Qualitative Descriptive Exploration of College Students' Opinions Toward and Experiences with Participating in Mindfulness Programs on a College Campus

Outstanding leadership is essential for an organization to flourish, including higher education. One of the issues facing leaders in higher education is mental health. Students at universities face many challenges leading to emotional and health problems. College and universities explore traditional and non-traditional wellness models to support students’ mental health. Mindfulness has become a popular holistic model on college campuses, including online learning environments.This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore college students’ experiences, opinions, and motivation toward participating in mindfulness programs on a college campus. Six themes emerged from the data analysis: Awareness, Daily Stressors, Emotional Regulation, Techniques, Motivation, and Administrative Involvement and Implementation. Based on participants’ responses, mindfulness has been successful in helping manage stress often associated with work, school, family, and time management. The success and sustainability of implementing wellness programs on a college campus is dependent on the level of leadership involvement. Participants favored practicing mindfulness online oppose to face-to-face meetings. Recommendations for practice and future research are described.