With our AdvancingU Initiative, we look for specific examples of how a specific team or department has demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement to achieve goals, enhance learning, or increase institutional effectiveness. Everyone who is a part of RMU achievement’s contribute to the University’s success and provide the stories that we highlight and give recognition to.
We do not want to miss an opportunity to celebrate the amazing work that is being done here! The University is proud to recognize the successes’ of others! Working together as a team is not only important for University growth, but reinforces that we all share our common vision: to advance the quality, delivery and efficacy of healthcare.
The Student Health & Wellness Committee has made tremendous strides in supporting the health and wellness of our students and equipping our faculty and staff with critical resources and processes to identify the appropriate course of action for students in crisis. The April AdvancingU Initiative, developed by the Student Health and Wellness Committee (Jonathan Baird, Anna Bessey, Melissa Capps, Joseph Colflesh, Dr. Kelly Conway, Dr. Ann Hoffman, Jeanine Farmer, Dr. Erin Faraclas, Ray Rodriguez, Lori Sisk, Nick Starr, and Linda Voss) is recognized for creating a safe haven for students during their stressful times. Lori Sisk, Student Service Manager, assembled the team with the intent of creating a campus environment of general well-being and a climate where students in crisis are triaged to appropriate resources by informed faculty and staff.
Using a three-pronged approach based on the Eight Dimensions of Wellness by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, the Committee structured a multi-tiered system of support. A University Webspace Repository created on Canvas contains information on local and national mental health resources that address common stressors such as anxiety balance and time management. A roster of monthly Student Health & Wellness Forums was organized and student participation has been noteworthy. The forums are presented in the evenings and remote students can connect via videoconferencing. Topics presented over the last three months include a Growth Mindset (Jonathan Baird), Financial Wellness (Alex Jackson), and Mindfulness (Steve Wilkinson). Finally, Dr. Linda Spencer brought forward the “Red Folder” Initiative, built on the national initiative started in 2012 by the University of California. Information is consolidated in customized folders that identify common signs of student distress that direct faculty and staff through campus protocol to clarify whom they should contact in the event of an emergency. The folders also provide tips for how to approach a student who may be in distress and connects that student with the appropriate resource. In addition, the Admission Office provides the text Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Dweck, 2007) to all incoming students in their acceptance package to prepare students for graduate and post-graduate study.
We thank this student-centered AdvancingU team for connecting those in need to critical preventive and interventional resources and fostering the capacity for evidence-based triage decision-making within our RMUoHP community.
