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How to address the growing wellness needs of new and returning students

Health, Safety, and Well-being
August 31, 2015 Delvina Miremadi-Baldino Life Advantages

As another academic school year approaches, I find myself in a curious state, wondering what lies ahead for the thousands of students returning to college. What about hundreds of other students who made the decision not to come back? How will new freshman manage the anxiety and excitement of the unknown world that awaits them? 

I am sure administrators everywhere have the same curiosity and are working hard to make sure their programs and support systems are prepared to meet the demands of this ever-changing student body.  According to the report College Students Speak: A Survey Report on Mental Health, 64 percent of students who stopped attending college reported that it was due to mental health related reasons, and of those, 50 percent did not access mental health services and supports.  (NAMI, 2012). 

It’s hard to deny the prevalence and severity of student mental health issues, especially with many colleges across the country reporting large increases every year.  And given that student retention is a main priority for every institution, it seems enhancing already existing student support and mental health services is an excellent investment. 

Fortunately, NASPA is aware of these issues and has made a thoughtful effort to develop a program that can help institutions meet the needs of their students.  NASPA’s CU Thrive is an online program built specifically for college students to help them explore, understand, and share their unique college experiences. The CU Thrive website is available to students 24/7 and provides hundreds of articles, Q&A’s, student stories and other resources on ALL topics related to college life.  Students can learn about depression, study skills, buying a car, managing debt, improving their relationships, resolving roommate conflict, and so much more. Whatever the topic, CU Thrive aims to provide a reliable resource that has been both reviewed and approved by NASPA and Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD).

NASPA understands the extraordinary balance institutions have to keep between providing the best support programs for students and working within a limited budget.  CU Thrive was developed to help meet this need by providing a support resource that costs less than a half-time graduate student or hiring a new professional staff member who is working to increase student health and wellness on campus. Also, CU Thrive administrators manage and maintain the site on your behalf, so your IT or marketing teams do not have to take time away from their existing workloads and responsibilities.

You can rest assured that there are no risks of liability with the quality and consistency of the content distributed to your students. The days of students Googling questions and obtaining a variety of unreliable and potentially harmful responses is at an end. CU Thrive provides 24/7 access to expert advice provided by hundreds of experienced faculty, staff and administrators from colleges and universities across the country.CU Thrive even offers up-to-date information on the many social issues federal and state mandates are requiring higher education to provide education on and support for, such as sexual assault/violence, suicide, depression, stalking, harassment, hate speech, LGBTQ issues, and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. 

CU Thrive is unlike any program, because not only was it developed specifically for college students but it was developed by the one organization that knows and understands higher education administration.

Take advantage of the SPECIAL FALL OFFERING and bring CU Thrive to your campus today to instantly enhance your support services, leading to a healthier, happier student body.    

We are looking for partner colleges and universities to build strong reference accounts. The partnership will be mutually beneficial by offering:

  • Significantly discounted incentive pricing
  • Personalized assistance by the CU Thrive Team to help you implement, promote, and roll-out the program
  • Available metrics/analytics/reporting to track campus-specific student needs 

In return for your:

  • Feedback on the benefits of CU Thrive
  • Suggestions for how to improve CU Thrive
  • Proposed suggestions for additional metrics and enhanced reporting

The “special offer” pricing allows you to use CU Thrive:

  • For the first year –only pay for a license based on the size of your incoming freshman class
  • Campus-wide, including sophomores, juniors, seniors and even graduate students

Again CU Thrive is a NASPA program for your students Health and Wellness! Proceeds from licensing CU Thrive help support the mission and goals of NASPA.

For more information about NASPA’s CU Thrive program and the ways it can support your school’s existing student engagement and retention programs, please contact Mike Norris at [email protected]

About the author:
Delvina Miremadi, currently serves as the Director of Research and Program Development at Life Advantages LLC and has over eight years of experience specializing in resilience education and program development. Dr. Miremadi is currently directing and developing innovative resilience programs for colleges and universities, including NASPA’s CU Thrive and most recently, the Realize Your Realize Toolkit and Resilience Assessment specifically for college students. Prior to this, Dr. Miremadi worked for Children’s Hospital of Boston’s Department of Psychiatry, developing innovative prevention tools and curriculum for the Swensrud Depression Prevention Initiative. Dr. Miremadi earned her Ph.D. in Education Leadership at Simmons College, focusing her research on academic resilience in higher education. She received her Ed.M. from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology, where she conducted research at Harvard's Laboratory for Clinical and Developmental Research. Her expertise and passion lie in the creation and implementation of health promotion and prevention programs that address student issues, including mental health, degree attainment and various everyday wellness needs. Dr. Miremadi’s research interests include resilience, particularly in understanding how resilience can be taught through educational approaches to help at-risk students engage in healthy coping and thrive across their lifespan.