Mental health is one of the most critical priorities for college students today. Since the onset of the pandemic and the declaration of a national public health crisis around mental health, students are speaking up about their increased need and desire for mental health support and a holistic postsecondary educational experience where they are valued, respected, and seen – not as demographic percentiles or funding metrics – but as whole humans. While steps have been taken to address the wellness concerns of college students, there is more that we, as advocates, practitioners, policymakers, and funders, can do to answer their calls for care.

College Futures Foundation hosted a live webinar on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, to discuss research from our recent report, Degrees of Distress: How Higher Education Institutions Hurt and Help Student Mental Health, and our new report, From Persisting to Thriving: How We Can Act Now to Support College Student Mental Wellness, that examines college student mental health through a racial and financial equity lens. Expert panelists reflected on the reports’ findings and share how their work seeks to answer college students’ calls for care.

Author Panel:

• Tomika Rodriguez, M.Ed., consultant, Learning For Action; co-author, From Persisting to Thriving
• Dr. Sam Museus, professor in the School of Social Sciences, University of California, San Diego; co-author, Degrees of Distress

Field Panel:

• Dr. Rashida Crutchfield, executive director, Center for Equitable Higher Education; associate professor, Cal State Long Beach
• Dr. Edward Bush, executive board member, African American Male Education Network and Development (A2MEND); president, Cosumnes River College
• Marcos Montes, policy director and Let’s Go program manager, SoCal CAN
• Jennifer Nguyen, director of postsecondary success, Stupski Foundation

Moderator:

• Elizabeth González, PhD, chief strategy & program officer, College Futures Foundation

Watch the Recording