Miami’s mental health task force to present recommendations
Zoom presentations are Sept. 19 for students and Sept. 21 for faculty and staff
The Miami University community will soon have an opportunity to hear the results of the Institutional Task Force on Student, Faculty, and Staff Mental Health and Well-being (MHTF).
A pair of Zoom presentations are scheduled from the task force and registration is required: the first on Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. for students and the second on Sept. 21 at 4 p.m. for faculty and staff. Speakers include task force co-chairs Jayne Brownell and Brooke Flinders, as well as Steve Large, who will serve as chair of a mental health committee going forward.
Brownell is Miami’s senior vice president for Student Life, and Flinders serves as regional associate dean of Academic Affairs. Large is assistant vice president of health and wellness for Student Life.
The trio will talk about the task force, its process, and the 56 recommendations in the MHTF’s report. Recommendations are in four categories: systems, communication, education, and culture. Each Zoom presentation is expected to last about an hour.
Consisting of faculty, staff, and students from the Oxford and regional campuses, the 66-member task force conducted 27 listening sessions and looked at Miami assessment data and benchmarks across other universities.
After concluding its report in May, the task force presented to the board of trustees the following month.
“There has been an increased interest in student mental health over the past few years while also recognizing that the mental health and wellness of faculty and staff are equally important,” Brownell said.
“The task force spent nine months digging into this topic and looking at what Miami is doing well that we can build upon and also the areas where we can improve. We are excited that there is an enthusiasm to improve the culture of well-being for all of Miami.”
