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and wellbeing to their full potential; where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society and is everyone’s responsibility.”
Workplace Wellbeing in action
National Workplace Wellbeing Day also saw NCI staff taking part in a much-loved recurring “grow your own garden” session with Sunflower Recycling, always an informative and pleasurable event and even better when the Mayor Square quad is bright with sunshine. This gardening event is a favourite of many because it is an opportunity to have fun, get out in the fresh air, and create personal plant and herb gardens to take home.
Professor Gina Quin, President of NCI, said: “NCI takes a “whole person” approach to student and staff engagement, encouraging everyone to thrive and reach their fullest potential. The supports that are available to students, alongside the highest level of academic rigour and industry expertise, are mirrored in supports for staff, delivered through the HR Department and the NCI Employee Assistance Programme. I’m both delighted by and proud of today’s events, seeing the light-hearted and stress-relieving gardening event in action and also witnessing the deep commitment of the college and the hard work of the Healthy Campus Committee with the launch of NCI’s Healthy Campus Charter.”
More about the Healthy Campus Charter
The HEA Higher Education Healthy Campus Charter and Framework was cocreated by Higher Education Institutions, the Department of Health, and the HSE. In 2022, supported by Healthy Ireland, the Framework was officially transferred to the Higher Education Authority. The Framework offers guidelines to third level institutions about how to further advance existing wellbeing actions. The Framework also assists with the integration of health and wellbeing across the entire campus from teaching and learning to student supports and services, and staff development and policies. The Framework serves as a helpful tool when identifying opportunities in the college environment, whether social or academic, that can help foster an ethos of care, compassion, and inclusion on campuses.
You can keep reading here to learn more about the HEA Higher Education Healthy Campus Charter and Framework.
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