The Role of Faculty in Student Mental Health

This 90-minute webinar presents the findings of a recent national pilot study examining the perceptions and behaviors of college and university faculty as they relate to supporting student mental health and substance use. A partnership between the Mary Christie Foundation, the Healthy Minds Network, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, and faculty at the Boston University School of Public Health, this webinar will include a presentation of topline results by Principal Investigator Sarah K. Lipson, Ph.D. The survey findings will provide policy-relevant information including faculty's experiences supporting students in distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, sense of responsibility to provide guidance and referrals for students around mental health, and needs and preferences in terms of future trainings.

Dr. Lipson's presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the important implications for programs, prevention strategies, and campus policy. The four-person panel, moderated by GBH's Kirk Carapezza, will feature Aswani Volety, Ph.D., Provost of Elon University; Zoe Ragouzeos, Ph.D., Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University (and MCF President); Lisa J. Schnell, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Vermont; and Michael Gerard Mason, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, NCSC, Associate Dean of African American Affairs and Director of the Luther Porter Jackson Black Cultural Center at the University of Virginia, and expert advisor to The Steve Fund. Panelists will discuss their reactions to the survey data, and the development and enhancement of approaches to optimize the role that faculty play in student mental and behavioral health.