HEALTHY. ENGAGED. SUCCESSFUL.
Healthy.
1 in 5 students completed the 2018 Healthy Minds Study which compares data at 300 colleges nationwide.
Here's What We Found...
- UVM students access mental health services at higher rates than the national average
- Students perceive less stigma around help-seeking behavior and are more knowledgeable about where to seek professional support
- Overall mental health of UVM students and self-reported rates of depression are consistent with national data
- Self-reported rates of anxiety are below the national average
Key Strategies:
Next, we plan to begin to compare data on specific subsets of the student population, for example:
- Sex and gender identity
- Racial background
- On- or off-campus residence
- LGBTQ+
- Financial stress
- Connections between student mental health and substance misuse
Key Partner:
Counseling and Psychiatry Services (CAPS) has changed their service delivery model to reduce wait times overall and increase access to care
- Care Manager supports students seeking care outside of the university
- Telephone-based triage system decreases the time between a student’s initial outreach and when they are able to speak with a counselor
- Expanded drop-in programming includes daily, topic-specific workshops and general drop-in counseling
- 400 staff, faculty and students have been trained on Mental Health First Aid
Cannabis: A Barrier to Student Success
Our College Health Improvement Project Committee is evaluating key indicators for the future, especially as students across the nation self-report higher use of cannabis.
Key Strategies:
- College Health Improvement Project Work Group monitors monthly data to steer population-based intervention strategies
- This work focuses on reducing high-risk use, curbing perception of use and educating students, faculty and staff about the potential physical and mental health harms.
ENGAGED.
In Fall 2019, 100% of first-year students living on campus moved into a Learning Community.
More on Learning Communities...
How’d We Do It?
By moving up the learning community placement process, first-year students began to connect with each other and with their learning community team as early as June Orientation.
This year, 92% of students indicated they were satisfied with their residential experience at the six-week mark as compared to 85% last year.
Increasing Our Capacity to Respond to Students of Concern
Using a non-clinical case management approach, we have increased the number of staff members dedicated to initial outreach and support for students of concern.
Successful.
Data indicators from the “First Six Weeks” first-time, first-year (FTFY) survey inform our first-to-second year retention initiatives.
Data Indicators Include...
- Satisfaction with residential experience
- Involvement outside of the classroom
- Overall sense of belonging on campus
Based on results from the 2018 survey (28% response rate, n=711), we have learned that first year students who are more satisfied and feel that they belong are more likely to be retained!
Student Involvement
- 30% of respondents were involved in campus or community service organizations
- 28% in intramural athletics
- 22% in academic organizations
- 20% in environmental organizations
- 87% of respondents indicated the opening weekend activities taught them how to get involved in campus events and student organizations.
How'd We Do It?
Collaborative initiatives led by First Year Experience, Learning Communities, New Student Orientation Programs, communications and melt mitigation contribute to positive outcomes for first year students!
Meeting the Growing Demand for Student Accessibility Services
Requests for student accommodations are at an unprecedented high.
UVM data mirror national trends, and we anticipate continued, significant growth. Overall, in 2019, the number of students receiving accommodations by Student Accessibility Services totaled 1,659 up from 555 in 2009.
Key Strategies:
Staff in Student Accessibility Services within the Center for Academic Success have adapted by changing business practices (e.g. expanded hours, focus on drop-in consultations, and on-line services) and will continue to do so, but anticipate the need for additional resources to address students’ needs (and compliance requirements). Anticipated needs include:
- Increasing staff dedicated to Student Accessibility Services
- Increasing exam proctoring space
- Educating UVM staff and faculty (including a faculty advisory committee)
Our Land Grant Mission In Action
$250,000 Grant Awarded to UVM Dining
The University of Vermont was awarded the 2019 Henry P. Kendall Foundation Food Vision Prize of $250,000 to solve enduring challenges in local farm to institution systems. This prize will increase the availability of lightly processed, local produce to universities and hospitals. Over the next two years, the grant will support increasing the produce processing capacity of the Vermont Food Venture Center and the Pioneer Valley Growers Association. Together, UVM, UVM Dining, Norwich University and Norwich Dining will partner with UVM Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock as anchor institutional buyers of the local, processed produce.