Ep. 25: Mental Health Awareness and Student Success

02/19/25 • 31 min

In this episode of Breaking Silos, host Shane Baglini welcomes Taylor Stakes, Media Production Manager at TimelyCare, to discuss how mental health services are directly tied to student success and graduation rates.

Taylor shares insights from TimelyCare’s research, which found that 73 percent of students believe access to mental health services improves their chances of graduating. Despite this, many institutions still treat mental health support as a secondary resource rather than an essential part of student success. This episode unpacks why that mindset needs to shift and how marketers, student affairs professionals, and university leaders can better integrate mental health messaging into their overall communication strategies.

Key Takeaways

Mental health services are a retention tool – Research shows that students who engage in counseling services are more likely to persist and graduate.
Marketing plays a critical role – Many students are unaware of the mental health resources available to them, highlighting the need for better promotion and integration into student messaging.
Mental health is students’ top concern – TimelyCare’s research found that 58 percent of students cite mental health as their biggest stressor, even above financial concerns.
Early intervention leads to better outcomes – Students who receive at least three counseling sessions show significant improvements in mental well-being and academic performance.
Scalability is key – Universities must find ways to expand mental health resources, whether through internal programs or partnerships with providers like TimelyCare.

Mental Health and Academic Success Are Deeply Connected

While universities often focus on financial aid, academic advising, and career services as retention strategies, mental health support is just as critical. Students struggling with anxiety, depression, or stress are at higher risk of dropping out, yet many institutions still view mental health as an optional support rather than an integral part of student success.

TimelyCare’s research found that nearly three out of four students believe access to mental health services improves their likelihood of graduating. When students feel supported, they are more likely to stay enrolled, persist through challenges, and complete their degrees. Universities that prioritize mental health services aren’t just providing a resource—they’re making a strategic investment in student outcomes.

Why Institutions Struggle to Prioritize Mental Health

One of the biggest challenges universities face is limited resources. Budget cuts, understaffed counseling centers, and increasing demand for mental health support make it difficult to provide comprehensive services to every student who needs them. As a result, many students either don’t know help is available or can’t access it when they need it most.

TimelyCare and other digital mental health providers help bridge this gap by offering 24/7 access to counseling and well-being coaching. These services don’t replace on-campus counseling centers but rather supplement them, ensuring that students can always find support—even in the middle of the night.

By investing in scalable mental health solutions, universities can increase access, improve retention, and foster a more supportive campus culture.

Breaking the Stigma and Raising Awareness

Even when universities offer robust mental health resources, many students don’t take advantage of them simply because they don’t know they exist. This is where higher ed marketers and communicators play a vital role. Institutions must actively promote mental health services, integrating them into broader campus messaging rather than relegating them to a student affairs webpage that few students visit.

Taylor shared the example of James Madison University (JMU), where the marketing team proactively promoted mental health resources long before a crisis occurred. By normalizing conversations about mental health and embedding these services into campus culture, JMU ensured that students knew where to turn for support when they needed it.

Key strategies for promoting mental health services include:

Social media campaigns – Regularly highlight available mental health resources on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms where students are active.
Targeted email and text messaging – Send reminders about counseling services, wellness workshops, and stress management resources throughout the semester.
Collaborations with student organizations – Partner with student leaders to share mental health messaging in a way that feels authentic and relatable.
Storytelling and testimonials – Feature real student stories about how mental health services helped them succeed.

Expanding Access Without Overburdening Staff

One of the bi...

Key Takeaways

Mental health services are a retention tool – Research shows that students who engage in counseling services are more likely to persist and graduate.
Marketing plays a critical role – Many students are unaware of the mental health resources available to them, highlighting the need for better promotion and integration into student messaging.
Mental health is students’ top concern – TimelyCare’s research found that 58 percent of students cite mental health as their biggest stressor, even above financial concerns.
Early intervention leads to better outcomes – Students who receive at least three counseling sessions show significant improvements in mental well-being and academic performance.
Scalability is key – Universities must find ways to expand mental health resources, whether through internal programs or partnerships with providers like TimelyCare.

Mental Health and Academic Success Are Deeply Connected

Why Institutions Struggle to Prioritize Mental Health

By investing in scalable mental health solutions, universities can increase access, improve retention, and foster a more supportive campus culture.

Breaking the Stigma and Raising Awareness

Key strategies for promoting mental health services include:

Social media campaigns – Regularly highlight available mental health resources on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms where students are active.
Targeted email and text messaging – Send reminders about counseling services, wellness workshops, and stress management resources throughout the semester.
Collaborations with student organizations – Partner with student leaders to share mental health messaging in a way that feels authentic and relatable.
Storytelling and testimonials – Feature real student stories about how mental health services helped them succeed.

Expanding Access Without Overburdening Staff

One of the bi...

Previous Episode

Ep. 24: Launching a Student Social Ambassador Initiative at William & Mary

On this episode of Breaking Silos, Shane is joined by an interdepartmental team of marketing, admissions and communications from William & Mary to discuss how they created a student social media ambassadors program called “Wrenfluencers” at the historic institution. Learn how this student-created content has helped bolster the school’s content strategy and fill content gaps many institutions might not have the bandwidth to address.

Join Tiffany Beker, Emily Phillips and Caroline Ward for tips on launching an initiative like this and ensuring content aligns with brand standards while maintaining a unique student-created feel.

Guest Names:
Tiffany Broadbent Beker, Director of Digital Marketing, William & Mary
Caroline Ward, Sr. Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Admission, William & Mary
Emily Phillips, Assistant Director, Social Media Strategy, William & Mary

Guest Socials:
Tiffany - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tbroadbent/
Caroline - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybphillips/
Emily - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-ward-a170b1247

Guest Bios:
Tiffany Broadbent Beker is the Director of Digital Marketing for University Marketing at William & Mary, leading the office's digital strategy across its three priorities of enrollment, advancement, and institutional reputation. After an initial stint as a software developer at two technology startups, she returned to W&M (her graduate school alma mater) in 2010 as a web developer and its first social media coordinator. In 2017 she transitioned to her current role as part of University Advancement. She has presented at HighEdWeb, CASE Social Media & Community, and the College Communicators Association of Virginia and D.C. (CCA) Conference. She is a past president of CCA, leads the Management and Leadership Community Group for HighEdWeb and is one of W&M’s Institutional Representatives to the American Council on Education's Women's Network for Virginia.

Caroline Ward has been a member of the William & Mary admission team for nearly eight years. She is a Senior Assistant Dean within the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Caroline graduated from Miami University in Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts and she also holds a Master of Education from William & Mary in Higher Education Administration. She currently leads international recruitment efforts. She is the regional dean for Washington, D.C., New York City (NY), New Jersey, and all international territories. She collaborates with social media groups as well as marketing and communication teams.

Emily Phillips oversees William & Mary's flagship social media channels and provides guidance to the university's network of social media managers. Her work includes strategy development, social media measurement, crisis and emergency communications support and directing a team of student social media ambassadors. She has over 10 years of PR and Social Media Marketing experience in the higher education and tourism industries.

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Connect With Our Host:
Shane Baglini
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanebaglini/

Next Episode

Ep. 26: Breaking Silos within Marcomm Units

Shane Baglini sits down with Kimberly Hallman, Senior Vice President of Institutional Marketing at 160over90, to explore a topic that many higher ed professionals wrestle with—how to effectively integrate marketing and communications efforts on campus. While these two functions are often grouped together under the MarCom umbrella, they serve distinct purposes, and treating them as interchangeable can hinder their effectiveness. Kim breaks down the fundamental differences between marketing and communications, shares insights on best practices for collaboration, and offers advice on structuring teams to maximize impact. If you’ve ever wondered how to strike the right balance between storytelling and sales, this conversation is for you.

Guest Name: Kimberly Hallman, SVP, Institutional Marketing, 160over90

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyhallman/

Guest Bio: Now in season 12 at 160over90, Kim leads the agency’s institutional marketing practice, helping colleges and universities, research institutes, health enterprises, and cause-based organizations raise awareness and raise funds to support a core impact mission. A former journalist turned publicist now all-around communications strategist, she first penned bylines in The Post-Standard in upstate New York, then worked as an editorial assistant for the National Campaign for the Arts in London, before landing on the marketing scene 18+ years ago. Originally focused in retail and hospitality PR, Kim quickly found that education category work fulfills her desire for healthy intellectual debate and mental nourishment. She holds a BA in English from Bucknell University and a master’s degree in Print Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. These days, when Kim’s not working, she’s soaking up all the firsts of new motherhood (and still trying to make some time for sleep).

Key Takeaways

Marketing and Communications Are NOT the Same: While related, marketing is sales-driven and focuses on lead generation and conversions, while communications is about message clarity, reputation, and stakeholder engagement.
Successful Integration Does NOT Mean Merging the Two: Effective collaboration requires recognizing the strengths of each function and ensuring they complement rather than compete with each other.
Start with a Shared Content Strategy: Aligning messaging across both marketing and communications efforts helps create a cohesive brand experience while still allowing each team to focus on their core objectives.
Social Media Lives in the Middle: Social media plays both a marketing and communications role, requiring a thoughtful balance of engagement, storytelling, and calls to action.
Challenges in 2025: Higher ed institutions face increasing external scrutiny, leadership turnover, and financial constraints, making strategic MarCom collaboration more critical than ever.

Marketing vs. Communications: Why the Distinction Matters

Too often, higher ed institutions lump marketing and communications into one broad function, assuming they are interchangeable. However, Kim Hallman argues that these are two distinct disciplines, each with its own skill set and objectives.

Communications answers the question: What is the message? It focuses on institutional positioning, reputation management, and audience engagement through storytelling, PR, and internal messaging. Key metrics for communications teams include brand sentiment, message clarity, and stakeholder trust.

Marketing, on the other hand, asks: How do we get people to act? It is sales-driven, aiming to increase enrollment, event attendance, or donations. Marketers use advertising, digital campaigns, and targeted content strategies to drive measurable actions. Their KPIs often include conversion rates, lead generation, and revenue growth.

While these two areas overlap, conflating them can weaken their effectiveness. Instead, institutions should recognize their unique value and ensure they work together in a complementary way.

How to Integrate Marketing and Communications for Maximum Impact

1. Create a Shared Content Strategy

One of the best ways to align marketing and communications is by developing a joint content strategy. Both teams should work from a common roadmap that includes:

Institutional priorities: Align messaging with university goals and areas of excellence.
Audience needs: Understand whether a communication should inform, inspire, or drive action.
Cultural context: Ensure messaging remains relevant to the broader landscape beyond the institution.

By defining these pillars, institutions can ensure marketing and communications efforts reinforce each other rather than com...