SHU Builds Culture of Care Around Mental Health Awareness

Sacred Heart University creates a campus where people look out for and take care of one another

Key Highlights

• ^{Sacred Heart University completed a four-year JED Campus partnership focused on strengthening mental health, suicide prevention and substance use support for students}
• ^{SHU implemented proactive wellness systems—including policy updates, cross-campus collaboration and expanded prevention programming—that now extend well beyond the JED initiative}
• ^{The University earned national recognition from Princeton Review for top-ranked student support and counseling services}
• ^{SHU expanded access to care by restructuring its wellness model, adding a dedicated case manager, enhancing training for faculty/staff, and increasing same-day support, peer education and health-promotion efforts}
• ^{Community-driven programs—such as the Green Bandana Project and the Connection Playbook informed by Project Connect™—have increased help-seeking behavior and strengthened students’ sense of belonging}
• ^{SHU updated student-support policies, launched year-round safe medication-disposal options and is establishing a permanent campus mental health coalition to continue this work sustainably}

Sacred Heart University has completed a formal, four-year partnership with The JED Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes emotional health among the nation’s teens and young adults. While this has led to major growth in the way SHU supports student well-being, campus officials say the work to keep mental health in the forefront does not end.

Launched in 2022, the JED Campus program guided SHU through a comprehensive review of its policies, services and campus culture around mental health, suicide prevention and substance use. Over four years, a cross-campus task force worked through JED’s strategic objectives while also identifying new opportunities to support students.

“We’ve really shifted from a reactive stance to a proactive stance,” said James Geisler, executive director of wellness services. “Nothing about JED was a one-off. The recommendations pushed us to build systems, policies and collaborations that will live on well beyond the four years.”

Those efforts have earned national recognition from Princeton Review. Sacred Heart is top ranked in student support and counseling services—a testament to the school’s commitment to mental health and wellness.

Expanded access and a restructured wellness model

Even before joining JED, the SHU counseling center prided itself on providing immediate care to students rather than creating a waitlist—an approach that impressed JED reviewers. During the partnership, the University restructured its wellness services to make that immediate access more sustainable.

A dedicated case manager now focuses on same-day appointments and care coordination, ensuring that students are seen quickly when they reach out. The center expanded health promotion at the same time, adding more prevention, education and peer-mentoring initiatives.

“We’re not just the place students go to when they’re in crisis anymore,” Geisler said. “Wellness is embedded in first-year programs, in the classroom and across student life. Our collaborations with partners all over campus have really exploded.”

SHU has also strengthened faculty and staff training, including the creation of a crisis response card that walks employees through what to do if they are worried about a student, whether on campus, off campus, during business hours or after hours.

Building a campus where people look out for one another

One of the clearest signs of cultural change has been the rise in help-seeking and help-offering behavior. Geisler points to a sharp increase in Pio Connect referrals—submissions from faculty, staff, coaches, RSAs and peers who are concerned about a student—as well as more wellness checks and robust use of the student care team.

“I think we’ve created a culture where we look after and take care of one another at SHU,” Geisler said. “Roommates call when they’re worried, faculty reach out when someone disappears from class. People are curious, not punitive, and that helps students find their way to us.”

To stay responsive, the counseling center now conducts student feedback surveys each semester, asking about ease of access, cultural responsiveness, fit with counselors and overall experience. That data directly shapes services each term.

Green Bandana Project: ‘We can just be humans first’

Many of SHU’s most visible initiatives grew alongside the JED work. One is the Green Bandana Project, which encourages students to serve as safe, supportive peers and connect classmates to mental health resources.

Currently, 199 students have signed the Green Bandana pledge, according to Karen Flanagan, director of prevention, education & early intervention services. Participants receive a green bandana to display on their backpack or in their room, plus digital and physical resource cards with crisis lines and campus supports.

“At its core, the Green Bandana Project is a way for students to understand that Sacred Heart is a community where we talk about mental health and support students seeking help without judgment or stigma,” Flanagan said. “These students aren’t experts or going through extensive training—they’re just making a pledge to be a safe person to come to and to know where to point someone for help. We can just be humans first and start there.”

Most students sign up for their bandanas during SHU’s annual suicide prevention walk in September, when the Green Bandana table is “swarmed,” Flanagan said. Peer educators also visit club meetings, Greek life and other organizations throughout the year to share the program.

Over the years, she has heard countless stories of small moments—a roommate checking in, a classmate asking a quiet question after class—that made all the difference.

“Sometimes it really is just paying attention and taking that next step of asking a question or checking in,” Flanagan said. “Those chance interactions can save a life, or at the very least, let a student who’s really struggling know that somebody cares. That is incredibly powerful.”

Connection Playbook and Project Connect™

Other major efforts include the Connection Playbook, a new tool for student leaders that grew out of SHU’s JED work and an evidence-based, small-group program called Project Connect™.

Project Connect™, launched in 2020, brings together small groups of students for five weeks of structured, peer-led sessions focused solely on getting to know one another and building relationships. Feedback from participants made it clear that intentional connection matters. “We know from the data that a low sense of belonging is a serious risk factor for mental health concerns, especially around suicide,” Flanagan said. “Connection is the number one protective mental health factor for our students.”

The Connection Playbook takes lessons from Project Connect™ and broader research and translates them into practical strategies for student leaders—club presidents, team captains, orientation leaders and others—who are running groups across campus. Developed in collaboration with the student involvement team and student leaders, the playbook outlines conditions that foster connection, such as smaller groups, consistent meetings, structured check-ins and supportive group norms.

“Just because you’re in a crowd doesn’t mean you’re connected,” Flanagan said. “Our student leaders are like a little connection army. They already have access to students we don’t, so if they build in these small, consistent moments of sharing and support, it’s a win-win. Their organizations are stronger, and our students feel like they belong.”

The playbook is being integrated into online onboarding and training for new student leaders and will continue to shape programming in the years ahead.

SHU’s Student Wellness Education & Empowerment Team, known as s.w.e.e.t. peer educators, are students who help students. They promote the Green Bandana Project and facilitate the Project Connect™ groups on campus.

Policies that support students when they need it most

Beyond programs, SHU has refined policies to remove barriers for students seeking help. Leave of absence procedures have been updated to be more flexible and compassionate, especially around mental health needs. Documentation requirements have been eased so students who are not yet connected to providers can still take the time they need.

Health services now screens for mental health and substance misuse as part of medical visits, ensuring that students who come in sick are asked how they are doing emotionally and offered resources if needed. Sacred Heart has also expanded safe medication disposal options on campus, building on JED’s recommendation for an annual drug take-back program to create year-round access. Envelopes from Stericycle are available throughout the year for students to safely mail in unused medication for disposal.

Continuing the work through a mental health coalition

Although the formal JED Campus partnership has concluded, the work is far from over. Sacred Heart is continuing its standing mental health coalition—required under higher education guidelines and aligned with JED’s comprehensive approach—to keep the momentum going. The coalition will continue to bring together representatives from academics, athletics, student affairs, residential life, public safety, campus ministry and other areas to review data, coordinate initiatives and keep student mental health at the center of decision-making.

“Every time we think of a new initiative, it has to be with student mental health and social connection in mind,” Geisler said. “We’re always asking who’s at the table, who’s not and how can we better serve the students we have today.”

For campus leaders, however, the real success is cultural—ensuring a campus where it is normal to talk about mental health, seek support and look out for one another.

“Over the past four years, our partnership with The JED Foundation has helped build a campus culture centered on student well-being,” said Denise Tiberio, dean of students at SHU. “We’ve strengthened our support systems on mental health and suicide prevention efforts, and our community works hard every day to ensure that our students feel cared for and valued.”