JED Announces 2 Million Student Milestone For JED Campus Initiative

195 colleges are working with leading mental health and suicide prevention organization to support student well-being

NEW YORK, March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading nonprofit organization that exists to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for teens and young adults, announced today that over 195 colleges and universities, representing more than two million students, are participating in JED Campus—a nationwide initiative designed to help colleges and universities assess and enhance their policies, programs and systems to support the emotional well-being of their students and reduce suicide and serious substance abuse.

“College is a significant time of transition when many young adults experience emotional issues, and there are numerous ways colleges and universities can support their students’ mental health and well-being,” said John MacPhee, Executive Director/CEO of JED. “For example, 85% of schools entering our program did not have a comprehensive, interdisciplinary task force charged with a mental health and suicide prevention planning prior to joining JED Campus. We are thrilled that all member schools now have these vital teams in place, and our goal is to make JED Campus available for all colleges and universities to help them prioritize this work with a strategic and actionable plan.”

JED Campuses embark on a multi-year data-informed collaboration that not only enhances the work that is already being done, but assesses systems change over time and the impact that change has on student outcomes, helping to create positive, lasting, and systemic change in the campus community.

JED believes in a comprehensive, public health approach to promoting emotional well-being and preventing suicide and serious substance abuse. JED Campus is grounded in the organization’s evidence-based model, which is used to assess efforts currently underway on campus in order to identify existing strengths and areas for improvement. JED’s Comprehensive Approach underscores the need for student mental health to be championed by senior leadership and viewed as a campus-wide priority, responsibility and shared value for the entire community.

“Emotional well-being is critical for the learning process to occur, and for that reason, we were grateful for the guidance of JED in bolstering and further developing our campus-wide approach to student mental health,” said Lara Tiedens, President of Scripps College. “JED Campus worked with our Board of Trustees, our senior administrators, our staff and our students in educating us about student well-being, assessing our current programming, and working with us to develop better support systems. JED Campus helped us create a culture of greater awareness and proactivity so that our students can thrive.”

The University of Southern California, University of Tennessee Knoxville, the Colorado Mountain College system and University of North Carolina School of the Arts are some of the institutions to join the program since the start of 2018. By joining JED Campus, schools become part of a Learning Community, which provides members with the opportunity to share information, challenges, successes and resources.

“The need for mental health services has climbed dramatically in recent years,” said Jennifer M. Kulics, Associate Vice President, student Affairs, Kent State University. “With JED’s support and guidance, Kent State is developing new initiatives and trainings to create campus-wide prevention and intervention strategies that are critical to the mental health of our students.”

JED Campus is continuously expanding and JED is currently registering schools for its fall 2018 cohort of JED Campuses.

Visit jedcampus.org to learn more.