Faculty at Eastern Michigan University Rally Around Mental Health After a Colleague’s Loss

The loss of his son to suicide in 2022 left Ronald Flowers, a professor of Leadership and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), reeling and searching for answers. “I wouldn’t wish this tragedy on anybody,” he said.

Support from colleagues came quickly, and with it, a campus-wide movement to promote mental health, guided by The Jed Foundation (JED).

“Right after, the Provost — a longtime friend — asked me, ‘What do you need? How can we support you?’” Flowers recalled.

That moment set EMU on a new path. 

Within weeks, Flowers and colleagues launched a campus-wide task force on mental health. When the call for volunteers went out, more than 30 faculty members signed up in a single day. 

“Normally, it’s like pulling teeth to get people to serve on committees,” he says. “This was different.”

From Diagnosis to Action

With JED’s support, the first step was to survey students, faculty, and staff.

“Some questions were challenging to answer,” Flowers says. “Others were illuminating — things we’d never thought about before. It made us realize how much we didn’t know.”

Faculty and staff saw both strengths and gaps as they worked through JED’s comprehensive assessment, a structured process that looks at four key areas: how students are supported in building resilience and life skills, whether early signs of distress are being noticed, how available and accessible clinical services are, and how safe the campus environment feels.

There was strong crisis intervention, but weaker support for everyday stress and anxiety. “The question became, How do we keep them on the thriving side?” Flowers said.

Instead of producing another report, the group set out to act. 

Small Steps, Steady Change

The task force now has 27 members: faculty, staff, service providers, and students. Guided by JED’s approach, they work in subgroups, each choosing one or two goals for the year.

Instead of letting the scale of the problem overwhelm them, EMU broke the work into achievable pieces.

Among those steps:

• The “We Care” campaign: Posters, mugs, and stickers carrying a logo Flowers designed with his son before his death. These visible reminders have helped normalize conversations about mental health across campus.
• “Wish You Knew” EMU cards: Pocket affirmations with QR codes linking to resources. They reduce stigma and make help-seeking feel less intimidating.
• Quick Reference Guides: For faculty and advisors on how to respond when a student is in distress. Faculty report feeling more prepared and confident when concerns arise.
• Wellness Wednesdays: Weekly push notifications through the EMU Eagle app for students. These regular touchpoints give students timely strategies and affirmations, reinforcing resilience week by week.
• Campus Safety Review: Conducted by campus police, with emergency contacts posted across facilities. These audits help limit student access to dangerous environments.
• Parent Newsletter: A new resource to engage families in student mental health.
• Mental Health Website Resource page: This provides a centralized hub of information to empower students, faculty, and staff with evidence-based information, local service directories, and expert insights tailored to support emotional well-being. 

“Lots of little things, cumulative in their effect. And then big things start to happen,” Flowers says.

Students as Partners

Flowers knew that for the work to be most effective, students would have to build it with them, a priority built into JED’s model.

The student government meets regularly with the task force. Undergraduates have produced short videos that walk their peers through the counseling center and food pantry, making it easier — and less intimidating — to use those resources. 

Student workers also helped design the new mental health website and app so that it feels approachable rather than bureaucratic.

For Kati Lebioda, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Counseling at EMU, said the effort has also reshaped her own early career. “I’ve only been here a year, but I already feel so deeply ingrained in the campus community,” she says. 

A Culture That Lasts

EMU calls itself an “institution of opportunity.” 

“Providing opportunity means more than admission,” Flowers says. “It means supporting students so they can thrive once they’re here.”

Today, EMU’s efforts are visible in classrooms, student centers, and even police patrols. 

The work has changed how the university sees itself — not just as a place of access, but as a community of care. “If it helps even one student stay, even one family avoid what mine went through,” Flowers says, “it’s enough.”

Learn more about bringing JED to your campus, or donate to help JED bring its lifesaving work to more young people nationwide.