UNCG Greensboro has made significant strides in supporting student well-being in its first year of participation in the JED Campus partnership, fostering long-term, systemic change that reaches all levels of the University community and ensures every Spartan has access to the support and resources they need to thrive.
This four-year initiative is done through The Jed Foundation (JED), an organization that strives to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for teens and young adults by partnering with schools to strengthen mental health systems, promote connectedness, and build a sustainable culture of care. The JED Campus model helps institutions build upon existing efforts and develop sustainable systems that enhance student mental health across campus.
Through this partnership, UNCG has assessed current practices, strengthened coordination among departments, and identified opportunities for improvement.
Self-Assessment Data
Since becoming a JED Campus in 2024, UNCG has completed a self-assessment based on 80 evidence-based recommendations for college campuses and administered the Healthy Minds Study (HMS), a national assessment. The JED Foundation reviewed this data and provided feedback, noting that the University was already doing 60 of the recommended practices and actively working on 15 others.
UNCG was praised for its comprehensive approach to mental health and well-being, with efforts that are well ahead of many peer institutions. Additionally, survey data from the HMS showed that UNCG students (1,232 responses) rated the University higher than the national comparison group on several critical benchmarks.
These results reflect UNCG’s ongoing commitment to student well-being and the strength of current campus initiatives.
In response to the data, UNCG also developed the Culture of Care website, a resource hub for faculty and staff offering guidance on how to support student mental health, well-being, and overall success.
Next Steps
Now in Phase 2 of the project, the JED Campus Team has analyzed the results and, in collaboration with the JED Foundation, finalized a strategic plan to guide efforts for the remainder of the four-year initiative. Based on this information, priority areas have been identified to strengthen mental health and well-being programs and services across campus.
Subcommittees have been established to develop action plans and oversee implementation of the focus area initiatives, which include enhancing visibility of JED programming, centralizing well-being data, promoting faculty practices that support student mental health, creating family-centered education campaigns to reduce stigma, and expanding harm-reduction efforts.
In the next phase, the JED Campus Team will develop priority area work plans and use data-informed decision making in implementing the JED strategic plan. Plans include rolling out campus-wide well-being campaigns, expanding training for faculty and staff, developing additional peer mentoring initiatives, providing family-focused mental health education, and inviting feedback on harm-reduction strategies and tools. JED Campus Team working groups will guide implementation, with ongoing monitoring and feedback to ensure the sustainable impact of priority areas identified by the UNCG JED strategic planning process.
The JED Campus Committee is led by Brett Carter, Ph.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, and Sarah Daynes, Ph.D., professor of sociology, criminology, and justice studies. Members represent many areas across campus, including Academic Affairs, Student Success, Campus Police, Student Affairs, Financial Aid, Athletics, Communications, and more.
The UNCG JED Campus partnership was made possible with financial support from the UNC System Office.
By uniting faculty, staff, students, and families under a shared vision of holistic well-being, UNCG is taking meaningful steps toward a campus environment where all Spartans feel valued, supported, and equipped to succeed. The JED Campus partnership continues to be an important catalyst for positive change, reinforcing UNCG’s dedication to student success through evidence-based action, collaboration, and compassion.
