Brandeis strengthens student mental health commitment with new partnership

Brandeis Stories

Brandeis strengthens student mental health commitment with new partnership

October 30, 2025

Brandeis University has announced its membership with The Jed Foundation's JED Campus Network to strengthen the institution's commitment to supporting student mental health and well-being. The Jed Foundation is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for the nation's teens and young adults.

A signature program of The Jed Foundation, JED Campus is designed to guide colleges through a multi-year collaborative process that helps them enhance student mental health systems, reduce substance misuse and prevent suicide. It provides a structured strategic planning process to assess current efforts, identify gaps and create a unified, campus-wide approach to wellness.

"This partnership will support a discovery process to identify existing strengths and areas for improvement across the university's mental health services and infrastructure," said Lauren Haynie, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Brandeis. "The mental health of our students is a top priority for Brandeis and we are excited to be able to provide these additional resources." The project is funded by the Ortus Foundation, a national nonprofit that focuses on youth mental health and suicide prevention in high schools and universities.

The partnership pairs Brandeis with a dedicated JED advisor for consultation, guidance and technical assistance throughout the program. Under the JED Campus initiative, mental health becomes a shared responsibility across Counseling, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Public Safety and other institutional programs.

By supporting student well-being, JED helps address the unique mental health needs of marginalized students, including first-generation students and students of color.

For more on The Jed Foundation and its impact, visit jedcampus.org. For more information on mental health resources at Brandeis, visit the Brandeis Counseling Center website.