Baldwin Wallace University receives funding from Harding Family Charitable Trust for student mental health support

Baldwin Wallace University has received $1 million from the Harding Family Charitable Trust that will support mental health initiatives on campus for students as well as provide scholarships for students who will participate in the university’s new Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree program.

According to an article on Baldwin Wallace University’s website, Dr. Léna Crain, the university’s dean of students, said of the gift, "We are deeply grateful to the Harding Family Charitable Trust and for the resources made possible for students through the Trust's generous support. The Harding grant funding will sustain and expand clinical mental health services available to BW students."

Baldwin Wallace University’s counseling center will receive funding through the Harding Family Charitable Trust grant that will enhance the services it can offer to ensure students are receiving the mental health support they need. The grant will allow the counseling center to increase the hours its psychiatrist can work to provide more counseling sessions to students and enhance the depth of work they do with students. Additionally, the counseling center will be able to expand access to various telehealth options that it finds students like to utilize.

In addition to the funding increasing the capabilities of the university’s counseling center, it will also provide financial support to students who are entering the new Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree program. Thanks to the funding from the Harding Family Charitable Trust, the first 25 students who enroll in the program in the Fall 2025 and Fall 2026 semesters will receive $10,000 scholarships. 

Dr. Erin M. West, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Counseling, explained why this scholarship funding is particularly useful to help address the region’s shortage of trained mental health counselors. West is quoted as saying, "There is a high level of need for licensed mental health counselors within Ohio and across the nation to meet the growing mental health and substance use issues of our population. We know that financial barriers are often the largest reason why well-qualified students choose not to pursue a graduate degree. At BW, we're excited to offer this degree with generous new scholarship support. The Harding Family Charitable Trust gift will enable more graduates to be immediately eligible for counseling licensure and a career where jobs are plentiful and graduates are able to make a meaningful difference in the community."

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