CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Five Charleston-area colleges are hosting a conference to address student mental health, with this year’s focus on equipping faculty and staff with tools to support students.
The College of Charleston is hosting the fourth annual Student Health and Well-Being Conference at the Rita Liddy Hollins Science Center Building from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 19.
This year’s theme is Roots of Resilience — Growing Student Well-Being Together.
The conference started four years ago as a collaboration between the College of Charleston, MUSC and The Citadel. It has since expanded to include Trident Technical College and Charleston Southern University, meaning each institution gets to learn what resources have worked, what hasn’t and where they can all improve in a collaborative environment.
Building a culture of well-being
The conference focuses on resources colleges can provide for students and staff, including a student experience panel, plant therapy, helping veterans in crisis and building a mental health first aid kit.
“The idea is to create on our campuses a well-being culture where there are a lot of faculty and staff who understand well-being topics, understand strategies and resources that can support well-being and mental health and physical health for students,” Alicia Caudill, executive vice president for student affairs at the College of Charleston, said. “That way it starts to be intentionally woven through academic and co-curricular experiences.”
Caudill said well-being is not the responsibility of one department or person on campus.
“Well-being and mental health is a topic that continues to impact how people experience the world and so then it impacts how they experience their college life and their academic work,” she said. “Well-being is not just the responsibility of one department for one person on campus, and it’s certainly not the responsibility of one single student or a small group of students.”
The conference allows Charleston-area institutions to learn how to support students and create educational opportunities for faculty and staff.
Copyright 2026 WCSC. All rights reserved.