CreateYourCampus - healthy without borders

In the summer semester of 2022, a team of four students dealt with new, innovative approaches in (university) health management as part of the Health and Fitness Management master's seminar led by Dr Philipp Laemmert. The aim of the project was to gain as comprehensive an insight as possible from the target group of students as to how they envision the university of the future. By developing and trying out different, participative methods, approaches to designing a health-promoting University of Bayreuth were brought forth. For this purpose, different target groups were considered, all with different impressions, experiences, suggestions and concerns, in order to capture as many perspectives as possible.

The high willingness of the target group to participate in the project, to diligently fill posters and to provide information in conversations, represented a first important finding. Students are keen to participate in the development of "their" UBT. At the Campus Day on 9 July 2022, an exchange took place between the team and students. The future students showed great willingness and creativity to help shape the campus according to their wishes. In addition to quite realistic suggestions, such as the comeback of the pasta counter, expansion of the bicycle parking spaces through roofing, expansion of the vegan options in the cafeteria and refectory or outdoor workplaces or seating, more unusual ideas such as a water slide from faculty to faculty were also suggested to the team. In the seminar, the students discussed possible backgrounds and motives for the multi-faceted suggestions and then went on to further explore the ideal UBT in group discussions.

The seminar group's core finding from the project was that students want a colourful, individual, personal and varied place as a balance to their daily study routine. Here, the focus is particularly on the areas of food and nutrition, social life, working and learning, infrastructure, relaxation and sport. In addition, it also became apparent how differently the target group of students interprets the health aspect with regard to their everyday university life.

The seminar provided valuable insights for the Student Health Management, which can start directly and further develop the ideas in order to take further steps on the way to becoming the most health-promoting university in Bayreuth.

The University Health Management team would like to thank all the students and other contributors who made the project possible.