Marquette University and Alverno College Win WELCOA Gold Awards

April 23, 2015

Marquette University and Alverno College were given Gold Awards by The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) for their outstanding commitment to workplace wellness. WELCOA, which tracks seven benchmarks of wellness success, has more than 5,000 corporate members across the country. This is the second Gold Award for both Alverno College and Marquette University. Both institutions joined WELCOA in 2009.

“Our strong wellness program happens only because our faculty and staff are strongly committed to leading and participating in it,” said Dr. Michael Lovell, president of Marquette University. “I thank our University Wellness Committee members for their work that brought us this honor and ensures we have a healthy working environment.”

“We are committed to providing an environment where students, faculty and staff have a number of healthy options,” said Mary J. Meehan, Ph.D., president of Alverno College. “Whether it's the food we serve, exercise classes we offer or other wellness initiatives, it's important to foster a culture of well-being. A healthy campus is a thriving campus.” Meehan played a key role in launching Milwaukee's Well City initiative, serving as co-chair from 2007-2010. Well City Milwaukee is a collaboration of organizationswho are dedicated to creating a healthy and vibrant Milwaukee workforce. Due to the efforts of over 40 area businesses and organizations, Milwaukee has earned its second Well City USA designation, the first city in the country to receive this prestigious distinction twice.

About Well City Milwaukee

Well City Milwaukee is an initiative to create a healthy and vibrant Milwaukee workforce and have a ripple effect on the community at large. This effort is led by the City of Milwaukee, Greater Milwaukee Committee, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Wellness Council of Wisconsin and the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee.

Sponsored locally by the Wellness Council of Wisconsin, Well City USA challenges local businesses and community leadersto work together and engage entire communities in improving the health and wellbeing of their workforces and families. For more information, visit www.wellcitymilwaukee.org.