UAlbany Receives Insight Into Academia Award for Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being
By Amy Geduldig
Albany, N.Y. (Aug. 5, 2025) — Today, the University at Albany received the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award recognizes institutions that commit to campus-wide integration of mental health initiatives, including accessible services, peer support, emotional resilience, and proactive policy.
“It is an honor to receive this recognition, as it is reflective of the University at Albany’s unwavering commitment to offering a campus climate that includes a strong focus on fostering mental health, well-being, and belonging”, said Samuel Caldwell, vice president of inclusive excellence. “Creating a supportive environment includes offering resources that meet the mental health and well-being needs of the UAlbany community.”
Insight Into Academia selected UAlbany for the award in recognition of its whole systems approaches to health promotion for students, faculty and staff. The University prioritizes the core values of inclusive excellence and belonging through programs, initiatives, and other campus activities.
The University’s Counseling & Psychological Services Office provides enhanced mental health services to the campus community, including one-on-one counseling support, recovery programs and the STEPS program, which is designed to help students confront issues stemming from alcohol or cannabis use. UAlbany also offers a robust peer-to-peer counseling service through its Middle Earth Peer Assistance program, where student volunteers — trained by mental health professionals — help address personal and academic issues that affect student success.
In addition to counseling support, the University offers a wide range of resources for students experiencing difficulties that may challenge their health and academic success, including:
- Disability Access and Inclusion Student Services (DAISS) — supports and empowers students by cultivating an accessible and inclusive living and learning environment at the University at Albany.
- Purple Pantry — offers UAlbany community members a variety of non-perishable foods, frozen foods, fresh produce, personal items and toiletries for themselves and members of their household.
- UAlbany’s Student Emergency Fund — supports undergraduate and graduate students who experience an unforeseen financial hardship or emergency, so they can stay on track toward graduation.
Furthering its commitment to support a healthy and engaged community, the University transformed a former dining hall into The Well, a 26,000-square-foot recreation and wellness center that opened last fall. UAlbany also hosted the third summit of the U.S. Health Promoting Campuses Network last year — an event for higher education institutions that presents innovative approaches, strategies and practices that promote well-being for students, faculty and staff.
The University’s holistic approach to mental health has also been acknowledged by the Princeton Review, which included UAlbany as one of 16 institutions selected for its 2025 Mental Health Services Honor Roll. UAlbany was the only public college in New York State selected for the honor.
UAlbany will be featured, along with 70 other recipients, in the September 2025 issue of Insight Into Academia.
“We know that institutions are not always recognized for their dedication to their mental health and well-being services and support for their students and employees,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia. “We are proud to honor these colleges and universities as role models for other institutions of higher education.”
A call for nominations for this award was announced in March 2025.
For more information about the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award, visit insightintoacademia.com.