About

Preparing students for careers that are high in DEMAND, high in PURPOSE, high in SATISFACTION and unsurpassed in IMPACT.

In 1976, allied health and helping profession programs at Western Michigan University came together in the College of Health and Human Services. It included programs like occupational therapy, the first non-teacher program at WMU, and blindness and low vision studies, which is one of the largest programs of its kind in the nation. Programs like the new Doctor of Physical Therapy and bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration show how the college strives to grow and evolve to meet the needs of students and community.

Why should you choose WMU's College of Health and Human Services?

why CHHS?

 
We also continue to lead with modern, updated facilities and ample opportunities for interprofessional education. Everything we do is aimed at providing you with the best education we can to prepare you for today's ever-changing health care and human services careers.

More Points of Pride

CHHS strategic plan

Strategic Planning 2022

Steering Committee members - staff, faculty and students - have volunteered from across the college. They will break into working groups with more volunteers to develop the bulk of the strategic plan. Working groups are based on values identified by the University's strategic planning process:

  • Community-engaged
  • Discovery-driven
  • Equity-centered
  • Learner-focused
  • Sustainability-guided

Steering committee members:

  • Rodney Weir
  • Marian Tripplet
  • Robin Beth Brown
  • Betty Dennis
  • Greg Greenman    
  • Joshua Enos 
  • Kelley Pattison
  • Elissa Allen
  • Hope Gerlach-Houck
  • Andrea Perez
  • Chris Smith
  • Joel Krauss
  • Susan Pendelton
  • Maria Roche-Dean
  • Chandice Covington
  • Mandy Cox

Admin Support: Jasmine Mead and Carla Chase

Mission, Vision, Values

  • Mission

    To educate professionals to provide exemplary health care, rehabilitation and social services, to promote innovation and discovery and to build mutually enriching local and global partnerships.

  • Vision

    To lead transformative education, practice and research in health and human services.

  • Values

    • Learning and work environments that are healthy, intellectually stimulating, creative, inclusive and respectful of human diversity

    • Professional and inter-professional education and practice that is person-centered and improves quality of life across the lifespan

    • Active engagement of students and faculty in innovative and interdisciplinary research and scholarship that inform evidence-based practice

    • Collaboration, critical thinking and compassion as integral to professional competence

    • Leadership, professional socialization and service beyond the classroom

    • Ethical practices and integrity in education, research and service

    • Multimodal, technologically effective, integrative, experiential instruction

    • Lifelong learning

    • Global and community engagement

    • Continuous improvement through assessment and evaluation

    • Personal health and wellness, professional self-care and prevention of burnout