SUNY Oswego was among the campuses that will provide important training to the campus and community after SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced awards on Jan. 8 through SUNY’s Mental Health First Aid Grant Program.
The grants, ranging up to $8,000, provide targeted funding to strengthen campus-wide approaches to student mental health and well-being across the SUNY System.
On an annual basis, when fully implemented, the funding is estimated to support the delivery of mental health first aid training for almost 3,000 faculty, staff and other non-clinical campus personnel, expanding campus capacity to recognize and respond to students in distress.
“This grant is going to let us have one trainer on campus for mental health first aid,” said Lynn Braun, director of Counseling Services, located in the Dr. Mary Walker Health Center. “For starters, what we’re planning to do is work with Residence Life and Housing to do training for residence hall directors and assistant directors. In addition, we hope to offer at least one session on campus anybody can attend.”
While the university already offers QPR (Question, Persuade, Response) training for members of the campus community to help in suicide prevention –- which is important –- this mental health first-aid training is eight hours and more intense, Braun said.
Making these resources available to students in Oswego’s counseling and psychology services graduate program is a goal as well.
“Any time we can provide more extensive training to folks on campus, interventions and ways to talk to students under stress, it’s a good thing,” Braun said.
In addition, the grant opens the door to provide training to partners in the community, such as Oswego Health and other organizations, and even other colleges in the region that did not receive the grant.
“The opportunity to contribute to the greater community Is a great opportunity for us, and it speaks to the partnerships we have with community mental health partners,” Braun said. “I’m happy that we’re able to contribute to the community this way. It allows us to bring resources to both our campus and the local community.”
For more information on university mental health resources, visit the Counseling Services website.
Supporting students throughout SUNY
“Mental health is health, and our priority at SUNY is to advance every aspect of our students’ growth and to ensure they have the support needed to succeed in their academic, professional, and personal development,” Chancellor King said. “The grants provided through this innovative program will help ensure more SUNY staff and personnel are trained to recognize and address mental health concerns and to support students in need.”
The Mental Health First Aid Grant Program was first announced as part of Chancellor King’s 2025 State of the University Policy Agenda and reflects the SUNY Board of Trustees’ ongoing commitment to proactive, systemwide strategies that support student mental health. By extending training beyond campus counseling centers, this initiative equips faculty and staff with practical tools to provide timely, informed support and connect students with appropriate professional resources.
The grant funding announced by SUNY will support the creation and expansion of campus mental health first aid programming, including instructor certification, campus-wide training delivery, required materials and outreach efforts to strengthen mental health literacy. Campuses with existing mental health first aid programs are encouraged to use the funding to expand training for additional students, faculty and staff and, where appropriate, provide training opportunities to neighboring SUNY campuses.
SUNY has led efforts to support students’ mental health and to advance efforts to train more mental health professionals in New YorksState. Thanks to increased state investment in SUNY, the SUNY Board of Trustees now allocates nearly $10 million in recurring annual funding to support state-operated campuses in expanding mental health services and $3 million in recurring annual funding to support mental health services at community colleges.
SUNY also has an easy-to-use website to support students who may be struggling with mental health distress to identify support services and available resources. In July 2025, Chancellor King announced the fourth class of SUNY/OMH Scholarship Program recipients –- which included SUNY Oswego graduate student Elise Briedis –- as part of the SUNY effort to strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals from diverse backgrounds, with a focus on serving New Yorkers who may have historically lacked access to quality mental health care.