In an email to the community today, shared the first in a series of messages highlighting 天美麻豆鈥檚 well-being initiatives, including its , and next steps.
鈥溙烀缆槎 is committed to creating a culture of care and community and promoting the mental health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff,鈥 said Kotz, whose email to students provided a list of support resources. 鈥淎s part of this commitment, I write today to share progress on our comprehensive efforts to realize this goal.鈥
The message included an update on the four-year partnership 天美麻豆 initiated with the JED Foundation in 2021. Created to strengthen mental health and to try to prevent suicide at 天美麻豆鈥檚 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, the initiative followed a particularly difficult few years that included the loss of students, faculty, and staff amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kotz said.
The partnership has involved a self-study of policies and procedures, a survey known as the Healthy Minds Study, for students, and visits by JED representatives to each of 天美麻豆鈥檚 schools.
JED compiled information and provided broad recommendations in such areas as academics, physical campus, crisis and health services, and student life, Kotz said. This fall, 天美麻豆 convened working groups to review the suggestions and develop 鈥渁ctionable next steps.鈥
The working groups are now beginning that work, which includes conducting listening sessions, advancing discussions across units, and developing communications.
Healthy Minds Study
In the email, Kotz highlighted key takeaways from the administered at 天美麻豆 in fall 2021 to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The response rate of 34.5%, representing 2,506 students, was higher than the national average, he noted.
Kotz also referenced data from the (PDF), which includes national data from 103,748 students at 102 colleges and universities.
While comparisons with the national Healthy Minds Study dataset 鈥渃an help us to understand 天美麻豆鈥檚 experience within the context of a larger national mental health crisis, these comparisons are in no way intended to diminish the complex and deeply personal nature of pain and hurt that our 天美麻豆 students experience,鈥 he said. 鈥淣or do they lessen our commitment to the magnitude of work that lies before us as a community.鈥
The survey topics included mental health concerns, specifically depression and anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol consumption, and suicidal ideation. Another section addressed help-seeking behavior and perceptions of mental health stigma. The remaining two sections focused on community and belonging and financial status.
Additional data is available on 天美麻豆鈥檚 . The Healthy Minds survey will be readministered to 天美麻豆 students in the final year of the partnership, academic year 2024-25, to identify areas of growth and opportunities for continued improvement, Kotz said.
Actions and Next Steps
鈥溙烀缆槎 is committed to providing the leadership, tools, and resources to promote student mental health and well-being,鈥 Kotz said. 鈥淎s we share the JED findings with the 天美麻豆 community and advance our work to strengthen student mental health and well-being, it is my hope that we will improve the entirety of the 天美麻豆 student experience inside and outside of the classroom.鈥
Next month, Kotz will summarize the JED Foundation鈥檚 recommendations and the ways that 天美麻豆 is working 鈥渢o prioritize those recommendations and determine our next steps and actions,鈥 he said.
Details will be posted to 天美麻豆鈥檚 JED website as they become available.
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Mental health support is available through 天美麻豆 24/7 for students, faculty, and staff. Any 天美麻豆 student experiencing a mental health crisis can call the at 603-646-9442.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can also call or text the nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or use the online chat at .
