14 Additional Resources

Ryan, T., Baik, C., & Larcombe, W. (2021). How can universities better support the mental wellbeing of higher degree research students? A study of students’ suggestions. Higher Education Research & Development, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1874886

• Notes data on high rates of psychological distress among graduate students and asks students for suggestions on what could be done to improve their wellbeing.
• Identifies nine primary themes within responses, the four most prominent being: culture and community; support services; supervisors and supervision practices; peer engagement and networking.
• Argues for a refined roadmap of policy, action and research to better understand and address high levels of psychological distress.
• Findings suggest that graduate students are likely to benefit from a whole-of-university approach to supporting their wellbeing, and from an academic research culture that values the wellbeing of all its members.

Williams June, A. (2021, May 17). Students struggling with mental health often confide in professors. They want more guidance on how to help. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/students-struggling-with-mental-health-often-confide-in-their-professors-they-want-more-guidance-on-how-to-help

• Study conducted in Spring, 2021 found nearly eight out of 10 professors had a one-on-one conversation with a student about mental health in the previous 12 months, but less than 30 per cent reported receiving training from their institution.
• One in five faculty report having 10+ conversations with students about their mental or emotional health.
• 70 per cent of professors want to better understand mental-health issues and would like training; 61 per cent support mandatory mental-health crisis response training for faculty.
• One in five professors report their own mental health suffered through supporting students without support/training.
• Nearly 50 per cent agree or strongly agree that their institution should invest more resources to support faculty mental health and wellbeing.

Skallerup Bessette, Lee. (2020, September 22). Staff get little to no say in campus governance. that must change. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/staff-get-little-to-no-say-in-campus-governance-that-must-change

• University staff often characterized as useless “administrative bloat.” They have little say in institution governance and lack protections to express disagreement with policies.
• Staff need to be proactively given a voice and treated as colleagues. They could be allies to faculty and students in disagreeing with administration.
• Little support, or active discouragement, of faculty-staff collaboration leads to overtaxed faculty.
• Need to overhaul governance system and create permanent structures that meaningfully integrate staff into governance and addressing problems on campus (rather than more ad hoc committees or temporary empowerment).