Students experiencing mental illnesses find their campus experience challenging for a number of reasons, including the enduring and detrimental stigma so strongly associated with mental illnesses. With one in three undergraduate students reported feeling so depressed it was difficult to function, and with 86% of students with mental illnesses are expected to withdraw from college before obtaining their degree, the importance of propagating mental health awareness and encouraging help-seeking behavior is vital (Salzer, 2012). Students at higher risk for mental health issues, particularly student veterans, foster students, and LGBT students, are matriculating in higher education at higher rates. This beckons the conversation that a larger, more visible and comprehensive dialogue around mental health and the reality of its presence on college campuses needs to be instituted. California Community Colleges constitute 25% of the nation's college student population, and as more and more students enroll into higher education, more students with a mental illness are in college classrooms. The education of student mental health at institutions of higher education is critical if campuses are to address the prevention and early intervention needs of their students, faculty, and staff. The methodology used for this research was both qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative methods were utilized to assess how the grant enhanced campus responded to student mental health needs. Based on the data collected and analyzed between June 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, the Campus Based Grant (CBG) resourced the delivery and education of prevention and intervention (PEI) strategies and best practices to over 21,000 persons. Additionally, the CCC SMHP enhanced the capacity of 23 campuses to respond to the mental health needs of students by as much as 76%. Overall, the CCC SMHP had a significant impact on the existing mental health services on campuses and was awarded a CBG. Furthermore, based on the findings of this research, college leaders and policymakers should consider the struggles with which students with mental illnesses contend, and the difference mental health education can have on all stakeholders of institutions of higher education.

The purpose of this research study was to identify the services available in California community college and to identify effective practices that support students with psychological disabilities in this setting to be successful. With the passage of Proposition 63 in California, the Mental Health Services Act of November 2004 became law and a taxpayer's taxable income in excess of one million dollars now has an additional 1% tax. These funds were to be used to transform the public mental health systems without supplanting existing mental health budgets. These funds would support the development of new services in the community colleges in conjunction with the California Department of Mental Health. This study will analyze the data from a survey that collected information on services currently available at the community colleges in California and services that are desired by college staff to provide necessary support to students with psychological disabilities. A quantitative analysis was conducted on the data, collected in May, 2009, through a survey of the 110 community colleges throughout the state of California. The survey selected by the California Community College's Chancellors Office was modified from previous surveys under the title of a National Survey of Counseling Center Directors in four-year colleges and universities by adding questions. Selected individuals at the Chancellors office maintained most of the questions in the survey and inserted additional questions in the area of location of services, services to student veterans and campus clubs. A chi-square was done to analyze observed responses with expected frequencies. Comparison of California results with the National Counselor Center Directors used descriptive statistics to evaluate trends in the two different college systems. Findings indicate that dividing the community colleges by department affiliation was necessary for the collection of responses, but did not provide for significant differences in services among the four departments. The frequency of responses to a survey question provided valuable information when identifying trends for the community colleges. The data reveal some similarities in the descriptions of responses when comparing the California Community Colleges with the National four-year colleges with the use of college size. Based on these findings, recommendations for practices and processes were made in the collaboration of services both internal and external, the development of training materials for faculty and staff, and the development of a standard in California for the type of information collected on services for students using mental health supports.

The purpose of this research study was to identify the services available in California community colleges and to identify effective practices that support students with psychological disabilities to be successful. With the passage of Proposition 63 in California, the Mental Health Services Act of November 2004 became law and a taxpayer's taxable income in excess of one million dollars now has an additional 1% tax. These funds were to be used to transform the public mental health systems without supplanting existing mental health budgets. These funds would support the development of new services in the community colleges in conjunction with the California Department of Mental Health. This study will analyze the data from a survey that collected information on services currently available at the community colleges in California and services that are desired by college staff to provide necessary support to students with psychological disabilities. A quantitative analysis was conducted on the data, collected in May, 2009, through a survey of the 110 community colleges throughout the state of California.

Community college student mental health is a critical topic among community college leaders, faculty, and staff. Mental health concerns among community college students are more prevalent and more pronounced than among students at four-year institutions. The recent pandemic has further amplified students’ mental health concerns. Poor mental health can negatively affect student success outcomes such as persistence within courses, grade point average, and credential completion. Even though the research in this area is growing, additional work is necessary to fully grasp the scope and details of the issue. Within this book, Latz outlines the contours of the issue by explaining what is already known. She then uses data from a study involving interviews with community college faculty to further explain the issue from their unique and important vantage points. Readers will learn about both the professional lives of community college faculty and their experiences with and perspectives of their students, many of whom navigate mental health issues. The book is concluded with robust recommendations for community college leaders who are seeking ways to better support their students.

In recent years, there has been heightened attention paid to the mental health needs of college students, the range and scope of these issues, and the challenges related to providing mental health services. Counseling center data, changing legal mandates and anecdotal reports from senior practitioners all point to the growing complexity of managing these issues. This volume examines clinical issues for student affairs professionals beyond the counseling center– addressing how campuses can be prepared for and respond to mental health issues. It helps readers cultivate a community-centered understanding of and sense of shared responsibility for promoting mental health, knowledge about best practices for service provision, and strategies for dealing with mental health issues pertaining to specific student populations and issues within the environment. Topics covered include: Contextual and foundational information related to current student mental health trends, Mental health aspects of certain populations including military-connected students, students on the autism spectrum, and international student, Bigger-picture, systemic issues related to mental health faced by colleges and universities, and Future directions of mental health on campuses. This is the 156th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly series. An indispensable resource for vice presidents of student affairs, deans of students, student counselors, and other student services professionals, New Directions for Student Services offers guidelines and programs for aiding students in their total development: emotional, social, physical, and intellectual.

This is the first comprehensive and contemporary history of the largest and most diverse public system of higher education in the United States. Serving over 2 million students annually--approximately one-quarter of the nation's community college undergraduates--California's 116 community colleges play an indispensable role in career and transfer education in North America and have maintained an outsized influence on the evolution of postsecondary education nationally. A College for All Californians chronicles the sector's emergence from K-12 institutions, its evolving mission and growth following World War II and the G.I. Bill For Education, the expansion of its ever-broadening mission, and its essential role in the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education. Chapters cover California's junior and community colleges' development, mission, governance, faculty, finances, athletics, student support services, and more. It also examines the successes and ongoing political, financial, and educational challenges confronting this uniquely American educational experiment. Book Features: Encapsulates the evolution and contemporary status of our nation's largest and most diverse undergraduate education system. Examines how the colleges were influenced by the political, economic, and social issues of the day. Includes new historical information affecting postsecondary education in California. Analyzes some of the most important current and emerging issues that will continue to influence California's community colleges.