Magazine recognizes university with 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award
Alvernia University receives the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The award recognizes an institution’s individual programs and initiatives that significantly advance the core values of inclusive excellence and belonging through campus-wide integration of mental health initiatives, including accessible services, peer support, emotional resilience and proactive policy.
In 2024, Alvernia launched the SOLAR (Support, Opportunity, Love, Access, and Resources) initiative, aimed at addressing every student’s academic, financial, emotional, and personal needs to improve student retention and graduation rates and foster a stronger sense of community across all students at all university locations.
“We want our students to feel surrounded with support,” said Alvernia President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. “This campus-wide initiative is not just an office, program or individual. It is a vision for the continuous evolution and dedication to our culture of care for every student."
The initiative sprung out of analysis results from Temple University Hope Center for Student Basic Needs Survey, which indicated 45% of Alvernia students were experiencing a basic need insecurity.
“Our results were not very different than what’s true across the country,” said Senior Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Mary-Alice Ozechoski, M.A. “About 30% of college students are food insecure. About 9% of college students in any given year experience housing insecurity. SOLAR represents an opportunity to continually reassess, reimagine and innovate how we support students, empowering each of them to reach their full potential.”
Some examples of SOLAR in action:
- Students dealing with mental health issues can meet with counseling professionals on campus at the Penn Medicine – Alvernia Medical and Counseling Center.
- The Hope Fund assists Alvernia students and families in financial need and allows the university to address student hardships.
- The reach of Clare’s Cupboard – a resource that provides nonperishable food items, toiletries, housewares and school supplies – has expanded. There are multiple locations throughout Alvernia's Reading locations, in Pottsville and in collaboration with Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Philadelphia.
- The Navigation Office offers students one-on-one guidance and workshops on topics such as time management and exam preparation. The Academic Success Center offers peer tutoring, coaching, writing support and other services.
- In partnership with Visions Federal Credit Union, the Financial Wellness Center aims to develop students’ financial literacy.
Alvernia also appointed Melissa Terwilliger as the university’s first director of social services to head its Office of Social Services.
“When I meet with a student, the first thing I do is really hone in on listening, asking how I could support them," said Terwilliger, a former case manager in Berks County and student support specialist for a large rural school district in western Pennsylvania. "When I hear what they're asking, I can better understand how to connect them to support on-campus or off-campus."
Alvernia will be featured with 70 other recipients in the September 2025 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine.
“We know that institutions are not always recognized for their dedication to their mental health and well-being services and support for their students and employees,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia. “We are proud to honor these colleges and universities as role models for other institutions of higher education.”
