Teachers College experts across teacher education, health and psychology have teamed up with their European counterparts to solve problems related to the “economy of well-being, a virtuous circle between society, science and the environment.” The ongoing collaboration, made official in late 2023, with the European University for Well-Being (EUniWell) aligns the College with the 11 European Universities that comprise the alliance, funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme.

While the College’s Office of Global Engagement sees the collaboration as building upon TC’s long-standing work related to the improvement of human life, the EUniWell partnership lays the groundwork for notable opportunities to advance research, mobility, capacity and development alongside numerous other institutions. 

“In the spirit of transatlantic cooperation, we are happy to embark on a transformative partnership with our EUniWell partners aimed at enhancing the well-being in and through education,” said Amine Mechaal, Director of Global Engagement. “Teachers College is committed to fostering an environment where well-being is not just a goal, but a shared journey.” This perfectly matches EUniWell’s overall mission to enhance the well-being of individuals, society, and the planet.

To date, TC has hosted EUniWell scholars and officials three times. Two TC students ventured to Belgium last summer to participate in an EUniWell summer school on “Peace, Justice and Well-Being,” co-organized with the Global Governance Institute in Brussels. EUniWell and TC are planning a joint Well-Being Summit in the spring, with more plans including a 2026 conference on the horizon. 

“As a top institution dedicated to civic engagement, Teachers College is an ideal partner in EUniWell’s shared science and education across disciplines to fight the deterioration of public debate and work towards solutions to enhance well-being,” explains EUniWell Chief Development Officer Beatrix Busse, Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Cologne. 

Dr. Tobias Endler, who leads the Alliance’s transatlantic division, points out that “transatlantic cooperation makes sense across education as democratic societies in the West face serious and somewhat comparable challenges. We appreciate that Teachers College reaches beyond the College itself, and also sees education as a precondition for any democratic society with engaged citizens.” 

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TC’s Cate Crowley, Professor of Practice, (center) with colleagues from Smile Train. Their collaborations have allowed Crowley and students to provide in-person trainings for speech therapists in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, facilitating therapy for more than 15,000 children worldwide. (Photo courtesy of Crowley)

Aurelie Athan, Research Professor, teaching a workshop for the College's Sex Education Initiative in 2019. (Photo: TC Archives) 

Participation in the EUniWell and TC partnership includes Colette Young, Assistant Director of the Summer Principals Academy - NYC, a transformative program for school leaders focused on equity. (Photo courtesy of SPA-NYC) 

TC’s work with EUniWell relates to broader efforts related to global scholarship. “The work happening at Teachers College makes a difference far beyond 120th Street,” says Portia Williams, Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Global Affairs. “We are a global community of students, scholars and friends from all over the world, and our collaboration with EUniWell aligns with our extensive efforts to support cultural exchange as a means of solving critical problems.” 

Faculty participation in the partnership spans the College’s core pillars of education, psychology and health — with faculty contributors meeting with other scholars across the globe to synergize and build a network out of existing expertise, in the view of TC Research Professor Aurelie Athan. 

In their interdisciplinary work to support well-being, Athan says the coalition is exploring the most pressing issues of today that will need solutions in the decades to come. A leading expert on reproductive identity, Athan is bringing the College’s groundbreaking Sex Education Initiative to the international table. Since 2019 with the support of the Edlow Fund, the innovative model has prepared local educators to teach reproductive health literacy in a way that empowers young people — and now, with her work as part of the EUniWell Partnership, Athan is joining other like-minded scholars across the globe in improving access to effective sexual and reproductive health education . 

“There is no health without sexual and reproductive health,” says Athan, noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations’ first international conference on population development. “In the next 30 years, [the U.N.] must have another vision. You are not going to be able to fully realize the potential of young people without thinking of their reproductive well-being and their reproductive futures.” 

As part of the EUniWell collaboration, Athan is starting to participate in solutions-driven dialogues with other scholars sharing similar research interests. While TC’s partnership remains in the early stages, collaborating with other institutions on the world stage offers a robust opportunity to increase the scale of impact for the College’s work to date on sexual and reproductive health education. 

“We’re in a new age and new frontier so we really need to think about family building decision making,” says Athan. “At TC, we’re incubating really powerful ideas. I’m really excited to synergize that with a project like EUniWell in the consciousness.” 

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TC participants also include Nicole Brittingham Furlonge — Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Klingenstein Center for Independent and International School Leadership, which has prepared thousands of school leaders around the globe since 1977. (Photo: Klingenstein Center) 

With sustainability education among his research focuses, Oren Pizmony-Levy — Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education — will bring expertise leading the College's Summer Climate Institute (pictured) to EUniWell.  

Alongside Athan, TC’s Nicole Brittingham Furlonge — Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Klingenstein Center for Independent and International School Leadership — is among the education scholars joining TC’s work with EUniWell. Since 1977, the Klingenstein Center has focused on advancing transformative learning in private and international schools. For Furlonge, the EUniWell partnership offers an opportunity for academic exchange in the “global ecosystem of education” that can be incorporated into Klingenstein’s teacher preparation programs, leadership and practice. 

“​​I’m hoping that we as researchers come to develop a firmer sense of what it means to engage in the work of well-being on behalf of schools,”  explains Furlonge. “The definition of well-being is sort of in flux, which is part of the question we're asking as part of this research and collaborative initiative.”

For Furlonge, the relevance of well-being to teacher preparation and practice is the most tangible question at hand. At the Klingenstein Center, Furlonge sees the preparation of private and international school teachers and leaders up close — leading her to wonder how teacher well-being impacts that of their students, who “we are hoping to serve in impactful ways…[Teachers’] own belonging really plays a vital role in making sure that students themselves feel a sense of belonging, and for [teachers] to have efficacy and empowerment as they learn and grow…It’s great to feel like we have the capacity and the means to collaborate, to take action, but also to dream.” 

As the EUniWell Alliance grows and evolves, leaders look forward to strengthening avenues for international collaboration that can make a measurable impact on well-being. “Universities should not just be a place where people are being fed knowledge and facts, but a place where you are forming knowledge on how to debate, etc.,” says EUniWell lead Dr. Endler. 

EUniWell Chief Development Officer Busse agrees: “Across the world, we can learn from each other, establish diplomatic well-being channels across generations, and work towards solutions through exchange - this is what EUniWell is all about, so we are grateful for this opportunity to cooperate with our American friends.”