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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Nova Southeastern University Awarded Suicide and Violence Prevention Grant
FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla.—Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has announced that it has been awarded a Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Award by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). The three-year grant is an annual award of $100,000 which will be matched by the University each year.
NSU formed a Crisis Prevention Committee in 2004, at the direction of NSU President Ray Ferrero, Jr., to develop strategies for preventing suicide and violence within the NSU community. In 2007, the NSU Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention was developed to support crisis prevention efforts, with a focus on suicide prevention.
The Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention will administer the grant with Douglas Flemons, Ph.D., director of NSU Student Counseling and Scott Poland, Ed.D, coordinator of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office, serving as co-directors of the grant. Erin Procacci, Ph.D., adjunct faculty member at NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies will serve as the grant coordinator.
“We are honored to have received such a generous sum. Over the next three years, we will have the opportunity to extend our suicide and violence prevention efforts to all students and employees at the university, from the main campus to the Education Centers and on to our online community of scholars”, said Flemons. “We’ve got a great cross-disciplinary team and excellent institutional support, so we’re anticipating a creative and meaningful opportunity to effect change. Given that suicide is the second leading cause of death among college-age students, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to create a university-wide safety net.”
Drs. Flemons and Poland will work with a team of colleagues from various divisions of the university including the Center for Psychological Studies, the Institute for Child Health Policy, Fischler School of Education and Human Services and the Office of Student Disability Services. NSU’s Digital Media Productions and the Innovation Zone will also assist with the project.
The grant will allow the Suicide and Violence Prevention (SVP) team to create a human safety net that extends to the entire NSU community, providing training that explains the prevalence of student suicides, details the warning signs, and demonstrates how to help students considering suicide to access crisis and longer-term mental-health resources.
This means reaching not only the 8,500 on-campus students at NSU, but also the 6,000 graduate and undergraduate students who attend one of the six Florida Student Educational Centers (SECs) and the 10,000 who study online within Florida and from other states.
For more information on NSU’s Office of Suicide Prevention visit: www.nova.edu/suicideprevention/aboutus.html.
Contact:
Felecia Henderson, Associate Director, Public Affairs
(954) 262-5315, fhenders@nova.edu