Widener University recently hosted the 2024 convening of Philadelphia-area higher education institutions that partner with The Jed Foundation (JED). Two administrators were among the presenters. 

The daylong conference held in the University Center included a breakout session led by Larissa Gillespie, associate athletic director and senior woman administrator with Widener Athletics, and Marina Barnett, assistant provost for civic engagement and associate professor in the Center for Social Work Education. Their presentation, “Campus Collaboration to Create a Multi-Dimensional Holistic Approach to Support the ‘Whole’ Student-Athlete,” centered on the unique needs of college student athletes, and Widener’s strategy for fostering a universal sense of care and support for them.

The JED Foundation was created in 2000 to protect emotional health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults. It has grown to be the nation’s leading organization dedicated to young adult mental health, and counts lowering suicide risk and substance misuse as central to its mission. Widener became affiliated with JED in 2023.

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