This program explores how wellness initiatives can transform concerns about college student mental health into opportunities for student development and growth. A model for wellness coaching is shared as one approach that broadens the current spectrum of student support from traditional medical services to capacity building ventures that promote mental health and well-being for all students.  

What are collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) and why are they so important? Answers to these questions are provided along with experiences and lessons learned from the University of Connecticut’s UConn Recovery Community (URC) to help you explore the feasibility and practicality of implementing and further developing a CRP on your campus.

Higher education, an institution founded on inequity, has long harbored institutional racism making it difficult for Black male administrators to achieve equitable outcomes with their White peers. This program highlights results from a dissertation study investigating how Black male administrators navigate racism in higher education. Results from this dissertation study are used to inform a new theory and concepts about navigating racism in higher education.

To create attitudinal and behavioral change, we need to find ways of having meaningful, honest, and critical conversations about the harm we observe and – often unconsciously and unintentionally – engage in. In this framework, this program moves the conversation beyond traditional bystander intervention programs and teaches participants simple skills to address harmful behavior they witness, but also open themselves up to feedback when they have caused harm to others. Questions such as, “What can I say when I observe a classmate, a friend, or a family member engaging in harmful language, behavior, or attitudes?” and, “What does an appropriate reaction look like when I get negative feedback about something that I have said or done?" will be addressed. This program aims to build skills of participants to express emotions and needs, to identify the differences between reactionary and responsive feedback that translate to more successful listening.

Annually, 40% of low income students accepted to college never enroll. Additionally, 64% of those who leave college do so for mental health reasons. When affordability is of upmost importance and diagnosis in college is on the rise, mental health professionals must understand implications for financial aid. This program focuses on how Purdue Promise, a scholarship program for low-income students from Indiana, collaborates with mental health professionals to support students in keeping their scholarships and persisting towards graduation.

This program describes how professionals in student affairs and institutional research can utilize the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) for data-driven decision making. Using a 5-point systematic assessment model, the presenters provide an example of a retention strategy that resulted in improved practice and increased student satisfaction at Emmanuel College in Boston.

Whether you are embarking on your first professional position or considering advancing your career, navigating the job search process can be filled with moments of excitement and trepidation. This program provides helpful strategies for participants to consider as they take the next steps in their professional journey and seek employment in student affairs. Learn the skills to transform your job search and become employers' top candidate!

Mid-level administrators often believe they have the hardest jobs within their organization. They are pulled in multiple directions by multiple people with multiple agendas and multiple deadlines. And yet, they do not have as many professional development opportunities designed for their specific needs as entry level professionals and senior-level leaders do. In this program, presenters explore the knowledge, skills, and abilities of successful mid-level administration as well as share advice on ways to chart your own success as a mid-level administrator in student affairs.

Presenters in this program address Black collegiate mental wellness through innovative approaches. Attendees will learn to acknowledge pervasive stigmatization and reasons behind non-help seeking behaviors of Black students; discuss effective and innovative practices that expand access to mental wellness resources for Black students; identify institutional strengths, weaknesses, and gaps surrounding Black student engagement with mental wellness resources; and formulate steps to improve cross-campus collaborations surrounding access to mental wellness resources for Black students.

Looking for ways to improve your division’s assessment work? In this program, student affairs leaders in residential education join analytics and research staff from Skyfactor to explore tangible ideas and resources to employ within your organization.