Grant for Mental Health Services

A $15,000 grant from the Mary Black Foundation will allow Spartanburg Community College to assess current mental health services and develop a long-term plan to better serve SCC students.

Funding from the Mary Black Foundation will bring JED Campus, a nationally-recognized consulting program, to SCC to conduct a student mental health assessment and determine the strengths and weaknesses of the College's mental health services. Assessment methods will include in-depth student surveys through the Healthy Minds Study, focus groups, and site visits by JED Campus experts.

“We are pleased to support efforts by SCC to improve the mental health services for its students. Even prior to COVID-19, anxiety, depression, and toxic stress are known barriers to academic success. The project taken on by SCC is even more timely, given the additional stressors faced by many of its students,” explained Molly Talbot-Metz, president/CEO of the Mary Black Foundation.

Using the data collected, JED Campus will work with an inter-departmental SCC team to create a strategic plan and implement programming to address identified student mental health needs. “This is an excellent opportunity for Spartanburg Community College to evaluate and enhance support services to its students overcoming obstacles toward academic success,” said Natasha Bussert, SCC student services counselor.

SCC has chosen to consult with JED Campus to create and implement a student mental health plan because of their proven, systematic methods of collecting data and their expertise in guiding colleges through the creation of data-driven mental health programming. JED Campus has worked with a variety of well-respected colleges across the nation including Princeton University, the University of California as well as more than 30 two-year colleges.