College isn’t just about thriving; it’s about surviving, adapting, and finding your footing when things fall apart.
For today’s students, even normal setbacks like failing a class, losing motivation, and feeling out of place can feel like full-blown crises. Too often, institutions rush to fix what’s broken instead of helping students recover and grow.
This GenZtressed conversation invites campus leaders to rethink what it means to support students through the messy middle of college life. Together, we’ll explore how to normalize struggle as a part of learning, not a sign of weakness, and how doing so can strengthen resilience, belonging, and retention.
Join experts from student success, counseling, and higher ed leadership as they share real-world strategies for helping students struggle well with compassion, connection, and courage. Because when students feel safe to stumble, they’re far more likely to stay the course.
This session is perfect for student success and retention leaders, counseling and wellness professionals, faculty, advisors, and anyone committed to building a culture of care that keeps students connected, especially when college gets hard.
Moderator:
Hilary Burns, Higher Education Reporter, The Boston Globe
Panelists:
- Bryant Ford, Ph.D., Director for CAPS, Brown University
- Christy Johanson, EdD, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Eastern New Mexico University
- Heather Simonich, MA, LPC-S, Assistant Dean of Students
Director, Center for Holistic Health
