The Jed Foundation (JED) has a unique position working with state systems across the country that creates powerful opportunities to connect leaders and share proven strategies that drive impact. On May 19, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and dedicated professionals from across the Bluegrass State came together for the Kentucky Student Success Collaborative Mental Health Convening. JED was honored to co-create the gathering as part of our ongoing partnership to bolster support for student mental health in Kentucky. The convening marked the launch of Kentucky’s statewide plan into action.
Knowing that state systems have a wealth of knowledge to share with one another, JED introduced attendees to higher education leaders in Utah, who recently completed JED Campus as a statewide cohort. Katie Mazzie, assistant commissioner for strategic and government affairs at the Utah System of Higher Education, served as the keynote speaker for the convening. She offered the system’s experiences as a way to guide Kentucky’s mental health strategy forward.
Mazzie began by sharing a troubling but familiar pattern from her research. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, students were experiencing high levels of anxiety, loneliness, isolation from campus life, financial stress, suicidal ideation, and self-harm attempts. Kentucky shared those concerns about their students.
Mazzie highlighted four statewide initiatives Utah launched to address the stressors students were facing:
Trula: A peer-support program that offers in-person and virtual coaching to help students develop academic and life skills during their college transition. Of the more than 6,300 students served, 86% reported feeling better equipped to balance college demands and face challenges with confidence after completing the program.
SafeUT: A 24/7 crisis chat and tip line launched in 2015 that provides around-the-clock access to licensed counselors and crisis workers. In 2023 alone, SafeUT facilitated 536 lifesaving interventions and provided over 26,000 chats with more than 900,000 messages in 2024.
Campus counseling: Nine out of Utah’s 16 public institutions of higher education now provide on-campus counseling services, making support more accessible where students live and learn.
After-hours programs: Institutions like the University of Utah extended support beyond traditional hours, offering crisis interventions, group therapy sessions, and drop-in hours in residence halls.
Beyond sharing these successful programs, Mazzie offered lessons learned from Utah’s work. The first lesson proved especially relevant for Kentucky’s planning process: the importance of making a compelling argument for why mental health is within higher education’s purview. The responsibilities for higher education are clearly defined by state statute, but Mazzie relies on data that shows mental health challenges are one of the main issues that prevent students from successfully completing their degrees.
Dr. Aaron Thompson, president of Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, echoed that sentiment. “Mental health is not just an individual concern,” he said. “It is a collective responsibility that significantly influences academic performance, retention rates, and overall campus well-being. The conversation has to be louder. We must continue to prioritize mental health initiatives and foster a culture of support and understanding across all levels of our institutions, so every individual can have the opportunity to thrive.”
Inspired by Utah’s lessons, Kentucky attendees then shifted from learning to planning. They had opportunities to network, hear from a student panel, and learn about Kentucky Community and Technical College System’s strategic visions for student mental health.
Participants from across the state informed the creation of a new guiding team, which will steer the statewide implementation of their mental health strategy. The team includes representatives from public and private institutions, as well as from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
The team’s collaborative leadership will ensure that the strategy reflects diverse institutional perspectives and meets the needs of students across Kentucky. JED will also provide guidance and support during implementation, which will focus on the four priority areas: centering student voices, training faculty and staff, enhancing resources to respond to crises, and improving campus communication about mental health supports.
“Together we focused on equipping campuses, supporting students, and identifying innovative ways to move us forward,” said Dr. Erica Riba, JED’s Senior Director of Alumni Programs and Engagement, who has served as an adviser on the multiyear project. “With this momentum, we’re now shifting to implementation, turning our shared goals into coordinated action across Kentucky’s colleges and universities.”
To learn more about how JED supports state-level systems, email JedCampusInfo@jedfoundation.org.
If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text, call, or chat 988 for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7.
You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.
If this is a medical emergency or if there is immediate danger of harm, call 911 and explain that you need support for a mental health crisis.
