South Orange-based Seton Hall University will host the first New Jersey Higher Ed Mental Health Summit for all New Jersey colleges and universities, including community colleges, on Wednesday.
Staff from over 40 New Jersey colleges and universities and mental health experts from across the country are coming together for the first time to share best practices to support college students at the summit.
The summit offers the opportunity for interinstitution collaboration to help combat the student mental health crisis. Attendees will develop and share resources and methods designed to foster the psychological health and well-being that helps students thrive, develop and achieve personal and professional success.
More than 470 participants and attendees have already registered for the summit. Over 350 professionals and frontline practitioners from student affairs; campus police and safety; residence life; athletics; diversity, equity, inclusion and justice; health services; first-gen programs; advisers of Educational Opportunity Program/Educational Opportunity Fund; and other campus representatives are expected to attend this “first of its kind” cohort gathering.
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way will provide opening remarks. Sara Klein, vice president of student affairs, Stevens Institute of Technology, and summit co-chair, will introduce the summit’s keynote speaker, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, co-founder of the legendary hip-hop group, Run-DMC, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and mental health advocate. New Jersey Higher Education Secretary Brian Bridges will be featured as the closing speaker at the summit.
Attendees can choose from 10 morning and 10 afternoon breakout sessions, with a wide range of topics, including:
- Beyond the Books: Promoting Psychological Well-Being Among First-Gen Students;
- New Avenues for Student Involvement in Promoting a Positive Mental Health Culture;
- Do More with Less: Using a Prevention-Focused, Trauma-Informed Lens for Community College Mental Health;
- The Madison Holleran Suicide Prevention Act Amendment (A1176): Its Purpose and Impact on New Jersey Campuses;
- Building Bridges: Best Practices and Collaborative Care for Student-Athlete Mental Health;
- Creating Services and an Environment that Supports People of Color and Diverse Populations.
There will also be a resource fair throughout the day, during which attendees will have the opportunity to visit 15 booth presentations from various community providers, mental health resource organizations and health service providers — including UWill (the summit’s principal sponsor), the Jed Foundation, the Partnership to End Addiction, the Mental Health Association of New Jersey, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and others.
Detailed program and sponsorship information can be found here.
