Arcadia will assess and enhance mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention efforts in partnership with The Jed Foundation (JED)

Arcadia University announced that it has joined JED Campus in support of student well-being and mental health. The program is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation (JED) designed to help schools evaluate and strengthen mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems to ensure that students have the strongest possible mental health safety nets. 

By joining JED Campus, Arcadia demonstrates a commitment to the emotional well-being of its students.

“Responsibility is one of our Lived Values at Arcadia, and it is our responsibility to equip all students with the resources and tools needed to nurture their physical and emotional selves,” said Dian Taylor-Alleyne, associate dean of students at Arcadia University. “Partnering with The Jed Foundation enables us to support our Knights even further in identifying obstacles that may be holding them back from success and finding creative solutions to achieve overall well-being.”

JED Campuses embark on a multi-year strategic collaboration that not only assesses and enhances the work that is already being done but also helps create positive, lasting, systemic change in the campus community. The program provides schools with a framework for supporting student mental health, as well as assessment tools, feedback reports, a strategic plan, and ongoing support from the JED Higher Education team. 

“I am excited to collaborate on systemic capacity building in support of the social, emotional wellness and resiliency of all students on Arcadia’s campus,” said Dr. Kimberly Dean, the 2022-2025 Rosemary and Walter Blankley Endowed Chair in Education, associate professor of Education, and director of Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity in Special Education at Arcadia University. “My hope is to use resources from the Blankley Endowed Chair to research preventative and curricular approaches used to effectively address social emotional learning (SEL) at other institutions, assess the various ‘touch-points’ where Arcadia students have access to resilience and social connection programming and curricula, and pilot promising practices for optimizing social connection as a tool for prevention and intervention for our community members who are struggling. And we are all struggling.”

Arcadia’s membership in JED Campus begins with establishing an interdisciplinary, campus-wide team to assess, support, and implement program, policy, and system improvements and completing a confidential, self-assessment survey on its mental health promotion, substance use, and suicide prevention efforts. Upon completion of the assessment, JED subject matter experts provide schools with a comprehensive feedback report identifying successes and opportunities for enhancements. Over the course of four years, Arcadia will collaborate with JED to help implement enhancements. All self-assessment responses and feedback reports are confidential.