Task Force Report on Student Mental Health and Well-being
To position the University to think strategically about student health and well-being, in December of 2018, President Munson convened a University Task Force on Student Mental Health and Well-being. The Task Force was charged to conduct a comprehensive review of existing campus programs, services, and education efforts in mental health and well-being and prepare short- and long-term recommendations to enhance our holistic and inclusive approach to mental health and well-being.
Message to the RIT Community:
As educators, we pride ourselves in preparing students to be citizens of the world. But that preparation must go beyond academics and include helping our students cope successfully with a wide variety of social, personal, and professional challenges.
Those challenges are evident within a report issued by the University Task Force on Student Mental Health and Well-being. This report emphasizes the importance of an integrated campus-wide approach to meet the increasing demand for mental health and well-being services, which includes professional treatment services, wellness educational programming, and operational improvements. The Task Force spent the past few months meeting with students, faculty, and staff; surveying current practices; and consulting with an expert in the field of college mental health.
The report from the Task Force acknowledges that RIT is a “campus reacting to increased demand for mental health and well-being services; specifically, a campus working to meet a level of unprecedented demand.” The findings reiterate that RIT has an extensive range of resources and services available to support and serve students, but they also make clear that more work is needed to build on our culture of care and bolster efforts to make the network of support even stronger.
What’s Next?
This report is just the beginning of our journey. We thank the Task Force for its work and will be sharing updates throughout the academic year. Progress will require the cooperation of students, faculty, and staff at all levels to create an ecosystem that supports well-being in all aspects of campus life. Our goal is to create a healthy campus culture so students can succeed in reaching their academic and personal goals.
Sincerely,
Dr. David C. Munson Jr., President
Dr. Ellen Granberg, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Sandy S. Johnson, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs