Student Tribune
SUNY Launches System-Wide Student Mental Health Task Force
Group will Examine Practices to Benefit Student Mental Health and
Deliver Recommendations to Board of Trustees this Academic Year
State University of New York Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson today announced
the formation of the SUNY Student Mental Health and Wellness Task Force. The
group will make recommendations on how the system can make a measureable
difference in addressing the mental health needs of students and mitigating the
negative effects of behavioral health risks, including suicide.
"We are witnessing an unprecedented surge in mental health issues among
young adults in particular, including anxiety, depression, and suicide," said
SUNY Chancellor Johnson. "Not only will we expand our resources and safety nets
across SUNY, we will also strengthen our early interventions to better ensure
we reach our students in need and get them to sources of help. On today, World
Mental Health Day, we reaffirm our broad view of what it means to provide
student support services for a safe and secure learning environment."
The task force will focus on early interventions and explore existing
practices and public health approaches across the nation to address the mental
health needs of SUNY students. The task force will also investigate, develop,
and recommend strategies for scaling evidence-based and innovative models for
student support across all 64 SUNY campuses.
The group will simultaneously work to identify and apply for external
funding to supplement New York State aid. SUNY was recently awarded a portion
of the $3.68 million Garrett Lee Smith Grant received by the New York State
Office of Mental Health to assist with suicide prevention.
The new task force is co-chaired by Dr. Deborah F. Stanley, president of
SUNY Oswego, and Dr. Wayne Riley, president of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences
University. It is being coordinated by SUNY Associate Provost of Student
Affairs Dr. John L. Graham, and the newly appointed, system-wide Director of
Student Wellness, Dr. Leah Wentworth.
"Assessing and evaluating the mental health status, programs and policies
and fostering the well-being of students across the entire State University of
New York system is a matter of highest priority" said Dr. Wayne J. Riley,
President of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. "I applaud the SUNY
Board of Trustees and Chancellor Kristina Johnson for establishing this
System-wide Student Mental Health and Wellness Task Force to serve our students
to enhance their successful higher education journey."
"Chancellor Johnson and the SUNY Board of Trustees have identified a
critical and growing need to address the mental health needs of students across
the entire State University of New York system," said SUNY Oswego President
Deborah F. Stanley. "It is essential that we work together in providing a
learning environment that emphasizes greater awareness, understanding and
access to mental health care resources as both a foundational component of
personal growth as well as an integral element of participating in a learning
community. I look forward to serving on the Mental Health and Wellness Task
force and co-chairing with Dr. Riley, as we lead a talented and diverse
professional team focused on the health and well-being of all our
students."
The group is comprised of system administration staff, campus presidents,
counseling center and student affairs staff, and faculty, as well as state and
national mental health experts. The task force will present their findings in a
report to the SUNY Board of Trustees by the end of the current academic
year.
According to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State, mental
health problems are worsening on college campuses. In its 2018 report, the
center looked at data from 152 colleges and universities involving 180,000
college students who sought mental health treatment. The report found that
between fall 2009 and spring 2016, counseling center usage went up an average
of 30 to 40 percent, despite enrollment increases of 5 percent. The center also
found that the number of distressed students who seriously considered
attempting suicide increased, from 24 percent in 2010-2011 to nearly 36 percent
in 2017-2018.
SUNY's efforts come on the heels of the first report from the New York State Suicide Prevention
Task Force, which was released last April. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo created the
task force in 2017 to increase awareness and access to supportive services for
groups at risk for suicide, including members of the LGBTQ community, Latinas,
and veterans. Recommendations from the report include strengthening public
health prevention efforts, integrating suicide prevention in healthcare, timely
sharing of data for surveillance and planning, and infusing cultural competence
throughout suicide prevention activities.
About The State University of New York
The State
University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education
in the United States, with 64 college and university campuses located within 30
miles of every home, school, and business in the state. As of Fall 2018, more
than 424,000 students were enrolled in a degree program at a SUNY campus. In
total, SUNY served 1.4 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs,
continuing education, and community outreach programs in the 2017-18 academic
year. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Its
students and faculty make significant contributions to research and discovery,
contributing to a $1.6 billion research portfolio. There are 3 million SUNY
alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY
alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.
Yule, Rosanna
Government and Community Relations
10/11/2019