Centre launches Healthy Minds Study in partnership with JED Foundation
Earlier this year, Centre College announced a partnership with The JED Foundation to add to its student counseling options, establishing the College as the first JED Campus in Kentucky. As part of this partnership, the College recently launched the Healthy Minds Study (HMS), which is a student survey focusing on mental health. The study will run through Nov. 5.
“This partnership is a unique opportunity for Centre to increase understanding of what we are doing well to support student wellness, and where we need to do more to support students,” said Director of Centre Counseling Ann Goodwin.
According to Goodwin, the HMS is the Healthy Minds Network’s annual web-based survey study examining mental health, service utilization and related issues among undergraduate and graduate students. Since the national launch in 2007, HMS has been fielded at about 400 colleges and universities, with over 550,000 survey respondents.
“I hope all students will fill it out,” said Goodwin. “Ultimately this study will help Centre in developing mental health-specific strategic planning and everyone who completes it will make an important contribution to our community.”
The HMS is part of the Baseline Assessment for the partnership between Centre and JED. The College applied to become a JED Campus last year, after receiving grant funding from the Freed Foundation.
Centre’s JED Campus Leadership Team is working on collecting information needed for the Baseline Assessment. The team includes H. W. Stodghill, Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Mathematics Alex McAllister, who serves as co-chair along with Goodwin; H. W. Stodghill, Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Religion Rick Axtell; Director of Public Safety Gary Bugg; Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programming Jessica Chisley; Assistant Professor of Psychology Mary Gulley; Director of Student Health Kathy Jones; Associate Professor of English Azita Osanloo; and Director of Residence Life Kevin Reese.
“The JED Foundation is a national expert on mental health on college campuses,” Goodwin added. “This partnership is a unique opportunity for Centre to increase understanding of what we are doing well to support student wellness and where we need to do more to support students. This spring, JED Campus experts will visit campus to hear from our students, as well as student health and counseling staff.
“Based on the information they have already gathered through the work we are doing now, including the HMS, they will give us feedback and support to think critically about how we can do more to support students’ wellness,” she continued. “As national experts, they bring their own knowledge but also best practices and resources from across the country.”
