Impact Summit on College Student Mental Health to be held April 29, 2020

As part of the Critical Conversations initiative launched by NASPA IV-W, organizations have the opportunity to apply for financial and non-financial assistance to help in providing professional development for student affairs professionals outside of the NASPA IV-W Regional Conference. This year the Critical Conversations committee, NASPA IV-W and Missouri State University invites you to Save-the-Date for the 3rd annual Impact Summit on College Student Mental Health to be held April 29, 2020, at Missouri State University’s Plaster Student Union in Springfield, MO. The summit advisory committee is interested in providing participants a diverse array of educational sessions pertaining to college student mental health.

The Impact Summit on College Student Mental Health is a day-long conference consisting of keynotes and educational break-out sessions on topics pertaining to college student mental health. Through educational dialogue, we hope to add to the community conversation around mental health and destigmatize mental health concerns.

We are pleased to announce our Keynote Speakers for the 2020 Impact Summit, Jenni Schaefer and Frederick Shegog.  Jenni Schaefer is one of the foremost motivational speakers of her generation. She has carried her message of self-acceptance and triumph over adversity to the campuses of Harvard and Yale, to corporate leaders and mental health professionals, and to audiences ranging from teens to seniors, earning an international reputation for her ability to bring just the right insights and approach to each. Her own books, her contributions to anthologies like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, appearances on Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Today and Entertainment Tonight, and print coverage from Cosmopolitan to The New York Times, have carried the message to millions more.  Jenni’s background enables her to bridge the personal and the clinical in dealing with a range of issues, including addiction and perfectionism, eating and body image, self-esteem and personal empowerment. She graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University with a degree in biochemistry and was headed to medical school when she decided instead to move to Nashville to pursue singing and songwriting, then dealt with the devastating consequences of an eating disorder that nearly derailed everything.

Dumpster diving, panhandling and drinking were once everyday activities for Frederick Shegog. In his early twenties, he entered a spiral of addiction that pulled him away from his childhood dreams. Despite a decade of alcohol abuse and time spent homeless, Shegog was able to transform himself into an honors student at Delaware County Community College in just two years. Now, as a motivational speaker, he is on a mission to help others combat substance use disorder and to change the way colleges serve students in recovery.

The Call for Sessions has opened. We invite you to submit a session proposal for the 3rd Annual Impact Summit on College Student Mental Health. The summit advisory committee is interested in providing participants a diverse array of educational sessions pertaining to college student mental health.

Such topics might include sharing best practices or strategies; innovative programs and services; academic research studies; personal/professional stories and experiences relevant to the conference’s subject; and/or opportunities for discussing “hot topics” in college student mental health. Sessions may be poster presentations, flash sessions of 30 minutes or concurrent sessions of 50 minutes, including time for participant discussion.

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the conference website:  https://dosaforms.missouristate.edu/view.php?id=149168. The official online submission process will close on January 17, 2020. The advisory committee will notify presenters of their selection by January 31, 2020.

Other important dates:

February 17, 2020 - Registration Opens

March 30, 2020 - Early Bird Registration Ends

April 15, 2020 - Registration Closes

For more information about the Impact Summit, visit https://www.missouristate.edu/impactsummit.

For questions about the Impact Summit: College Student Mental Health Conference, contact Priscilla Childress, chair of the Impact Summit Advisory Board, by phone at (417) 836-3060 or by email at pchildress@missouristate.edu.