The NDSU Cares program has been selected to receive Bronze recognition for the 2013 Excellence Awards program of NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Recipients will be honored in March at the organization’s 2013 annual conference in Orlando, Fla.

The organization said the NDSU Cares program “demonstrates excellence in designing a program that promotes a supportive, healthy and nurturing environment for students through its comprehensive suicide prevention initiative.” The NDSU Cares program was recognized in the Student Health, Wellness, Counseling and Related Category.

“NDSU Cares provides something for everyone,” wrote Janna Stoskopf, dean of Student Life, in a letter of support. “Whether it is an at-risk student completing an ISP, a faculty member utilizing the Decision Tree tool to know when and how to make a referral or a staff member participating in Mental Health First Aid training program, the Counseling Center is effectively connecting the campus population to critical services. For some students, the ability of a faculty or staff member to identify a concern and successfully make a referral could mean the difference between successfully persisting toward their academic goals and leaving the university.”

Selections were based on such criteria as having a positive impact on student learning, demonstrating success in addressing student needs or critical campus issues, collaboration with other departments, originality and creativity.

More information on the awards is available at www.naspa.org/programs/awards.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.