CHAPEL HILL, NC – The UNC System Office announces that it has awarded $188,901 to nine institutions through the Behavioral Health Initiatives Grant. Established to strengthen existing behavioral health resources and/or to implement new initiatives designed to innovatively serve the behavioral health needs of UNC System students, the grant will further nurture student well-being through effective programming which is found to increase retention rates and improve academic performance. This approach is supported by the findings from the 2018 Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) survey where 65.8 percent of students affirmed that utilizing counseling services had a positive impact on their academic performance.
“Study after study shows that supporting student well-being can be the difference between academic success and failure. Building safe and supportive learning environments for our students is more critical than ever in these unsettling times,” said UNC System Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer Kimberly van Noort. “The programs that these grants support will play an important role creating brighter futures for students across North Carolina and from all walks of life.”
Critical for student success, behavioral health and well-being are also essential to fostering institutional success. Addressing the shifting landscape of behavioral health needs in public higher education is a significant benefit to our University community as a whole.
The 2020 Behavioral Health Initiatives Grant Recipients are:
- East Carolina University
- Elizabeth City State University
- Fayetteville State University
- North Carolina Central University
- UNC-Chapel Hill
- UNC Greensboro
- UNC Pembroke
- UNC School of the Arts
- Winston-Salem State University