On May 21-22, 2019, more than 3,875 donors from the University of Utah’s worldwide community raised over $396,000 in the first-ever U Giving Day. Utah Athletics encouraged donations to this year’s campaign. The gifts directly affect student-athlete mental health by providing funds to Utah’s psychology and wellness departments.
“The mental health and well-being of our student-athletes at the University of Utah is a major priority for this department,” Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Support Services and Senior Woman Administrator Nona Richardson said. “Our goal is to be a leader in the Pac-12 in providing the necessary staffing and support that our student-athletes need and deserve. With the generous support of our benefactors, we can make this a reality.”
Today is #UGivingDay and @utahathletics is raising awareness on student-athlete mental health. We want to make sure that all of our student-athletes know that they are not alone!#UAreNotAlone #UAreWorthIt pic.twitter.com/IxRABHHPhm
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) May 21, 2019
At its annual spring meeting this year in San Francisco, the Pac-12 CEO Group approved measures to extend the Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Initiative for five years to support on-campus mental health services.
Created in 2014, the Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Initiative has provided funding for research projects for its 12 member Universities for five consecutive years. The initiative is a collective effort between the Pac-12 and its member universities to strengthen and improve the health, general well-being and safety of all student-athletes. Since its founding, the initiative has committed funding for 25 research projects at Pac-12 Universities designed to improve safety and well-being in the essential areas of head trauma, injury prevention and mental health.
“Initiatives focused on enhancing the student-athlete experience and student-athlete well-being have been at the forefront of the Pac-12 mission,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “These decisions reaffirm our commitment to the student-athlete and our efforts to play a leadership role in important areas such as health and well-being.”
