New funding for SUNY campuses is expected to expand student mental health services.
Nearly $10 million in annual state funding will be used to enhance mental health services and supports for students on SUNY campuses. New York University President John King made the announcement during a visit to the State University of New York Oswego campus. King said the investment will allow him to address two important challenges.
“This is a serious issue,” King said. “There are both recruitment challenges and retention challenges.”
The primary focus of the investment will be hiring, retaining or extending contracts for campus mental health staff and expanding telehealth options. At the State University of New York at Oswego, investments include hiring more staff to support students from marginalized backgrounds and extending counselor contracts to provide services over the summer. Professor King said NYU Oswego is a model for counseling services on other campuses.
“What SUNY Oswego has done over the years is expand mental health support and build a culture where students, faculty, and staff understand that mental health is healthy and there is no shame in asking for help. Professor King said.
Dr. King said the efforts needed to improve mental health services must be a collective effort. He said the work being done at SUNY Oswego’s Mary Walker Health Center exemplifies that.
“Ultimately, mental health has to be a campus-wide effort,” Professor King said. “Thus, targeted investments in counselors and telemental health are critical. However, the efforts of those at the Mary Walker Center to support faculty, staff, and residence life teams to create a healthy environment for students are critical.” The same is true.”
King said this investment would not have been possible without the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature. This investment will expand services across 28 campuses and support more than 200,000 students.
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