UNCF and the Steve Fund Announce Two-Year Partnership
|
Posted By: Kennedy Williams on June 14, 2022 UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and the Steve Fund announced today a two-year partnership to transform student mental health and wellbeing outcomes with a focus on campuses of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). The collaboration will bring together the UNCF’s efforts to build capacity at our nation’s Black colleges and the Steve Fund’s expertise in supporting the mental health of young people of color. “Today more than ever, we are keenly aware that student success is linked to the ability of institutions to respond to the mental health status of their students,” says Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. “Our students have shown tremendous resilience in the face of an unprecedented and unpredictable time. Together with the Steve Fund, we are ready to place the mental health of Black students and Black colleges and universities at the center of an initiative focused on their student success and excellence.” The partnership kicked off in 2021 with a student conference and HBCU mental health survey that received responses from 47 HBCUs. The survey revealed that nearly 70 percent of HBCU students expressed a desire to be informed of resources and events regarding emotional wellbeing. Together, UNCF and the Steve Fund will also host a mental health track at UNITE 2022: UNCF Summit on Black Higher Education. This expanded partnership will build a more comprehensive research and action plan to strengthen the culture of mental health and emotional wellbeing at up to 40 HBCU and PBI campuses, while also supporting leaders, faculty, and staff. Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s racial reckoning, and polarizing media and political debates, students of color experience heightened incidences of stress, racialized trauma, and mental health challenges in their communities. “Black students face very real mental health stressors and challenges today that must be addressed,” explains Dr. Tia Dole, executive director of the Steve Fund. “This unique collaboration with UNCF will focus attention on mental health on campus and foster communities of action that break down stigma and promote mental health information, tools, and resources on HBCU campuses — and serve as foundational work in the Steve Fund’s growing HBCU portfolio.” The Healthy Minds Study (HMS) from the Healthy Minds Network is a key resource the new partnership will use to help each HBCU gain and share a detailed look at the mental health, service utilization, and attitudes about mental wellness among undergraduate and graduate students. Since its national launch in 2007, HMS has been used at 400 colleges and universities, with over 550,000 survey respondents. Healthy Minds plans to collaborate with UNCF through its Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute to uncover new data to understand the dynamics of mental health on the campuses of Black colleges and universities. “This new partnership represents a powerful way to gauge and then support the mental health of a critically important segment of our nation’s students and leaders on HBCU and PBI campuses,” says Dr. Daniel Eisenberg, principal investigator at the Healthy Minds Network. “We could not be more excited to embark on this work with UNCF and the Steve Fund.” To achieve these shared goals, the two-year partnership will pursue mutually reinforcing lines of actions to promote mental health and wellness on HBCU campuses, including: Hiring a postdoctoral fellow who will focus explicitly on the initiative. The fellow will be a graduate of one of the nation’s HBCUs or PBIs. Administering the Healthy Minds Study to all participating HBCUs with each campus receiving reports and Healthy Minds leading development of a comprehensive assessment report of all participating institutions. The Steve Fund will collaborate with UNCF to deliver a student-facing conference, building on its pilot January 2022 conference with continued focus on the mental health and wellness needs of Black students. Based on the Healthy Minds Study results, the Steve Fund will deliver responsive programming for UNCF HBCUs intended to meet campuses where they are, address surfacing mental health needs, and build institutional capacity to serve student mental health needs. “While the current mental health landscape for young people of color is very challenging,” Dole adds, “we believe this new partnership and the lines of actions we’ll pursue, will give us a path to reach and support young people. And that gives us a lot of hope.” SOURCE UNCF If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
Kennedy Williams
From Loganville, GA Spelman College class of 2020 Member Since July 2016 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest News
 |
The Memorial Day Getaway Returns for Its 18th Annual CelebrationA Black Luxury Forward Memorial Day Experience Headlined by 2 Chainz
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic | Memorial Day Weekend
The Memorial Day Getaway returns this Memorial Day Weekend for its 18 ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 3 Views • February 10th, 2026 |
 |
Bethune-Cookman University To Host Inauguration For Dr. Albert D. Mosley On April 14Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) will mark the inauguration of Dr. Albert D. Mosley as its eighth president on Tuesday, April 14, marking a new era of leadership for the historic institution.
Founde ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 86 Views • February 9th, 2026 |
 |
2026 MS-CC Undergraduate Summer Research Internship✨Applications are open for the 2026 MS-CC Undergraduate Summer Research InternshipMS-CC invites undergraduate students to apply for a 10-week, paid summer research experience hosted in Nashvill ...more
David Lockett • 59 Views • February 9th, 2026 |
 |
Unlock Your Entrepreneur Journey — NEXT GEN Info SessionDate & TimeTuesday, February 1710:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM ESTVirtual EventREGISTER HERE:https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a...Tuesday, March 1710:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM CST / 1:00 ...more
Laura Van Brackle Sims • 39 Views • February 9th, 2026 |
Popular News
 |
North Carolina HBCU Unity DayShaw University - Elizabeth City State University - Johnson C. Smith University - Fayetteville State University - Livingstone College - North Carolina A&T State University - North Carolina Central Uni ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 104,046 Views • August 8th, 2016 |
