Dartmouth marked a milestone in promoting mental health with a public discussion on Oct. 22, reviewing progress in recent years and looking ahead to the next chapter.
The brought students, staff, and faculty to Collis Common Ground for updates and discussions by campus leaders and partners, as Dartmouth wraps up a four-year partnership with the JED Foundation—a nonprofit that works with colleges and universities to improve their mental health systems.
In her opening remarks, said mental health and well-being is fundamental to Dartmouth’s mission.
“Our students can’t have difficult conversations with people they disagree with if they don’t feel OK themselves,” President Beilock said. “If they’re not OK themselves, it’s harder to be responsible for our planet, for innovation and impact.”
Beilock, who ranks mental health first in importance among Dartmouth’s five strategic priorities, said health and wellness does not sit alongside academic excellence, but is “an imperative and important stepping stone to it.”
“I know we still have more work to do, but it’s incredible to see the progress,” she said.
Held during the leadup to A Global Turning Point: Why Youth Well-Being Is in Crisis—and What We Must Do ý It, a three-day symposium being co-hosted by Dartmouth and the United Nations Development Programme through Oct. 28, the gathering also marked the second anniversary of , Dartmouth’s five-year strategic plan for student mental health and well-being. To date, Dartmouth has addressed 63 of the plan’s 73 , many of which require ongoing maintenance.
A ‘model institution’
Throughout the day, students, staff, and faculty panelists from across the schools discussed the challenges and effective strategies they have discovered in their work to further mental health and well-being on campus. An afternoon panel explored the next steps, including how Dartmouth can prepare for the evolution of AI in students’ social lives and mental health.
, chief health and wellness officer, highlighted Evergreen, a chatbot-powered app being developed by a team of students working directly with Dartmouth faculty.
Apps such as Evergreen and Therabot are “not meant to replace counseling,” Garcia said. “These are all options in the portfolio or toolbox of wellness activities that students could choose to use.”
, director of the , and Samantha Pehl ’27 gave the keynote speech, “Returning and Recommitting: Reflections from the Native American Program,” in which they spoke about the collective and ongoing responsibility to Dartmouth’s founding charter and the power of engaging holistic care for the whole Dartmouth community.
And JED representatives shared an assessment of Dartmouth’s efforts since 2021, which span the continuum from prevention to crisis management.
Dartmouth’s JED Foundation adviser Kapi’olani Laronal, who directed the Native American Program from 2012 to 2014, called Dartmouth “a model institution” for the gains it has made.
Among the findings from the Healthy Minds Study surveys, administered through the JED Foundation in 2021 and 2024, are that:
- Student respondents across all schools at Dartmouth who were at risk for moderate to severe depression decreased from 33% in 2021 to 24% in 2024.
- Students at risk for moderate to severe anxiety decreased from 27% in 2021 to 23% in 2024.
- Students agreeing that Dartmouth prioritizes student mental health increased from 47% in 2021 to 73% in 2024.
- 93% of undergraduate survey respondents agree they know where to get professional help for their mental or emotional health, up 10 percentage points since 2021.
Other improvements include increased access to therapy services, including virtual offerings through mental health provider Uwill, and the partnership with Therapists of Color New England; the inclusion of mental health representatives on school body governments; and work by faculty to embrace best-practice pedagogies through the and .
Laronal also lauded Dartmouth’s peer-to-peer support networks, for employees and students, and recent structural changes, such as the creation of revamped policy on time away for medical reasons, and the Student Wellness Center’s new, more central location, in Baker-Berry Library.
The Student Wellness Center’s move has been coupled with increased programming, such as the expansion of the for undergraduates and increased access to , including for graduate and professional students.
JED officials also said the hiring of , senior vice president for community and campus life and chief student affairs officer, was an important step forward.
“It’s apparent that your work is making an impact,” Laronal said. And, like other speakers during the day, she spotlighted Dartmouth students’ exceptional level of engagement and commitment, and their role in propelling mental health initiatives forward.
“They have tremendous programs that they’re working on to push the needle forward on mental health,” Laronal said.
Laronal also noted remaining challenges, such as alcohol misuse by some students and those who feel the campus environment has a negative effect on their well-being.
“This touches on the campus culture and even on the pressure to perform, imposter syndrome, all the things that are unique not only to Dartmouth, but other high-performing institutions as well,” Laronal said.
Culture is “so deep-rooted” that it is difficult to change, said Laura Erickson-Schroth, MED ’09, chief medical officer at the JED Foundation.
Systemic changes can be helpful, Erickson-Schroth said, as can creating new campus traditions to replace those that no longer support Dartmouth’s goals and values.
The Commitment to Care plan was developed from the findings of the and with input from many campus and community partners, including at least 200 students, staff, and faculty. Results from the 2024 Healthy Minds Survey will be available on the Commitment to Care website this fall.
Student input
Ashleigh Mazivisa, Tuck ’26, and other student panelists shared their current work during a session on transformational leadership for student mental health.
Mazivisa leads the Crafted Zero Initiative, which promotes mindful drinking on campus and dialogue around respecting others’ boundaries related to alcohol consumption.
It makes a social experience uncomfortable for nondrinkers “when you keep asking them why they made this choice,” said Mazivisa, who is working with beverage companies to provide flavorful nonalcoholic beverages for campus events at no cost.
The student panelists also explored how to strike a balance between being a mental health advocate and taking care of yourself.
Panel moderator , a Presidential Fellow who works on community engagement and strategic initiatives, recalled that it took time for her to feel comfortable sharing her feelings as an undergraduate.
“I used to have a bad habit of just keeping everything inside because I was nervous about how my professor would look at me, or that staff member I was interacting with would look at me,” said Ortiz, who served as student government vice president. It’s quite powerful to “be able to express your feelings but also carry on with your life and the rigor of your education.”
Participants also discussed the transition from a focus on individual to community responsibility for mental health.
Resilience can be a code word used to unfairly suggest that young people are “not really made for the modern world and they need to toughen up,” said , assistant professor of psychiatry at Geisel School of Medicine who moderated a session on transformational leadership for student mental health for faculty and staff.
“The people who have the keys to access helpful resources need to use their influence, use their resources to lower barriers,” said Duncan, who served as a special adviser to the provost during the development of Commitment to Care. “That’s what resilience is. Resilience is a societal concept as much or more than an individual concept.”
Looking ahead
Organizer , director of strategic student initiatives, said that in the upcoming year, she and her colleagues would continue to prioritize health and wellness communications and focus on supporting students and employees in other areas, including around loss and grief.
Other priorities will include building healthy communities through positive actions in connection to the arts and nature, , and substance misuse and hazing prevention.
Once the findings from the 2024 Healthy Mind study are released, they plan to focus on the Commitment to Care’s longer term evaluation metrics and how to work with staff, faculty, and students to know “are we continuing to move the needle?” when the five-year strategic plan comes to an end, Lenhoff said. “I certainly hope that with all of you here today, and so many more who are not here in the room but will be part of our solutions, that we can achieve that change.”
