OVERVIEW

At the urging of Senior Student Affairs Officers during the 2018-19 academic year and following a presentation to the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents in April 2019, former President Ray Cross established the Student Behavioral Health Initiative and charged three workgroups with developing recommendations to address the growing influence of behavioral health issues on the personal and academic lives of students. Counseling, Health, and other Student Affairs professionals representing all 13 UW universities participated in the workgroups during Summer/Fall 2019 and completed reports summarizing their recommendations in Spring 2020. The overarching goal of the initiative is to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of students, in service to their personal and academic goals.

A comprehensive public health framework composed of the following three intervention levels guide the work of the Initiative:

  • Prevention – Creating healthy campus environments and improving overall well-being for all students
  • Early Intervention – Reaching targeted/vulnerable populations and providing resources to address issues early
  • Treatment & Crisis Response – Providing critical treatment and crisis response services to help those in greatest need