SAIC Earns the JedCampus Seal from the Jed Foundation
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been awarded the JedCampus Seal from the Jed Foundation, a leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college and university students. The Seal recognizes schools that exhibit comprehensive mental health promotion and suicide prevention programming on campus. The Seal is part of the Foundation’s JedCampus program, the first nationwide program to facilitate a school’s ability to assess and enhance their mental health support system from a campus-wide perspective.
“As an institution that prioritizes the health and wellness of its student body, we are incredibly proud to be among the first recipients of the JedCampus Seal,” says Joe Behen, Executive Director of Counseling, Health and Disability Services at SAIC. “SAIC is in excellent company on the list of Seal recipients, which includes universities such as Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, and Yale. Only 30 institutions nationwide received this distinction. As we accept this award, we both celebrate and renew our commitment to comprehensive mental health programming at SAIC and the emotional wellbeing of SAIC students.”
As part of the process to earn the Seal, SAIC took a voluntary, online self-assessment reviewing its campus mental health and suicide prevention programming. The Jed Foundation then compared the school’s responses to the recommended practices outlined in The Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses developed by the Jed Foundation and Suicide Prevention Resource Center. As part of this process, SAIC received confidential feedback designed to help enhance its programming and resources. The Seal is valid for two years.
“We are thrilled to be able to announce the first schools in the nation to receive the JedCampus Seal. Schools like SAIC have shown they employ a comprehensive, community-based approach to mental health care which will result in the identification of and care for more at-risk students,” said John MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation. “We believe that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health promotion will lead to safer, healthier campuses, and possibly greater student retention.”
The Jed Foundation only publicly recognizes those schools awarded the Seal. Names, survey responses, and feedback reports of those schools that do not receive a Seal are confidential. If the self-assessment survey revealed gaps in programming, colleges and universities were invited to work closely with the Jed Foundation to address them. Those schools can reapply for the JedCampus Seal after one year.
Leading higher education and mental health professional organizations including the American College Counseling Association, American College Health Association, National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, among others, have provided statements of support for the JedCampus initiative.
For more information on JedCampus, visit jedcampus.org.
About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-baccalaureate programs to nearly 3,200 students from around the globe. SAIC also enables adults, high school students, middle school students, and children to flourish in a variety of courses, workshops, certificate programs, and camps through its Continuing Studies program. Located in the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with renowned faculty who include many of the leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC’s resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing; numerous special collections and programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and performances. For more information, please visit saic.edu.
About the Jed Foundation
The Jed Foundation works to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students. Our programs include: JedCampus, a self-assessment and feedback program designed to help colleges enhance mental health programming; ULifeline, an online mental health resource that gives students access to campus-specific resources and an anonymous mental health screener; Half of Us, the Peabody Award-winning campaign with mtvU, which uses online and on-air programming to decrease stigma and encourage help-seeking; Love is Louder, a movement to build connectedness and increase resiliency; Transition Year, an online resource aimed at helping to ensure the smooth, safe and healthy transition of teenagers from high school to college; and a portfolio of resources that helps campuses promote mental health and protect at-risk students. Learn more at www.jedfoundation.org.