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Patrick & Henry staff and faculty have fully embraced Caring Campus, ensuring students feel supported from their very first interaction on campus and throughout their classroom experience. Simple but powerful practices, such as wearing nametags, greeting students, and rewording automated absence notifications with a caring tone, reinforce a culture where every exchange reflects compassion and support.
“It is incredibly important to me that Caring Campus is viewed as a cultural movement on our campus, not a workshop or short-term initiative that fades away,” said Dr. Chris Wikstrom, Patrick & Henry’s Vice President of Instruction & Student Services. “Caring Campus has become the vehicle for re-engagement among our staff and faculty, sparking renewed energy to rally around student success.”
Building on this foundation, Patrick & Henry is now expanding Caring Campus through a focus on mental health and trauma-informed practices. The college is cultivating a holistic model of care that includes training on understanding students’ varied experiences, modeling emotional intelligence and empathy, and providing access to a dedicated mental health liaison for both students and employees.
Patrick & Henry’s innovative work will be showcased at the upcoming Caring Campus Conference: Building a National Culture of Care on Nov. 12-14. Wikstrom and Eggleston will host a session entitled “A Caring Approach: Leveraging Caring Campus to Advance Holistic Mental Healthcare,” alongside Patrick & Henry Director of Public Relations & Marketing Monica Hatchett and faculty member and Dual Enrollment Liaison LaDonna Varner.
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