Inadequate campus support for student mental health, such as student isolation and difficulty accessing care, extreme wait times, understaffing, and underfunding, predates 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, exacerbated preexisting conditions that failed to adequately support students. The impacts have been particularly pronounced for students of color and students from low-income circumstances. Systemic inequities, mental health disparities (related to both additive stressors and lower access to care), and higher levels of harassment and violence, combined with (and exacerbated by) pandemic trauma and the aftermath have rendered these populations more vulnerable to mental health challenges and suicide risk than peers from less marginalized groups.
Background
Throughout 2024, SHEEO is partnering with The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading national nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults, to launch a new learning community among state higher education leaders committed to implementing whole student support. Five states (Arizona, Louisiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas) have been selected for a planning grant of $25,000 to facilitate their participation in the inaugural Student Mental Health and Wellness Learning Community from 2023-2024. The learning community is focused on the development and implementation of state- and system-wide policy recommendations. These recommendations will focus on collaborative strategies and innovative solutions aimed at bolstering institutions’ ability to effectively promote and support student mental health, thereby fostering educational success and overall life fulfillment.
A primary goal will be to mitigate mental health inequities and promote a just design that recognizes historic minoritization and alleviates systemic bias. Specifically, the communities will identify strategies that effectively support students of color and students from low-income circumstances who face systemic inequities and experience pronounced disparities in mental health care access. Lack of access to good quality mental health care is a significant barrier to educational achievement as it adversely impacts enrollment, re-enrollment, progress, and completion.
Chosen states are participating in learning community events, including intensive technical assistance from SHEEO and The Jed Foundation between October 2023-December 2024.
Events
April 29-May 1 – The Wellness Blueprint: Cultivating Foundations for Statewide Student Mental Health Policy
Nov. 29, 2023 – Introductory meeting
- Webinar Recording; Passcode: xwUVx5?9
- Powerpoint Slides
In the News
- Arizona Board of Regents prioritizes student mental health with new well-being group
- Multi-state learning community focuses on intersecting policy issues
- U.S. Department of Education, State and Local Organizations Commit to Bolstering Access to Mental Health Supports for Students
Publications
- Lessons from the Wellness Blueprint Convening: Cultivating Foundations for Statewide Student Mental Health Policy, by Sakshee Chawla
Contact Us
For inquiries about the Student Mental Health and Wellness project, contact Sakshee Chawla at schawla@sheeo.org or John Lane at jlane@sheeo.org.
