CPE, public universities develop statewide strategic priorities to support student mental health

March 13, 2025

The Kentucky Student Success Collaborative (KYSSC), an initiative of the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), recently released a statewide strategy to address growing mental health challenges on Kentucky campuses. KYSSC worked with The Jed Foundation, a leading national nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults, and Kentucky postsecondary institutions on its development.

The statewide strategy follows a survey administered to 3,621 students at 21 postsecondary institutions in Kentucky between 2022 and 2024 called the Healthy Minds Study. Results revealed that 40 percent of students felt depressed within the last year, while 60 percent experienced anxiety. Unfortunately, almost half (47 percent) did not seek treatment due to the perceived stigma associated with mental health conditions or lack of time.

“Research shows that mental and emotional difficulties adversely affect academic performance and retention,” said Dr. Lilly Massa-McKinley, KYSSC Executive Director and Assistant Vice President for Student Access and Success at CPE. “The strategies we’ve identified will not only improve health and well-being, but also graduation and retention rates, grades and student engagement.”

Beginning in 2024, staff from JED facilitated workshops and convenings with CPE staff, campus leaders and mental health professionals. They identified eight recommendations for improving student mental health across four domains: student voice and engagement, faculty/staff engagement and training, resources and crisis response, and campus coordination and communication.

“Just a third of the state’s postsecondary students consider themselves to be flourishing in college,” said Dr. Aaron Thompson, CPE President. “CPE is committed to working with our colleges and universities to combat this mental health crisis and improve student outcomes.”

KYSSC will host a mental health convening at the CPE offices in Frankfort on Monday, May 19 to begin prioritizing identified strategies and mapping out an implementation plan. Also, a Mental Health Guiding Team will be created to oversee campus implementation efforts. Identified statewide strategic priorities include:

• Reducing and removing barriers to mental health support.
• Weaving mental health resources into belonging and student basic needs initiatives.
• Creating a plan for statewide mental health training that addresses both in person and online modalities through required and/or incentivized opportunities.
• Supporting the mental health needs of faculty and staff.
• Creating asset maps of available campus and community mental health resources.
• Identifying crisis management best practices for campus communities.
• Increasing and improving campus communication efforts.
• Integrating mental health and wellness across the student experience.

"At JED, we are proud to support the development of comprehensive, data-driven statewide strategies that prioritize mental health and well-being for college students across Kentucky. By continuing our partnership with KYSSC and CPE to enhance student outcomes, build robust safety nets, and integrate systems in campuses and communities, we’re championing an innovative and transformative higher education model for state-level leaders nationwide. Together, we can empower every student to thrive in a connected and nurturing environment," said Dr. Erica Riba, Senior Director, Alumni Programs and Engagement at The Jed Foundation.