The Jed Foundation Announces Inaugural Colleges and Universities Awarded JedCampus Seal

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jed Foundation, a leading nonprofit working to protect the emotional health of teenagers and colleges students, today announced the inaugural colleges and universities awarded the JedCampus Seal. The Seal recognizes schools that exhibit comprehensive mental health promotion and suicide prevention programming on campus. The Seal—valid for two years— is part of the Foundation's JedCampus program, the first nationwide program to facilitate a school's ability to assess and enhance their mental health support system from a campus-wide perspective.

The schools that have received the JedCampus Seal are:

• Alfred University (Alfred, New York)
• Barnard College (New York, New York)
• Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Brandeis University (Waltham, Massachusetts)
• Columbia University (New York, New York)
• Cornell University (Ithaca, New York)
• Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Fordham University (Bronx, New York)
• Georgetown University (Washington, DC)
• Luther College (Decorah, Iowa)
• Marymount Manhattan College (New York, New York)
• Monmouth University (West Long Branch, New Jersey)
• New York University (New York, New York)
• The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio)
• Pace University (New York, New York)
• Pennsylvania State University, Altoona (Altoona, Pennsylvania)
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
• Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, New Jersey)
• Texas State University (San Marcos, Texas)
• Three Rivers Community College (Norwich, Connecticut)
• Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• University at Albany, State University of New York (Albany, New York)
• University of Kentucky (Lexington, Kentucky)
• University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
• University of the Sciences (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• University of West Georgia (Carrollton, Georgia)
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, Massachusetts)
• Yeshiva University (New York, New York)
• Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut)

"We are thrilled to be able to announce the first schools in the nation to receive the JedCampus Seal. These schools have shown they employ a comprehensive, community-based approach to mental health care which will result in the identification of and care for more at-risk students," said John MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation. "We believe that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health promotion will lead to safer, healthier campuses, and possibly greater student retention."

Emotional health and mental illness are of particular concern in the college-age population. The American College Health Association reports that among the top ten impediments to student success are: stress, sleep difficulty, concern for a friend or family member, anxiety/depression, and alcohol abuse. These are problems that can be addressed with high-quality mental health programming.

"The Jed Foundation wants to celebrate those schools that are working hard to support their student body—academically and emotionally—during a very critical time in their lives," said Phil Satow, Co-Founder of The Jed Foundation and Board Chair. "We know mental health care is essential to ensuring the success of our nation's young adults and wanted to publicly recognize those institutions showing a campus-wide commitment to emotional health."

Participating schools took a voluntary, online self-assessment reviewing their campus mental health and suicide prevention programming. Upon receipt of the self-assessment survey, The Jed Foundation compared the school's responses to the recommended practices outlined in The Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses developed by The Jed Foundation and Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Each participating school received confidential, detailed feedback designed to help the school enhance its current programming and resources.

The Jed Foundation only publicly recognizes those schools awarded the Seal. Names, survey responses and feedback reports of those schools that do not receive a Seal are confidential. If the self-assessment survey revealed gaps in programming, colleges and universities were invited to work closely with The Jed Foundation to address them. Those schools can reapply for the JedCampus Seal after one year.

Leading higher education and mental health professional organizations including the American College Counseling Association, American College Health Association, and the National Council for Behavioral Healthcare, among others, have provided statements of support for the JedCampus initiative.

For more information on JedCampus, visit www.jedcampus.org.

About The Jed Foundation

The Jed Foundation (www.jedfoundation.org) is a leading nonprofit working to protect the emotional health of teenagers and colleges students. Our programs are inspiring a new national dialogue on mental health, encouraging millions of young people to speak up and take action, and changing the way academic institutions create healthier campus communities and prevent substance abuse and self-harm.  These programs include:  JedCampus, a groundbreaking self-assessment and feedback program that helps colleges create more comprehensive solutions to support their students; ULifeline, an online resource that helps students understand and address mental health conditions like depression and anxiety disorders; the Half of Us campaign, with MTV, which uses online and on-air programming to share stories and encourage help-seeking; the Love is Louder movement that helps individuals, communities and schools build resiliency, create connectedness and promote acceptance; Transition Year, an online resource for parents aimed at helping to ensure a smooth, healthy transition into college life; and a portfolio of resources that helps campuses promote emotional health and protect at-risk students. Learn more at www.jedfoundation.org.   

Media Contact:
Elaine Andrecovich
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SOURCE The Jed Foundation