Recent research from the University of Iowa found overwhelmingly that staff and faculty from Iowa community colleges feel responsible for supporting their students’ mental health and wellness through modeling behaviors and referring them to campus resources. However, even fewer employees were confident in their ability to do so. 

The Scanlan Center for School Mental Health, created in 2021, aims to help improve mental health in K-12 and higher education spaces. Dr. Barry Schreier, director of the Scanlan Center's higher education program, uses a  metaphor of a 'shared pathway', saying that investing in the mental health of administrators and faculty allows the benefits trickle down to students.

The following is an excerpt from the Inside Higher Ed article: 

The study: In the spring 2023 survey conducted by the University of Iowa, 1,135 faculty and staff members from seven community colleges in Iowa were asked about their own mental health and wellness and interactions with students. (The average campus response rate was just under 30 percent.)

The majority of respondents experience flourishing. The Scanlan Center’s survey was the first to gauge faculty and staff flourishing behaviors in a wide-scale way and found 88 percent of faculty and staff feel competent and capable, and 87 percent believe they are good people who live good lives. Similarly, respondents feel they actively contribute to the happiness and well-being of others (78 percent), and their social relationships are supportive and rewarding (75 percent).

Read the full article here.