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Lehman, CUNY Institute for Health Equity Publish Study Evaluating the WHOLE Experience Framework for Faculty and Staff Development

Morris Thomas, creator of the WHOLE Experience Framework, and CIHE Director and Dean Elgloria Harrison

July 20, 2026

Bronx, New York—A research team anchored at Lehman College and the CUNY Institute for Health Equity has published a new study, “From Theory to Practice: Evaluating the WHOLE Experience Framework for Faculty and Staff Development at a Hispanic-Serving Institution,” in Education Sciences, a peer-reviewed international journal. The article appears in the journal’s special issue, Holistic Education: What It Is and How It Works. 

The study examines how faculty and staff experienced the WHOLE Experience Framework (WEF) and its perceived effectiveness in facilitating Belonging, Access, and Inclusive Excellence (BAIE) professional development workshops at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Grounded in andragogical theory and Universal Design for Learning, the WEF comprises five core components: Welcoming, Holistic, Open, Liberating, and Empowering. Using a workshop-based research methodology, the study engaged 164 faculty and staff across five workshops, assessing participants’ experiences with the framework and their confidence in applying BAIE principles in their professional practice. The findings suggest that participants experienced the WEF as an effective framework for facilitating meaningful professional development experiences that prepare participants to integrate culturally responsive and access-centered practices into their work environments. 

“As educators preparing the next generation of nurses and health professionals, we have a responsibility to model the equity and inclusion we hope they will carry into practice,” said Dr. Darcel Reyes, deputy chair and associate professor in the Department of Nursing at Lehman College, who co-authored the study with Elgloria Harrison, dean of the School of Health Sciences, Human Services, and Nursing (HS2N) and Director of the CUNY Institute for Health Equity; and Morris Thomas, creator of the WHOLE Experience Framework. “Evaluating WHOLE in our own faculty and staff development provided evidence that these principles work in a real-world Hispanic-Serving Institution, and that improving how our people experience their work translates directly into how they care for others.” 

WHOLE (Welcoming, Holistic, Open, Liberating, and Empowering) was developed by Thomas as a model that provides conceptual framing for designing environments where all members of a community can thrive. Thomas is a professor and globally recognized scholar-practitioner who also created the ENHANCE Learning Model. His influence now reaches well beyond higher education into business, health care, project management, and social work, informing leadership and practice across sectors and disciplines.  

“Quality is ultimately experienced, not simply measured,” said Thomas. “When we intentionally improve the experience of our stakeholders, the faculty and staff who, in turn, shape the experience of our students, we directly strengthen the quality of the institution itself. This study addresses an apparent gap by demonstrating that investing in how people experience our environments is not separate from quality assurance; it is central to it.” 

The study evaluated the framework’s application in belonging, access, and inclusive excellence professional development for faculty and staff at Lehman, an institution that serves a predominantly Hispanic, nontraditional student population, offering a practical, real-world model that institutions across sectors can adapt. 

Thomas and Harrison previously collaborated on a 2025 book chapter for Andragogy in Practice, “Andragogy and the WHOLE Experience Framework to Inform Diversity and Inclusion Practices.” 

“At the CUNY Institute for Health Equity, we understand that the well-being of our communities begins with the well-being of the people who serve them,” said Harrison. “This is the second study Dr. Thomas and I have published applying the WHOLE Experience Framework through the Institute, and the findings continue to show that when we invest in our faculty and staff, we build inclusive, supportive environments that ultimately advance equity for our students and the broader Bronx community.” 

From Theory to Practice: Evaluating the WHOLE Experience Framework for Faculty and Staff Development at a Hispanic-Serving Institution is now available in Education Sciences (MDPI) and can be accessed at https://www.mdpi.com/3956996 

About Lehman College   
A perennial national leader in promoting social mobility, Lehman College of The City University of New York serves as an intellectual, economic, and cultural center for the Bronx, New York City, and beyond. The college - which sits on a tree-lined 37-acre campus – supports more than 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students, another 14,000 students in continuing and professional programs, and over 90,000 alumni. As a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Bronx, Lehman College educates a diverse population of students. The college offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees as well as certificate programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and professions. 

About the CUNY Institute for Health Equity 

The City University of New York (CUNY) Institute for Health Equity (CIHE) at Lehman College is a CUNY-wide institute that coordinates research, teaching, service, and community engagement with goals to eliminate health inequalities, reduce health disparities, and promote health.