Otterbein University receives gift from OhioHealth to support student wellness

Otterbein University has received a $250,000 gift from OhioHealth that will be used to support the university’s initiatives to improve student wellness. The gift will establish an endowed fund that will support students through behavioral health and mental health needs. Otterbein University provides students with various mental health and wellness services through the university’s Counseling Center and its campus partners, all at no cost to students. The gift will help fund these services and continue to improve and enhance the university’s support offerings.

According to an article on Otterbein University’s website, university president John Comerford explained how the mission of the university and the mission of OhioHealth are in alignment and how the organization’s gift to the university will benefit students. He is quoted as saying, “OhioHealth and Otterbein have a shared reason for serving people. OhioHealth keeps people healthy, and Otterbein educates people, but the reality is we both do that for some wider purpose. We do it so that the people that we educate or provide healthcare to will go out into the world and help others, be productive members of society, and lift us all up. It’s about serving those individuals, but it’s also about something much greater than that when we work together. This is a stressful time of life. This is a time of life when we ask young people to step back and look at themselves and their values and decide where they fit and who they’re going to be. And that feels, to many of our students, like the weight of the world on their shoulders. Students choose Otterbein because they know they will be cared for here; they won’t get lost here. This gift is going to impact students right here every single day, and we are honored by that.”

The university currently provides its students with free mental and behavioral health services via its Counseling Center. Undergraduate students benefit from the availability of the university’s cooperative of wellness coaches, physicians, public safety officers, and peer counselors. In addition to these offerings, the university is currently in the fundraising stage for its planned Center for Well-Being and Safety Services, which will be housed in the same building as the former health clinic, following renovations. The new Center for Well-Being and Safety Services will house training and wellbeing and outreach programs.

Bill Fox, the vice president for student affairs, noted, “I think we’re at a moment in the country where folks talk about mental health as a crisis. Let’s also look at the opportunity we have at Otterbein to make a unique contribution to students’ lives as we teach lifelong healthy habits and behaviors, apply evidence-based practices that make a positive difference, and celebrate all the ways students flourish and enjoy positive mental health. We really have to be thinking about how we care for the whole person and how we can all be part of that work together. I think this is an opportunity for Otterbein to say, when we’re stuck, we have a friend down the road who can be a thought partner on this work because it’s incredibly important work. We want Otterbein to be known as a leader in how we embed a focus on student well-being in the educational experience. We are open to collaborating with OhioHealth and others to figure out the best solutions to student well-being because we see it as intertwined with student success — to do well, you must be well. This is the right time for Otterbein to embrace new approaches.”

Karen Morrison, who is the president of the OhioHealth Foundation and the senior vice president of OhioHealth, recently presented the university with the gift at a campus event. Speaking at the event, she said, “OhioHealth is proud of its strong community partnership with Otterbein University, ranging from health services for students, faculty and staff to education benefits for OhioHealth associates enrolled in graduate programs at Otterbein. Now being able to expand our commitment to student well-being further supports OhioHealth’s mission. Thank you for all that you do. This is meaningful, purposeful work and at OhioHealth we understand how critically important it is to care for the whole person, and make that care accessible for all.”

For more information about Otterbein University, visit the school’s website.