John and Melissa Ceriale
A newly-announced gift from the Melissa and John V. Ceriale Family Foundation will significantly enhance mental health services for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across the Ithaca campus. Specifically, the gift will provide additional support for:
Programs
- Embedded Therapist Services: therapists from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will be added over time to work within schools colleges on the Ithaca Campus.
- Well-being Coaching: a full-time program coordinator and an expanded team of Well-Being Coaches will be hired over time to work individually with students in various campus settings.
The expansion of these programs ensures access for all Cornell students — undergraduate, graduate, and professional — to receive meaningful, specialized care and coaching. This approach and model of care are tailored to meet the unique challenges students may encounter within their respective colleges, schools, and rigorous academic disciplines.
Assessment
A percentage of the gift will also be used to fund research and assessment — an effort to examine whether the above-mentioned model, combining Embedded Therapist Services and Well-being Coaching, show evidence-based promise for other campuses across the nation. This analysis, led by Cornell Health, will be conducted with the highest standards of academic rigor.
Facility naming
In honor of this landmark gift to boost mental health and well-being across campus, the university has named our Cornell Health facility — which houses most Cornell Health programs and services — The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health.