Well-Being Collective
Seeing urgent and critical mental health needs for students nationwide, Nazareth University has expanded its commitment to support students’ mental health and wellness and to enhance suicide prevention.
- Nazareth pursued and secured a $300,000, three-year federal grant for this campus-wide Mental Health Awareness Across Campus (MHAAC) project, launched in fall 2023, one of only 22 colleges and universities nationwide to be awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- Nazareth is in a 4-year collaboration with the nationally recognized Jed Foundation for strategic planning expertise to build on existing strengths and improve mental health and connections all across the campus community, for healthier, safer students.
"Student-centricity is at the core of what we do at Nazareth, and we have worked to create interdisciplinary teams and initiatives to prioritize and promote student wellness, mental health, and safety."
— Kim Harvey, Associate VP for Student and Campus Life and Dean of Students
A comprehensive approach
This transformative initiative is designed to provide the training and support campus-wide so that students have the tools and support needed to improve their well-being.
The expanded training empowers hundreds of people on campus to recognize, respond to, and refer students struggling with substance abuse, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. The enhanced support includes embedding health in University policies, fostering supportive environments, generating thriving communities, supporting personal growth, and optimizing campus services.
Nazareth's commitment
318 students + 130 faculty, staff, coaches
receiving mental health, alcohol, and other drugs training. And staff are becoming trainers.
>2,000 people
being reached via outreach + preventative services
Students, support is here for you
Nazareth University’s resources and support enable you to build resilience and thrive on campus and beyond.
Positive mental health requires ongoing commitment and work. The following areas build upon each other so you can create a foundation for resilience, demonstrate self-awareness, and seek out the appropriate resources.
Nazareth University Continuum of Care Model
1Practice self-care
- You.Naz.Edu helps you build your personalized wellness and success toolbox
- Physical activity — Golisano Training Center and other facilities, Peleton bikes, pool, fitness classes (yoga, etc.) and recreation
- Personal training
- Weekly Walking Club
- Bikes@Naz
- Meditation spaces (chapel, labyrinth, Sulam Center, Campus Zendo)
- Relaxation spaces (Millie’s, fountain, relaxation room at Health and Counseling, hammocks available, Golisano Academic Center 151 Community Room, Sensory room in Golisano Training Center, Commuter Lounge in Shults, Alice Foley Lounge in Shults, Colie’s in George Hall)
- Residence hall floor community-building events with RAs
- Diversity Council
- Student clubs and organizations
- Language houses (French, Italian, Spanish)
- Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (contact Traci Lian)
- Atlas Center
2Build your community
- Meaningful Mondays
- Intramurals (e.g., pickleball tournament)
- Center for Spirituality faith groups: Hillel; Muslim Student Association (MSA); Catholic Community; Naz Christian Fellowship; Mindfulness and Meditation; Zen Meditation
- Residence hall floor community-building events with RAs
- Diversity Council
- Student clubs and organizations
- Language houses
- Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
- Atlas Center
3Develop your skills
- Anxiety Toolbox and other groups
- Emotional Wellness Workshops
- Mental Health First Aid
- Center for Spirituality Retreats (first/second-year students, seniors, fall, Shannon retreats)
- Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) training
- Talk Saves Lives training
- Safe Zone training
- Student Leadership Symposium
- Step Up Bystander training
- Narcan training
- CPR/AED training
4Talk about your concerns
- Residential Life
- Peer Mentors
- Student-athlete Mentors
- Peer Educators
- Faculty/staff/advisor
- Group counseling
- Flyer Connect alumni mentors
- Best Buddies
- LifePrep@Naz mentors
5Use campus resources
- NazCares
- Center for Spirituality
- Alcohol and Other Drugs Coordinator
- Health & Counseling
- Campus Safety
- Title IX
- Residential Life
- NBRET
- Swipe Out Hunger (NazDining)
- Oak Tree Food Pantry
6Accept assistance & support
- Behavioral Intervention Team
- Dean of Students office
7Seek immediate help
- Call Campus Safety, 585-389-2850
- Call 911 (off campus)
- Mobile Crisis, 585-529-3721
- University of Rochester Medical Center Crisis Line, 585-275-8686
You're not alone
"Emotional well-being is important," said Nazareth student Abby Nash '25, a biology major. "It's nice to have counselors and mental health groups on campus that make you feel like you're not alone, and someone to support you every step of the way."
Provide support
Students, join an advisory committee
on mental health, being formed
Faculty, staff, and students
Look for opportunities to sign up for training. Recognize signs of concern and reach out to NazCares.
Nazareth's goals
Create supportive campus environments.
Enhance the campus environment as a living laboratory, identifying opportunities to study and support health and well-being, as well as sustainability and resilience in the built, natural, social, economic, cultural, academic, organizational and learning environments.
Generate thriving communities and a culture of well-being.
Be proactive and intentional in creating empowered, connected, and resilient campus communities that foster an ethic of care, compassion, collaboration, and community action.
Support personal development.
Develop and create opportunities to build student, staff, and faculty resilience, competence, personal capacity, and life-enhancing skills – and so support them to thrive and achieve their full potential and become engaged local and global citizens while respecting the environment.
Create or re-orient campus services.
Coordinate and design campus services to support equitable access, enhance health and well-being, optimize human and ecosystem potential, and promote a supportive organizational culture.
Embed health in all campus policies.
Review, create, and coordinate campus policies and practices with attention to health, well-being, and sustainability so that all planning and decision-making takes account of and supports the flourishing of people, campuses, communities, and our planet.
Nazareth’s goals align with the Okanagan (OH-kə-NAH-gən) Charter: An International Charter for Health-Promoting University and Colleges
WXXI video: Leading a mental health movement among Naz student-athletes
Meet the game-changers
WXXI reports: Nazareth University student-athletes are part of a grassroots effort to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the high school and collegiate student-athlete communities.
Read or listen to the story: Meet the game-changers leading a mental health movement among student-athletes
Prez Paul Podcast
This podcast episode explores how mental health is a top priority at Nazareth, and a federal grant brings new opportunities to give faculty and staff the tools needed to support and help students. Listen: Mental Health Across Campus
JED Campus is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation designed to help colleges and universities enhance emotional well-being and mental health promotion efforts, reduce substance abuse, and prevent suicide among students.
Grant support
Nazareth’s grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is for comprehensive public health and evidence-based approaches that enhance mental health services for college students, promote help-seeking behavior, and reduce harm so students can successfully complete their studies.