During the 2022-23 academic year, the Institutional Task Force on Student, Faculty, and Staff Mental Health and Well-being (MHTF) conducted a review and assessment of Miami's approach, resources, and culture in order to improve the way that we support student and employee mental health and well-being. They identified strengths such as a broad range of resources and services but noted areas for improvement, including better communication, equitable resource allocation, and addressing cultural challenges. The task force proposed 56 recommendations in four categories: systems, communication, education, and culture to create a holistic wellness environment at Miami University.
During the 2022/2023 academic year, the Institutional Task Force on Student, Faculty, and Staff Mental Health and Well-being (MHTF) was charged to assess Miami’s current services and culture around mental health and emotional well-being and to make recommendations for improvement.
Based on the work of three workgroups (students, faculty/staff, and community), campus listening sessions, literature on mental health and well-being, local and national survey data, and a review of best practices, recommendations were developed in four major areas: systems, communication, education, and culture. To support this vision, 56 recommendations were outlined across four categories. Read the full report.
Starting with the creation of a standing committee on mental health and well-being, we recommend foundational systems, organizations, and policies that will keep the mental health and well-being of our community a visible priority over time. This category also includes specific actions by offices at Miami to support an individual’s mental health and well-being.
These recommendations are focused on enhancing Miami’s communication efforts pertaining to mental health and emotional well-being to ensure accurate information is readily and easily available.
We offer recommendations related to both programming and training for students, faculty and staff. This includes programming to benefit faculty and staff themselves, as well as training that would benefit the students they work with.
Although culture can be the most difficult and slowest area to impact, it is essential to strive for cultural change to positively impact the mental health and emotional well-being of our campus. Culture change requires the buy-in and commitment from the individuals who make up our Miami community. It is also the area with the fewest measurable, actionable recommendations, but instead primarily poses topics for discussion and exploration over time.
