Jenny Haubenreiser, who has served the field of college health and wellness for nearly 30 years, is Linfield University’s new director of student health, wellness and counseling. Haubenreiser started on Aug. 21, filling the vacancy left by retired director Patty Haddeland.
“We are excited to have Jenny join the Linfield community,” said Jeff Mackay ’88, vice president for student affairs. “Her focus on holistic student care is a great fit with the integrative well-being model we are creating for Linfield University.”
Haubenreiser joins Linfield from Oregon State University, where she was the senior director for community health and wellness and executive director of Student Health Services. Before working at OSU, Haubenreiser spent 18 years at Montana State University in teaching, coalition building and public health policy advocacy.
In her role at Linfield, Haubenreiser provides leadership for Student Health, Wellness and Counseling, oversees the health center’s day-to-day operations, serves as a primary member of student care and wellness teams and works to provide programs and services to support student health and well-being. She collaborates closely with the medical staff from Physicians’ Medical Center, who provides the direct medical services to students at the center.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to serve a smaller campus community like Linfield, where I will have the opportunity for more direct interaction with students and other members of the community,” she said. “Health is created and sustained where students live, work, play and love. Collaboration across all areas of the university and broader community is integral in better understanding and supporting our students.”
Haubenreiser is a past president of the American College Health Association, where she advocated for the inclusion of student health insurance within the Affordable Care Act and forged international relationships and alliances around student health and well-being.
She brings expertise in the areas of health care administration, health promotion, substance abuse and violence prevention, survivor advocacy, mental health promotion and public health policy development at the campus, community and state levels.
Haubenreiser says she is particularly interested in advancing support for first-generation students, students of color, LGBTQ+ students, students facing high financial need and other marginalized groups.
“I am highly appreciative of Linfield’s efforts to support first-generation students and see this position as a great opportunity for me to really elevate and support Linfield’s mission and vision,” she said. “Higher education is facing multiple challenges, including enrollment, pervasive economic impacts, deepening mental health needs, and how best to strengthen access, inclusion, diversity and equity in the context of deep social divisions. Collectively, we can achieve the vision of higher education in building the skills, capacity, and efficacy needed for our students to navigate these challenges and be successful in their lives.”
Learn more about the Linfield Student Health, Wellness and Counseling Center at https://inside.linfield.edu/student-health/index.html.
