Five Colleges and Universities Named Best-in-Class for Health and Wellbeing

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Five colleges and universities have received the Healthy Campus Award from Active Minds, the nation's leading nonprofit for mental health awareness and education for young adults. This prestigious award, now in its sixth year, recognizes schools that provide access to quality healthcare and champions institutions that not only serve students' physical health but give equal priority and investment to mental health.

The 2022 Healthy Campus Awardees are: Auburn University, Barstow Community College, Stevens Institute of Technology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg campus, and Virginia Tech. The awardees demonstrate how institutions of all sizes and types can create healthy communities that allow every student the opportunity to thrive and succeed. 

"College students have always faced unique challenges to their mental health and the ongoing pandemic has only made existing problems more prevalent. Colleges and universities continue to be crucial partners in improving the health, resilience, and the well-being of young adults," said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds. "This year's awardees are models for prioritizing a culture on campus that promotes and protects the physical and mental health of its students."

Recipients of the 2022 award are integrating innovative solutions into the fabric of their campuses that serve students' physical health and give equal priority and investment to mental health. These campuses found ways to pivot to address student needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, proactively address systems of oppression, integrate health and well-being in strategic planning, and use data to ensure that students are getting the care they need.

Active Minds has also updated its Healthy Campus Framework and Recommendations to guide institutions of all types on best practices for prioritizing health, both physical and mental, on their campuses and in their communities. Recommendations include:

• Prioritize a collective strategic approach
• Define health broadly and pursue it comprehensively
• Commit to sustainable systems changes and policy-oriented long-term solutions
• Cultivate a deep commitment to equal opportunities for health
• Champion student voices
• Proactively address systemic injustices
• Provide quality and responsive accessible clinical services
• Secure and make the most of available resources
• Address emerging issues or opportunities in the field of student wellness in innovative and unique ways
• Measure results and share progress to continuously motivate, guide, and focus action

Each Healthy Campus Award application goes through an extensive process and multiple layers of endorsements. Applicants are assessed across ten criteria, with winners chosen by a panel of prominent researchers and experts in health and higher education.

The Healthy Campus Award is made possible through the generous support of Peg's Foundation. For more information about Active Minds, the Healthy Campus Awards, and the best-in-class programs of the award-winning colleges, please visit activeminds.org/award.

About Active Minds: Active Minds is the nation's leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults. Active Minds has a presence at more than 1,000 campuses, schools, communities, and workplaces nationwide, and is powered by a robust Chapter Network, the nationally acclaimed Send Silence Packing^® exhibit, inspiring Active Minds Speakers, and our tailored Active Minds @Work initiative. The organization is dedicated to ending the silence and changing the culture around mental health for everyone. To learn more, visit www.activeminds.org.

Contact: Amanda Horn, Active Minds
[email protected], 202-332-9595 X103  

SOURCE Active Minds