The programming options below were developed by staff members in Cornell Health's Skorton Center for Health Initiatives.
Trainings
The Skorton Center for Health Initiatives offers the following in-person programs for faculty and staff.
To request programming for your group, please complete please complete this program request form. We require at least 20 participants and at least 2 weeks’ notice to accommodate requests.
Notice and Respond: Assisting Students in Distress
- 90-minute in-person workshop (a 60-minute version of the training is available)
These programs help Cornell faculty, staff, and graduate student Teaching Assistants to recognize and respond to students who may be experiencing distress.
These programs help Cornell faculty, staff, and graduate student Teaching Assistants recognize and respond to students who may be experiencing distress. Following a brief film that features a realistic example of a student in distress, we’ll share the signs and levels of distress (concern, elevated, and emergency) they may notice in students as well as recommended response options. Additionally, participants will learn when and how to ask directly about suicide and that asking directly about suicide does not increase the risk that the person will act on these thoughts. This training also covers the importance of encouraging help-seeking behaviors and reviews campus, local, and national resources for mental health support.
You can request a training for your group for staff OR for faculty (including academic teaching staff and TAs) using the program request form linked above. For individuals or smaller groups, please consider attending one of our scheduled workshops.
WISE: Promoting Well-Being Through Teaching & Advising Practices
- 60-minute in-person workshop
The Well-being in Scholarly Environments (WISE) training provides faculty with an overview of concepts, approaches, and strategies that will help support student well-being in Cornell classrooms.
This program covers a brief snapshot of student mental health, explores the link between academic performance and well-being, and reviews concrete and research-based strategies that promote student well-being through teaching and advising practices. Participants will interactively discover ways to promote a sense of belonging for their diverse students, cultivate a growth mindset, and boost interactivity to promote a positive classroom environment. Learn how small shifts can have big impacts for student well-being and take away easy ideas that will help you support your students while streamlining your classroom logistics.
Learn more about WISE below.
Intro to WISE: Well-Being in Scholarly Environments
- 20-minute in-person workshop
We also offer a 20-minute presentation designed to introduce the WISE program and opportunities. This short presentation would be an ideal addition to your department meeting for faculty and graduate TA’s.
Learn more about WISE below.
Well-being in Scholarly Environments (WISE) resources
The Well-being in Scholarly Environments (WISE) Initiative is a campus-level initiative designed to support faculty in embedding well-being practices within their teaching practices.
Visit our WISE webpage for:
- Faculty training opportunities
- Our WISE Canvas course
- WISE strategies to support student well-being
Academic partnerships
The Skorton Center for Health Initiatives has partnered with Cornell faculty in the following ways. Please reach out to us to discuss your ideas for partnership by emailing cornellhealth@cornell.edu.
- Delivering guest lectures in academic classes including:
- FGSS 3320: Gender and Psychopathology
- HADM 4300: Introduction to Wines
- ILROB 3730: Culture, Leadership, and Change
- NS 2060: Preparation for Engaged Learning in Global & Public Health Sciences
- Facilitating health workshops for students and Teaching Assistants:
- Examples include facilitating "Let's CU Flourish," "Notice & Respond: Friend 2 Friend," and "Intervene" in first-year college seminar courses including ENGRG 1050, ILR Colloquium, and all new first-year and transfer students in the Brooks School of Public Policy (see Student Engagement for program descriptions)
- Supporting academic class projects and/or co-teaching courses to serve the Cornell community, including partnering with:
- Dr. Mardelle Shepley and her class DEA 5304: Design Accountability to evaluate the new health center building
- Dr. Jeff Niederdeppe and his class COMM 3760: Planning Communication Campaigns to help students develop health campaign materials
- Dr. Amelia Safi and her class VTPEH 6184: Health Communication to help students develop audience analysis, health communication campaign products, and dissemination plans
- Dr. Gen Meredith and her class VTPEH 6182: Public Health Planning, serving as a community partner to a group of students as they design a public health response to address a defined need related to prevention, treatment, and/or care
- Dr. Sonja Skelly and her "Nature and Your Well-Being" Learning Where you Live course to teach about how connection with nature can nurture holistic well-being
- Dr. Sharon Sassler and her "Sexual Citizenship" Learning Where you Live course to explore the social ecosystem that makes sexual assault on college campuses a common experience