Promoting student mental health and well-being

Following on the need for everyone to get moving (at least a little), UGA Student Affairs is stepping up to expand efforts to strengthen the university’s mental health and well-being offerings.

President Jere Morehead acknowledged the challenges faced by today's college students and asked Vice President for Student Affairs Victor K. Wilson to lead UGA’s efforts to foster a more supportive culture, dedicating $1 million in private funds over the next two years to expand and strengthen UGA’s extensive mental health and well-being offerings:

Initial plans for the president’s funding include increasing clinical resources and proactive communication and programming, dedicating spaces on campus for well-being support and innovation, and providing innovation and research grants to students for improving campus understanding and support approaches, to name a few of the dozen newly planned programs and services.

Wilson announced in his 2022 State of Student Affairs Address that his division will unite related units to formally integrate well-being into their work. Reporting to a new associate vice president for student well-being, the units include the University Health Center, Student Care and Outreach, Recreational Sports, the Disability Resource Center and University Testing Services. In addition to several medical clinics, the University Health Center includes Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS); Health Promotion; Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) and the Fontaine Center, which provides alcohol and other substance misuse prevention, early intervention and recovery support services. Together these units facilitate more than a million student interactions annually.

“We are stepping boldly into the future and accelerating our work to support our students,” said Wilson. “I am eager for students to realize the great benefits these efforts will afford, and I look forward to working with students, faculty and staff to bring this great potential to life.”

We champion our colleagues in the Office of Student Affairs and stand with them in support of student well-being. Look for more information to come on oppportunities to support our students and promote the health of the campus community.

Image: Yoga class on the Miller Learning Center Green. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)