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.
In Progress/Short Term
| Recommendations | Team Lead(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Improve the usability of the Counseling Center website | Justin Hammond, Asst. Vice Chancellor, DASA | Complete. Visit counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu |
| Create a one-stop website for mental health and well-being resources | Justin Hammond, Asst. Vice Chancellor, DASA | Complete. Visit wellness.ncsu.edu |
| Schedule wellness days each semester and assess the benefit | Charles Clift, Asst. Vice Provost, University Registrar, EMAS | Complete. Assessment is ongoing. See the academic calendar for dates. |
| Embed clinicians across campus | Monica Osburn, Executive Director, Counseling and Prevention Services | Complete. See the list of embedded clinicians. |
| Hire and retain more clinicians and case managers | Monica Osburn, Executive Director, Counseling and Prevention Services | Complete. One psychiatrist, five counselors, and one administrative support associate have been hired since Feb. 2023. |
| Review NC State postvention protocols | Donna McGalliard, Interim Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASA | Complete. Postvention at NC State. |
| Compile and advertise courses that support well-being | Wellness Advisory Committee | Complete. See Academics and Research. |
| Create a campuswide theme centered on wellness and sense of belonging for 2023-24 academic year | Yarneccia Dyson, Department Head and Professor, School of Social Work | Separate 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 faculty | Diane Chapman, Director, Office of Faculty Development | In progress. Final reporting to be completed in May 2024 |
| Add additional interventions and opportunities that promote a sense of belonging, connection and community | Michele Kurtz, Director, Student Leadership and Engagement | In progress |
Longer Term
| Recommendations | Team Lead(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Become a JED Campus | Monica Osburn, Executive Director, Counseling and Prevention Services | NC State is in year one of a four-year process to become a JED Campus. |
| Create a Dean of Students-type position in DASA | Doneka Scott, Vice Chancellor and Dean, DASA | In progress |
| Implement widely available mental health screening for students, including education on resources available | Absorbed by the JED Campus implementation team. | |
| Increase prevention efforts, including changes to Prevention Services | Wellness Advisory Committee | In progress |
| Review existing advising models across the university | Kesha Reed, Assoc. Vice Chancellor and Assoc. Dean, DASA | Final reporting to be completed in May 2024 |
| Modify the Health and Exercise Studies GEP courses required for every undergraduate student, to increase wellness and life skills education | Department 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, DASA | On hold until GEP discussion begins. |
| Add a health and wellness component to performance appraisals for employees (developmental) | Tim Danielson, Assoc. Vice Chancellor, University Human Resources | Complete. Will not pursue. |
| Continue to address food insecurity, housing instability and other environmental factors | Kaly Wall, Academic Advisor; John Classen, Director of Graduate Programs; Mike Giancola, Asst. Vice Chancellor and Student Ombuds, DASA | In progress |
| Provide additional student support services and community engagement programming opportunities on Centennial Campus | Donna McGalliard, Assoc. Vice Chancellor and Assoc. Dean, DASA | In progress |
Grouped Recommendations
The following recommendations are grouped based on the overarching themes they represent.
Technology
This group of recommendations will increase access to services and support within the Wolfpack community.
| Recommendations | Team 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, DASA | Complete. Learn more about our teletherapy platform. |
| Longer Term | ||
| Implement a peer mentoring support program | Complete. Visit prevention.dasa.ncsu.edu/togetherall to join the online support community. | |
| Provide a wellness app for the NC State Community | Complete. Visit wellness.ncsu.edu/headspace to access Headspace |
Training for Faculty and Staff
This group of recommendations focuses on possible educational measures NC State employees can leverage to better support student mental health.
| Recommendations | Team Lead(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| In Progress/Short Term | ||
| Require students to complete a well-being skills training module | Lisa Zapata, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASA; Carrie Zelna, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASA | Complete. 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 workshops | This 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 distress | In progress |
Financial
This group of recommendations seeks to remove financial barriers for students needing mental health and well-being resources.
| Recommendations | Team Lead(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Longer Term | ||
| Continue to address financial barriers to success among students (particularly grad students) | Nate Miner, Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASA | In progress |
| Provide student services for distance education students | In progress |
Physical Environment
This group of recommendations will explore the spaces on campus to better support the student experience.
| Recommendations | Team Lead(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Longer Term | ||
| Implement means restrictions in the built environment | Lisa Zapata, Sr. Assoc. Vice Chancellor, DASA | Absorbed by the JED Campus implementation team. |
| Create more gathering spaces that cultivate community | In progress |
Academics
This group of recommendations will examine several university regulations and update them when possible to foster a more supportive academic environment.
| Recommendations | Team 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, DASA | In progress |
| Ensure course expectations and workload align with credit hours earned (REG 02.20.05 – Course Load, REG 02.05.02 – Length of Time to Graduation) | In progress | |
| Coordinate exams at the institutional or departmental levels | In 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 Average, REG 02.45.02- Grades and Credit in Graduate Courses, REG 02.20.16 – Undergraduate Grade Exclusion, REG 02.20.06 Course Repeat Regulation, REG 02.05.01 – Continuation of Undergraduate Enrollment (Academic suspension)) | In progress |
Regulations for Withdrawals/Leaves of Absence/Adding or Dropping Courses
This group of recommendations suggests revising current regulations to facilitate streamlined course schedule changes.
| Recommendations | Team Lead(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate leave of absence (new proposed) | Charles Clift, Asst. Vice Provost, University Registrar, EMAS | In progress |
| Examine current regulations for withdrawals/leaves of absence/adding or dropping courses (REG 02.05.04 – Term Withdrawal from the University, REG 02.20.02 – Adding and Dropping Courses, REG 02.20.15 – Credit Only Courses, REG 07.55.03 Refunds) | In progress |