(Above) Students enjoy the Saluki Covid Memorial Wellness Garden outside the Student Health Center. (Photo by Russell Bailey) (Middle and below) Students can de-stress at the Dawg Lounge by enjoying time with dogs or relaxing in the Rainforest Room. (SIU Carbondale photos)
August 05, 2025
SIU earns national award for excellence in mental health and well-being
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Student Health Services is one of just 71 institutions in the country to earn the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being award from Insight Into Academia magazine, which advances best practices in higher education excellence and belonging.
SIU will be featured, along with the other recipients announced today (Aug. 5), in the September issue of the publication for Student Health Services’ programs and for its campuswide integration of mental health initiatives, including accessible services, peer support and promoting emotional resilience as well as for its proactive policies and priorities.
SIU has intentionally worked to provide a variety of services to meet the needs of students, leading the way in creating groundbreaking initiatives, said Jaime Clark, director of Student Health Services. She said this award is a noteworthy recognition of diligent efforts to make a difference in the lives of all students.
Leading the way with many, diverse services
SIU Student Health Services’ pioneering initiatives include:
- The new mental health response program established this spring that sends responders with specialized skills in mental health to assist when needed on SIU emergency calls. SIU’s Department of Public Safety, Counseling and Psychological Servicesand other units developed a team to provide crisis assessment, response, evaluation and support (CARES) with funding from an Illinois Board of Higher Education Mental Health Early Action on Campus competitive grant. The program is the first of its kind in the nation and its objective is to increase access to quality mental health care, decrease hospitalizations and encourage help-seeking behaviors. Since it was established in mid-February, the team has responded 30 times for needs involving 22 students, six community members and two staff. As a result, 27 students received mental health support and follow-up care, while involved staff and two community members received appropriate referrals. Just two students and four community members received support in assessment at the hospital, according to Shelly Ridgeway, assistant director of Student Health Services and director of Wellness and Health Promotion Services.
- The Higher Education Resources and Opportunities for Salukis in Need (HEROES) program, which provides vital support to students with financial challenges and remove barriers to academic success.
“SIU addresses the basic needs of students through the HEROES program, ensuring access to wholistic health care and wrap-around services for all students,” Clark said.
- Saluki Cares, a campuswide program providing care and support to students in distress.
- Three stress management locations across campus such as the Student Health Center’s Dawg Lounge, which
features private rooms equipped with light and biofeedback machines, massage chairs and other soothing items and offers support dog visits twice weekly when classes are in session, downward dog yoga, calming craft activities and much more drawing more than 2,000 student visitors each year. In addition, the HEROES Hideaway in the Student Center is a “multicultural Zen den” with massage chair, yoga and meditation tools, monthly workshops and more while drawing more than 1,000 students annually, and the outdoor Student Health Services’ Saluki Covid Memorial Wellness Garden features sensory-inspired nature features, crafts, a mural and a spot to relax and reflect.
“SIU has collaborated across departments to create cutting-edge programs to address the mental health needs of our students,” Clark said. “We have six locations, provide round-the-clock crisis response and give 24/7 access to mental health providers. Students can walk in and been seen with no appointment or door fee required, thanks to these new programs. As a result, we provide more than double the number of counseling visits as other universities our size and triple the number of crisis visits.”
Role model for others
SIU is among just five Illinois higher education programs in the state to be recognized by Insight Into Academia, and one of just two baccalaureate institutions.
“We are proud to honor these colleges and universities as role models for other institutions of higher learning,” said Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia.
Learn more about the numerous services and programs SIU’s Student Health Services offers at shc.siu.edu or its Facebook page or Instagram accounts.