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ARConnections

A newsletter of the Academic Resilience Consortium


Volume 2: Issue 2

Summer 2022

In this issue:

Webinar Information

Conference Information

Recent Studies on College Student Well-being

Program & Partner Spotlights

Curated Resilience Tools

Research-based Moment of Resilience

Message from the Chair:


Summertime greetings from ARC. Congratulations to our members for a successful academic year. A new set of problems challenged us all this year. Among these were coping with new COVID-19 strains, dealing with unprecedented student wellbeing challenges, and feeling emotionally and physically depleted from helping students transition back into the classroom. Having spoken to many colleagues across North America, I can report that faculty and staff exhaustion are common and widespread. And yet, students and institutions rely on us to continue to keep the higher education system operating as an essential part of the economy and offering the promise of a well-educated and resilient workforce.


If you are reading this and are not tired, then congratulations! We’d love to know your strategies for staying invigorated through these unprecedented challenges. If you have struggled, please know that ARC wants to help faculty and staff build new skills and learn and share new ways to help themselves and their students build resilience. Please consider joining us at our ARC conference, “A More Resilient Future,” hosted at Florida State University on October 25-26. Many colleges and universities are sending representatives to share innovative programs, strategies, courses, and activities to help students develop both academic and personal resilience. We promise you will feel reinvigorated and inspired from this experience. Registration here.

Welcome to our newest institutional members: Boston University, Florida State University, Pace University, University of Florida, Purdue University, College of Saint Mary, and the University of Toronto. Remember to encourage your institution to join so that all staff and faculty benefit from ARC resources.

Have a great summer, and I look forward to seeing you in the fall.


Karen Oehme, ARC Chair 

Chair@AcademicResilience.org | 850-645-0024

To Do:

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Join ARC
Attend the Webinars
Visit ARC Website
Register for the Conference

Don't miss our Webinar on June 7th:

ARC Explores Webinar Series:

Helping Students Thrive through Academic Recovery Programs

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Date: June 7, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM (EST)

Location: Zoom

Join us in this session led by Ashley Gragido, Associate Director of Student Success & Academic Resiliency at California State University San Marcos.

 

Learn about theories that can inform the structure of student success courses on the topics of academic recovery, resiliency, and personal development. Leave with ideas about how to create your own courses, including course themes, sample assignments, and next steps to build collaborative partnerships on your campus.

Register Here for the Webinar

Coming in August:

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ARC Explores: Introduction to Neurodiversity


Join us on August 10th for this session led by Lyndi Bradley, MSWProgram Manager for the Institute for Family Violence Studies at Florida State University's College of Social Work. This webinar will cover an introduction to neurodiversity and will highlight discoveries made regarding atypical brain functions. More students than ever have been identified as neurodiverse; this includes autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and dyslexia, among other diagnoses.


Neurodiverse students have many strengths to contribute to higher education. They also face considerable challenges, increasing the necessity for resilient thinking and efforts on campus. This session will explore the implications for higher education professionals and the steps they can take to help build academic resilience in their students.

Click Here for more Webinar Information
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Watch this short video about the conference:

Click Here for more Conference Information and Updates

Conference plenary speaker:

Charles Clark

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Charles Clark is a former 3-time National Champion, 10-time All-American, and the 6th fastest man in the world. After a debilitating injury, his dreams and goals were shattered, completely changing the trajectory of his life. While dealing with being at his lowest point, he started visiting schools and sharing his story with young people. Eventually, he realized that in order to make a difference, he would need to share his entire story - the good, the bad, and the difficult. He now travels the world, helping people become mentally strong, build resilience, improve their habits, discover their purpose, and set goals.

“I am looking forward to speaking at the ARC Conference at my alma mater, FSU. I have devoted my professional life to inspiring leaders in education, especially student-athletes, to find their purpose and build resilience. I’m happy to be promoting these initiatives alongside other like-minded professionals who want to help students thrive. The work that we do here is important.”


Student-athletes deal with the demands of school in addition to the pressure of their athletic careers, which makes it difficult to allot time for self-care or resilience-building. When asked why he continues to dedicate his time to student resilience and well-being, Charles stated, “I want to give students the tools they need to be successful - at home, in the classroom, and on the track.”


Learn more about Charles at thecharlesclark.com

Recent Studies on

College Student Well-being

This section highlights three studies from 2022 that emphasize significant findings on college student well-being. These articles and their findings are summarized below:

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Effectiveness of Resilience Interventions for Higher Education Students: A Meta-Analysis and Metaregression.


This study by Ang et al. (2022) reviewed the effectiveness of resilience interventions in improving resilience, reducing depressive symptoms, and overcoming stress symptoms among higher education students. Findings indicate that resilience interventions effectively enhanced resilience and reduced depressive and stress symptoms among higher education students. Additionally, the results suggest that resilience training on building relationships and social connections increases one’s ability to deal with challenges and adversity, improves one’s sense of self-esteem, and increases the ability to use adaptive strategies in stressful situations.


This study illustrates that resilience training with self-regulation techniques can enable students to focus on the positive aspects of their experiences, reducing their subjective sense of stress. Resilience interventions that included cognitive reappraisal techniques were effective in reframing negative thoughts and changing behavioral patterns. Finally, this study indicates that resilience training increased students’ engagement, motivation, and learning when delivered using synchronous communication and combined didactic and dialectic teaching methods.


Reference:

Ang, W. H. D., Lau, S. T., Cheng, L. J., Chew, H. S. J., Tan, J. H., Shorey, S., & Lau, Y. (2022). Effectiveness of resilience interventions for higher education students: A meta-analysis and metaregression. Journal of Educational Psychologydoi.org/10.1037/edu0000719

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Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013–2021.


This study by Lipson et al. (2022) examined annual trends for mental health and help-seeking in diverse racial and ethnic college student populations from 2013-2021. Findings indicate that there has been almost a 50% increase in mental health problems in this student population since 2013, with 60% of college students meeting the criteria for one or more mental health issues. Additionally, results of this study show that students of color have the lowest rate of mental health help-seeking and service utilization, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students have experienced the most significant increase in anxiety, suicidal ideation, depression, and meeting criteria for one or more mental health concern than that of their peers. 


This study emphasizes the need for higher education institutions' mental health programming to address mental health inequalities in diverse college student populations. 


Reference:

Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., Abelson, S., Heinze, J., Jirsa, M., Morigney, J., Patterson, A., Singh, M., & Eisenberg, D. (2022). Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013–2021. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 306, 138–147. doi.org/10.1016/J.Jad.2022.03.038

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Food insecurity and mental health among young adult college students in the United States.


This study by Oh et al. (2022) analyzed the prevalence of food insecurity among college students and its association with mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study reveal that 30.8% of college students reported experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity was more common among Black, Latinx/Hispanic, cis-gender women, and transgender/nonbinary/other students than their peers. Additionally, this study's findings highlight that food insecurity in this population is associated with greater rates of anxiety, loneliness, depression, languishing, self-injurious behaviors, and suicidal ideation and attempts. 


This study highlights the need for higher education institutions to implement strategies to intervene and alleviate food insecurity among their students to prevent mental health issues and promote greater overall well-being.


Reference:

Oh, H., Smith, L., Jacob, L., Du, J., Shin, J. I., Zhou, S., & Koyanagi, A. (2022). Food insecurity and mental health among young adult college students in the United States. Journal of affective disorders, 303, 359–363. doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.02.009

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Program Spotlight on

The University of Washington

Resilience Lab

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The University of Washington Resilience Lab promotes well-being at the University of Washington through research, education, and strategic programs and initiatives. The Resilience Lab explores student, faculty, and staff well-being by supporting their campus in thinking critically about the systems they build and the values they promote. The Resilience Lab includes the following programs:

  • Be REAL: a six-week skills group that equips participants with cognitive behavior skills to manage emotions and cope with challenging situations, mindfulness skills to strengthen self-awareness, and practices that promote compassion for themselves and others (in collaboration with the UW Center for Child and Family Well-Being). 
  • Resistance through Resilience: a series of lectures and workshops that focuses on the role of mindfulness and compassion in addressing everyday racial oppression and racial exhaustion in our communities (in collaboration with the UW Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity). 
  • Resilience and Compassion Seed Grants: a dedicated fund for UW students, staff, and faculty to support the beginning stages of projects that cultivate resilience, compassion, and sustainability on campus (in collaboration with the UW Campus Sustainability Fund). 
  • Well-Being for Life & Learning Initiative: a pedagogical aid for instructors interested in designing learning environments that promote student well-being, including a guidebook and a continuing community of practice. 
  • Longitudinal Study on Well-Being: a research initiative to gather information on the internal and external resources students utilize to maintain their well-being as they transition into their first year at the University. 
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Megan Kennedy is the Director of the UW Resilience Lab. As a leader & facilitator, Megan aims to build healthy & compassionate learning communities. 


Come listen as Megan discusses these meaningful programs and initiatives at the 2022 ARC Conference in October.


Learn more: wellbeing.uw.edu/unit/resilience-lab/

Partner Spotlight on

The Jed Foundation

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The Jed Foundation (JED) is a nonprofit organization that works to empower teens and young adults, protect their mental health, and prevent suicide. JED works to build resiliency and life skills, promote social connectedness, and encourage help-seeking and help-giving behaviors in young people.

JED works directly with high schools, colleges, and universities to establish systems, programs, and policies aimed at cultivating a culture of caring and inclusion that is free from the shame and stigma often associated with mental health. JED also works directly with communities to provide education, training, and tools to families, friends, and media in order to best support youths. Their goal is for every school nationwide to have a comprehensive system that supports student emotional health and reduces the risks of substance misuse and suicide.


JED has worked with over 370 colleges, representing over 4.8 million students, using their JED Campus program to improve mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programming. More than 2 million teens and their families have used JED’s Set to Go high school program to prepare emotionally for the transition to college and adult life.


These are just a few ways the JED Foundation utilizes its resources to create community, academic, and interpersonal support for youth emotional well-being and mental health. Visit jedfoundation.org to learn more.


Come see JED present at the 2022 ARC Conference in October.

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ARC members have exclusive access to JED resources and webinar presentation slides in the ARC Resource Library.

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Click Here to Purchase an Institutional Membership

Partner Spotlight on

The National Consortium for

Building Healthy Academic Communities


Ohio State University's Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities connects health and wellness professionals from academic institutions in pursuit of healthier campuses. Their mission is to equip academic institutions with evidence-based strategies and resources to improve population health and well-being of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the communities they serve.

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Learn more:

healthyacademics.org/

Curated Resilience Tools

ARC's Chair curated a list of affordable tools to help build student resilience:

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A Moment of Resilience:

Activities to Build Resilience

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References:

Anju, D., Anita, C., Raka, J., Deepak, Y., & Vedamurthachar. (2015). Effectiveness of

yogic breathing training on quality of life of opioid dependent users. International Journal of Yoga, 8, 144–147. www.ijoy.org.in/text.asp?2015/8/2/144/154075

Baikie, K., & Wilhelm, K. (2005). Emotional and physical health benefits of

expressive writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11, 338-346. doi.org/10.1192/apt.11.5.338

Brown, R. P., & Gerbarg, P. L. (2005). Sudarshan Kriya yogic breathing in

the treatment of stress, anxiety, and depression: Part I-neurophysiologic model. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11, 189–201. doi.org/10.1089/acm.2005.11.189

Chevalier, G., Patel, S., Weiss, L., Chopra, D., & Mills, P. J. (2019). The effects of

grounding (earthing) on bodyworkers' pain and overall quality of life: A randomized controlled trial. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 15(3), 181–190. doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.10.001

Cohen, G. L., Sherman, D. K., Bastardi, A., McGoey, M., Hsu, A., & Ross, L. (2007). Bridging the partisan divide: Self-affirmation reduces ideological closed-mindedness and inflexibility in negotiation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 415–430. doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.3.415 

Cohen, G. L., Sherman, D. K. (2014). The psychology of change: self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 333-71. doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115137

Council on Early Childhood, High, P. C., & Klass, P. (2014). Literacy promotion: An essential component of primary care pediatric practice. Pediatrics,134(2), 404–409. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1384

Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.)48(2), 198–208. doi.org/10.1037/a0022062  

Harvard School of Public Health. (n.d.). Mindful eating

www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/stress-and-health/ 

Heenan, D. (2006). Art as therapy: An effective way of promoting positive mental health? Disability & Society, 21(2), 179–191. doi.org/10.1080/09687590500498143

Kim, B., & Bae, M. (2019). A study in the stress reduction effect of reading aloud the using HRV. International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology, 12(9), 1457-1461. mail.ripublication.com/irph/ijert19/ijertv12n9_12.pdf

Mar, R. A., Oatley, K., & Peterson, J. B. (2009). Exploring the link between reading fiction and empathy: Ruling out individual differences and eamining outcomes. Communications, 34, 407-428. doi.org/10.1515/COMM.2009.025

Novotney, A. (2009). Yoga as a practical tool. American Psychological

Association. www.apa.org/monitor/2009/11/yoga

Pennebaker, J. W., & Chung, C. K. (2011). Expressive writing: Connections

to physical and mental health. In H. S. Friedman (Ed.), Oxford library of psychology. The Oxford handbook of health psychology (p. 417–437). Oxford University Press. psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-01232-018

Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for mental health. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry8(2), 106. doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a

Questions?

Call (850) 645-0024 or email Hello@AcademicResilience.org

Visit AcademicResilience.org for more information.



Sincerely,

Karen Oehme, Chair

Florida State University

Laura Johnson, Vice-Chair

Boston University

Judit Torok, Treasurer

Pratt Institute

Margaret Mbindyo, Secretary

Millersville University

ARC Contact Details

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(850) 645-0024

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Hello@AcademicResilience.org

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AcademicResilience.org 

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