Wintersession's emphasis on curiosity-driven learning offers students the freedom to explore new interests, gain life skills and recharge between the semesters. “Puppy Yoga” was one of the many well-being activities this year.
Princeton continues to expand commitments to support and promote mental health and well-being
The opening of the new Frist Health Center is among several recent projects that advance the University’s commitment to student mental health and well-being.
Over the last few years, Princeton has launched and expanded well-being initiatives that support students to thrive and engage fully in learning, research and service. These include new health and recreational facilities; enhanced University Health Services programs and increased access to mental health care; innovative projects that integrate well-being into learning and living spaces; and campus-wide events like Wintersession and Community Care Day.
Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun said the University embraces a holistic approach to health and well-being, one that is embedded into the campus culture and student experience. In 2023, the Board of Trustees added a commitment to support and promote mental and physical well-being as a defining characteristic of the University’s mission.
“We know that well-being and a sense of belonging go hand in hand,” Calhoun said. “We think deeply about all the ways students can thrive on campus. When people have a sense that they can be fully present, they can then thrive academically, professionally and socially.”
Below are highlights from recent student-focused mental health and well-being initiatives. In addition, the TigerLife website provides a central guide to University resources related to health and well-being.
Frist Health Center, new health and recreational facilities
Opened in January, the new Frist Health Center offers a comprehensive approach to health and well-being at Princeton.
“The anchoring idea is that a health center and health services are not just for people who are ill,” Calhoun said, noting that University Health Services has an equal focus on outreach and prevention programs that promote healthy behaviors and help strengthen students’ bodies and minds.
UHS Executive Director John Kolligian said the Frist Health Center “was designed to create a warm, welcoming, healing and inviting environment.
“We envisioned it as a comforting destination for students, ill and well,” he added. “The expansive building’s soaring atrium and connections to nature make for a beautiful, calming space.”
The building is a light-filled facility with large windows and serene spaces where students can gather and participate in on-site health, wellness, educational and social programs. Community spaces include a student lounge, a yoga/meditation space, the plant-filled Isabella McCosh Garden Room and the McLain Pavilion for Well-Being.
The four-story building houses medical services including outpatient, athletic medicine, global and community health, occupational health, a 24/7 infirmary service and on-site laboratory and radiology services. It also includes offices for counseling and psychological services; health promoting strategies; and sexual harassment/assault advising, resources and education (SHARE).
The larger facility also accommodates more medical exam rooms and counseling offices than the former McCosh Health Center, improving access and scheduling flexibility for students.
Calvin Chin, director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), said he hopes the new facility will encourage more students to seek care. “If a student comes here for the first time to attend a workshop on mindfulness or to use our common spaces, maybe that student will feel more comfortable seeking other services or making an appointment with a provider,” Chin said.
Also opened recently on campus are new recreational and athletic facilities. The Class of 1986 Fitness and Wellness Center, attached to Dillon Gymnasium, provides more than 40,000 square feet of new space for recreational sports, health programs, and fitness equipment and classes. Across Lake Carnegie on the new Meadows Campus is the Wilkinson Fitness Center located within the new Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse. The new 12,660-square-foot facility is open to students, faculty and staff.
A University-wide focus on mental health
Princeton also continues to augment services and programs related to mental health.
The University’s mental health task force — made up of administrators, staff, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students — is working with the JED Foundation, a nonprofit focused on mental health and suicide prevention, to study mental health climate and resources on campus. That work is scheduled to conclude this summer, and recommendations from the JED Foundation will be implemented by a new standing committee on mental health.
Princeton is also part of the New Jersey Higher Education Mental Health Summit, which brings together leaders in mental health, behavioral health and holistic wellness from colleges and universities across the state to share best practices. Kolligian helped organize the inaugural conference last year and the second annual gathering was held in January.
“Supporting student mental health requires collaborative partnerships and comprehensive resources integrated across campus,” Kolligian said. “Mental health is the responsibility of the whole community, not just the counseling service or campus life office.”
The Class of 1986 Fitness and Wellness Center, attached to Dillon Gymnasium, provides a brand-new space for fitness and recreational activities.
To this end, University administrators have worked with leaders from the undergraduate and graduate student governments on recent mental health improvements.
Last summer, the Student Health Plan introduced new benefits to make mental health care more accessible and affordable.
The mental health provider copay was reduced from $20 to $10, and the plan now covers 100% of initial therapist visits.
In addition to clinicians at Counseling and Psychological Services, the health plan offers an expanded network of community-based mental and behavioral health providers, making it easier for students to access services. (Students can also access the CPS Cares telephone service 24/7, 365 days a year for urgent needs).
“One of the most impactful things has been the reduction of copays,” said senior Meera Kochhar, former chair of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Mental Health Committee.
To foster further partnership and dialogue, the USG hosts mental health luncheons inviting faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students to explore the intersection of wellness with various areas of campus life, including academics, individual identity and institutional culture.
“Mental health is a shared responsibility that spans generations,” said USG Mental Health Committee Chair Allen Nieva, a junior. “My goal is to set meaningful precedents for preventative and remedial work that resonate with current and future students. Our initiative must continue to expand its reach and create lasting impact."
Embedding health and well-being across campus
As part of its holistic approach, the University has established annual events that bolster mental health and foster connection, such as Community Care Day in the fall and the two-week Wintersession program in January.
Judy Jarvis, executive director of the Office of Campus Engagement, said both events are aimed at supporting student well-being and resilience. “We create an environment where undergraduate and graduate students can meet new people and connect with faculty and staff in different ways outside of the classroom,” she said.
Community Care Day, held in the fall, is aimed at fostering connections across campus and bolstering mental health.
Wintersession’s emphasis on curiosity-driven learning offers students the freedom to explore new interests, gain life skills and recharge between the fall and spring semesters.
Students who participated in Wintersession reported a stronger sense of belonging on campus, and more than 90% of participants surveyed in 2025 agreed the experience contributed positively to their mental health.
In addition to annual events, several recent projects have helped integrate well-being programs across campus. The TigerWell Initiative, established in 2018, has supported a range of projects like a music mentorship program, a graduate student community garden and greenhouse, research-backed informational toolkits for classrooms, and a renovation of the Campus Club backyard to increase opportunities for enhanced connectedness and belonging.
TigerWell builds on existing efforts, like the UMatter program, to advance student health, well-being and flourishing through a public health approach.
“TigerWell engages campus partners, undergraduate and graduate students in collaborative health promotion, helping provide supports outside of traditional health care settings," said Anne Laurita, director of TigerWell: Health Promoting Strategies Office in UHS.
One of TigerWell’s earliest pilots — the addition of outreach counselors — is now a successful permanent program. Outreach counselors are CPS clinicians who offer services in the residential colleges and other satellite spaces across campus. In addition to drop-in hours, the counselors organize workshops and social programs in collaboration with student communities.
“Our outreach counselor program has successfully reduced barriers to accessing treatment,” Kolligian said. “The counselors get to know students informally, making students feel more comfortable reaching out for services.”
TigerWell also developed the Well-Being in Learning Spaces Faculty Toolkit, which provides faculty with a menu of actionable and research-supported practices to promote student well-being and enhance learning. The toolkit includes practical strategies, such as increasing transparency clearly outlining absence policies and grading rubrics in syllabi to level-set expectations at the beginning of each semester.
Maria Garlock, head of Forbes College and the Daniel Tsui Professor in Engineering, was the faculty lead for the toolkit project. Other partners were the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, the Council on Science and Technology and the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life.
“Three actions that I find to be important for well-being in the classroom are building relationships, being transparent and listening to one another,” said Garlock, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. For example, in one of her introductory engineering classes, Garlock’s first assignment asks students to provide feedback on how she might clarify each of the 12 sections of her syllabus.
“I hope that I can continue learning, and then teach others, how to create a classroom environment that nurtures students' engagement and confidence, and encourages the joy of learning,” Garlock said.
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Community Care Day brought together students with faculty and staff for hands-on activities.
