Alliance University

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

CARES ACT HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND

CONNECT FOR SUCCESS; THE NYACK COLLEGE TITLE III PROJECT

HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND - MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS

ENHANCING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS - NYACK COLLEGE’S ENHANCING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS PROJECT THROUGH SAMHSA’S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING (MHAT) GRANT PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON THE UNIVERSITY’S DIVERSE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENT POPULATIONS. WITHIN ITS RELEVANT CULTURAL AND FAITH-BASED CONTEXTS, NYACK COLLEGE WILL BUILD CAPACITY FOR ITS CAMPUS COMMUNITY (FACULTY, STAFF, CAMPUS PUBLIC SAFETY, STUDENTS), AND OTHER IDENTIFIED AREA CHURCH PARTNERS TO EFFECTIVELY IDENTIFY, SUPPORT, RESPOND TO, AND REFER STUDENTS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY BE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS OR CRISES. TO DATE FOR THE 2020-2021 ACADEMIC YEAR, 136 STUDENTS INITIATED COUNSELING SERVICES, DESPITE FLUCTUATIONS IN NUMBERS WHEN SERVICES MOVED TO ALL VIRTUAL DELIVERY DUE TO COVID-19. IT IS AN OPTIMAL TIME FOR THE NYACK COLLEGE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE IN MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING AND TO BOLSTER ITS REFERRAL INFRASTRUCTURE. NYACK ESTIMATES THAT THE PROJECT WILL RESULT IN 259 FACULTY, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS BEING TRAINED IN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (MHFA) OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT. NYACK WILL ALSO ENGAGE ROUGHLY 1,000 STUDENTS IN MHFA AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAININGS, THUS PROVIDING TRAININGS TO ROUGHLY 1,259 UNDUPLICATED INDIVIDUALS. OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT, AT LEAST 90% OF NEW STUDENTS WILL BE REACHED WITH MHFA CONTENT, WHICH COULD BE PAIRED WITH SUPPLEMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT TRAINING.