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Regents committee hears systemwide update on student activities, wellness and employment
Summary
University presenters told the Board of Regents special committee that student activities across the system support belonging, retention and career readiness — citing survey results, millions of annual RecWell visits and hundreds of campus traditions — and offered measures to better track graduate student engagement and anti-hazing education.
Jenny Eltink, director of the Kirby Student Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth, told the Board of Regents’ Special Committee on Student Affairs that student engagement "are optional activities outside the classroom" that help students build belonging and leadership.
The presentation to the committee on May 2025 framed student activities as more than social events: presenters said survey data and participation figures point to academic persistence, improved mental health and stronger alumni ties. Eltink said systemwide Student Well-being Institutional Support survey (SWIS) results from 2021 and 2023 show roughly 70%–90% of students agreed their campuses provide meaningful support for well-being; she added that “more than 3 in 4 student respondents say that their campus encourages them to make these connections.”
George Brown, associate vice provost and director of Recreation and Wellness (RecWell) on the Twin Cities campus, said recreation programs produce high usage and broad impact: RecWell facilities on the Minneapolis–Saint Paul campus record about 1,200,000 visits per year, and 83% of students living in university-operated housing use RecWell spaces, many in their first year. Brown described campus-specific offerings from UMD waterfront programs to an upcoming eSports lab and noted that student employment is intentionally career-oriented.
Presenters reported nearly 8,000 undergraduates engaged in student employment across the system and said the Twin Cities student employees received about $4,500,000 in wages from the Office of Student Affairs. Brown highlighted examples of student-led traditions and organizations — from UMC’s Grama to UMD’s Bulldog Scramble — and said Greek communities also play extensive service and fundraising roles; he noted that UMD’s Greek community raised $26,212 for Special Olympics Minnesota in February 2025.
Committee members pressed presenters on measurement and inclusion. Regent Mayeron asked whether the university tracks alumni engagement tied to student activities; presenters said some campuses (UMD cited records back to the 1950s) maintain historical data and that offices are coordinating with advancement and alumni affinity networks to better capture co-curricular experiences. Student representatives asked specifically about graduate and professional student engagement; presenters said graduate employment often appears through academic programs and that a category of graduate-focused organizations and honor/service societies exists on multiple campuses.
The presenters also said anti-hazing education is distributed systemwide and that a system-level group is working on broader implementation of the Stop Campus Hazing Act-related training for orientation and ongoing programming.
The committee did not take formal action. Chair Kenyanya thanked the presenters and said follow-up and future agenda work will continue on measurement and student inclusion.
