First things first.

Abstract

Although trustees and administrators at universities in the United States are acutely aware of the mental health crisis on their campuses and consistently rate it as one of the most pressing challenges, it usually only gets attention when a tragedy strikes a member of the student body. Those moments illuminate the lack of adequate mental health care for undergraduate and graduate students, but are hastily followed up with meetings admonishing administrators to hire more counselors. Despite the constant drumbeat of these episodes, hardly any universities have prioritized mental health in a comprehensive and proactive way. The newly appointed president of Dartmouth College, Sian Beilock, has taken a refreshing approach in naming campus mental health as the first priority in her inaugural address. It's long past time.