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Implementation Teams

Stay up to date on our latest progress in examining and implementing recommendations from the Student Mental Health Task Force report.

Implementing Report Recommendations

The implementation steering committee consisting of students, faculty and staff is charged with overseeing several teams to evaluate and operationalize the task force’s recommendations. The evaluations consider cost, time, potential barriers and other factors to determine what’s feasible at NC State.

Below we’ve listed our current team leads and the recommendations they’ll explore (some recommendations are grouped for efficiency).

Individual Recommendations

Many of the recommendations, especially in the short-term category, have been implemented or are currently being examined by their respective team leads.

RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
Improve the usability of the Counseling Center websiteJustin Hammond, Asst. Vice Chancellor, DASAComplete. Visit counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu
Create a one-stop website for mental health and well-being resourcesJustin Hammond, Asst. Vice Chancellor, DASAComplete. Visit wellness.ncsu.edu
Schedule wellness days each semester and assess the benefitCharles Clift, Asst. Vice Provost, University Registrar, EMASComplete. Assessment is ongoing. See the academic calendar for dates.
Embed clinicians across campusMonica Osburn, Executive Director, Counseling and Prevention ServicesComplete. See the list of embedded clinicians.
Hire and retain more clinicians and case managersMonica Osburn, Executive Director, Counseling and Prevention ServicesComplete. One psychiatrist, five counselors, and one administrative support associate have been hired since Feb. 2023.
Review NC State postvention protocolsDonna McGalliard, Assoc. Vice Chancellor and Assoc. Dean, DASAComplete. Postvention at NC State.
Compile and advertise courses that support well-beingWellness Advisory CommitteeComplete. See Academics and Research.
Create a campuswide theme centered on wellness and sense of belonging for 2023-24 academic yearYarneccia Dyson, Department Head and Professor, School of Social WorkSeparate from this implementation team, a campuswide communication plan was developed to “Lighten Your Pack” at NC State.
Create a faculty toolkit and other resources for facultyDiane Chapman, Director, Office of Faculty DevelopmentComplete. See final report.
Add additional interventions and opportunities that promote a sense of belonging, connection and communityMichele Kurtz, Director, Student Leadership and EngagementSeparate from this implementation team, new opportunities to promote well-being are continually developed across campus and promoted on Wolfpack Wellness.
RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
Become a JED CampusMonica Osburn, Executive Director, Counseling and Prevention ServicesNC State is in year two of a four-year process to become a JED Campus.
Create a Dean of Students-type position in DASADoneka Scott, Vice Chancellor and Dean, DASAComplete.
Office of Student Life and Advocacy
Implement widely available mental health screening for students, including education on resources availableAbsorbed by the JED Campus implementation team.
Increase prevention efforts, including changes to Prevention ServicesWellness Advisory CommitteeComplete. Case managers and an associate director in Prevention Services were added.
Review existing advising models across the universityKesha Reed, Assoc. Vice Chancellor and Assoc. Dean, DASAComplete. See final report.
Modify the Health and Exercise Studies GEP courses required for every undergraduate student, to increase wellness and life skills educationDepartment Head, Health and Exercise Studies On hold until a department head for HES is hired.
Create a common core first-year experience course (folded into GEP discussion)Carrie Zelna, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASA; Holly Hurlburt, Assoc. Dean, DASAOn hold until GEP discussion begins.
Add a health and wellness component to performance appraisals for employees (developmental)Tim Danielson, Assoc. Vice Chancellor, University Human ResourcesComplete. Will not pursue.
Continue to address food insecurity, housing instability and other environmental factorsKaly Wall, Academic Advisor; John Classen, Director of Graduate Programs; Mike Giancola, Asst. Vice Chancellor and Student Ombuds, DASAOngoing. March 2024 report from Dr. Mary E. Haskett and the NC State Steering Committee on Food
Housing Insecurity.
Provide additional student support services and community engagement programming opportunities on Centennial CampusDonna McGalliard, Assoc. Vice Chancellor and Assoc. Dean, DASAIn progress

Grouped Recommendations

The following recommendations are grouped based on the overarching themes they represent.

This group of recommendations will increase access to services and support within the Wolfpack community.

RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
In Progress/Short Term
Increase access to counseling services and decrease the wait time (teletherapy platform)Lisa Zapata, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASAComplete. Learn more about our teletherapy platform.
Longer Term
Implement a peer mentoring support programComplete. Visit prevention.dasa.ncsu.edu/togetherall to join the online support community.
Provide a wellness app for the NC State CommunityComplete. Visit wellness.ncsu.edu/headspace to access Headspace

This group of recommendations focuses on possible educational measures NC State employees can leverage to better support student mental health.

RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
In Progress/Short Term
Require students to complete a well-being skills training moduleLisa Zapata, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASA; Carrie Zelna, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASAComplete. All first-first year students required to complete a well-being skills module starting in fall 2023.
Encourage faculty and staff to attend ally training programs, diversity training and racial dialogue workshopsThis recommendation already occurring through OIED.
Longer Term
Require/encourage faculty and staff to complete training to learn how to recognize early warning signs of mental health distressIn progress

This group of recommendations seeks to remove financial barriers for students needing mental health and well-being resources.

RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
Longer Term
Continue to address financial barriers to success among students (particularly grad students)Nate Miner, Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASAIn progress
Provide student services for distance education studentsIn progress

This group of recommendations will explore the spaces on campus to better support the student experience.

RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
Longer Term
Implement means restrictions in the built environmentLisa Zapata, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASAAbsorbed by the JED Campus implementation team.
Create more gathering spaces that cultivate communityIn progress

This group of recommendations will examine several university regulations and update them when possible to foster a more supportive academic environment.

RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
Longer Term
Examine regulations related to academic expectations (REG 02.20.03 Attendance,
REG 02.20.14 – Test and Examinations,
REG 02.20.13 – Teacher Availability to Students)
Katharine Stewart, Sr. Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs; Ontario Wooden, Sr. Assoc. Dean, DASAIn progress
Ensure course expectations and workload align with credit hours earned (REG 02.20.05 – Course LoadREG 02.05.02 – Length of Time to Graduation)In progress
Coordinate exams at the institutional or departmental levelsIn progress
Add a syllabus statement on mental health (REG 02.20.07 – Course Syllabus)In progress
Examine “grades” regulations (REG 02.50.03 Grades and Grade Point AverageREG 02.45.02- Grades and Credit in Graduate CoursesREG 02.20.16 – Undergraduate Grade ExclusionREG 02.20.06 Course Repeat RegulationREG 02.05.01 – Continuation of Undergraduate Enrollment (Academic suspension))In progress

This group of recommendations suggests revising current regulations to facilitate streamlined course schedule changes.

RecommendationsTeam Lead(s)Status
Undergraduate leave of absence (new proposed)Charles Clift, Asst. Vice Provost, University Registrar, EMASIn progress
Examine current regulations for withdrawals/leaves of absence/adding or dropping courses (REG 02.05.04 – Term Withdrawal from the UniversityREG 02.20.02 – Adding and Dropping CoursesREG 02.20.15 – Credit Only CoursesREG 07.55.03 Refunds)

In progress

Updated: Sept. 6, 2024