There are many reports regarding how colleges and universities are responding to the results of this week’s U.S. presidential election. For example, The Daily Princetonian reported that several campus groups provided wellbeing-related resources across campus. In addition, the University of Texas at San Antonio announced that all classes were cancelled on November 8, 2024, for a Day of Reflection. Though many institutions mentioned campus counseling centers while messaging about the election, and many students who were anxious/distressed found support from counseling centers, most campus counseling centers sought separation from the politics of the election due to serving a student body with various and different perspectives. Indeed, as outlined this week in Forbes.com, the Republican party gained support among young voters who typically lean toward the Democratic party.
Earlier this week, Inside Higher Ed outlined questions surrounding how the election might impact higher education. None of these questions were directly associated with campus counseling centers, but it’s important to highlight the value that college mental health and student support have among various stakeholders, especially the public, governmental agencies, and university administrators.
The Public
In 2023, Gallup released a report showing that Americans’ confidence in higher education fell to 36%, with only 17% of U.S. adults expressing great confidence. This report suggested that there were political factors within this decline with Democrats being more focused on the cost of education, while Republicans were more concerned about politics in higher education. However, mental health and student support supersede both money and politics. For example, a 2024 report by the Pew Research Center suggested that only one-in-four U.S. adults think that it’s extremely or very important to have a four-year college degree to get a well-paying job. However, a 2024 survey by Inside Higher Ed suggested that five of the top-rate reasons for getting a college degree were outside the realm of money and a career. Furthermore, a 2024 report by Gallup found that the top-rated reasons why students considered stopping college were emotional stress and mental health concerns, and that these reasons were rated twice as high as financial cost.
Regarding politics, data indicates that governmental policies negatively impact the choice of school among potential students. According to a 2024 report by Forbes.com, one-in-four students rule out thoughts of attending a specific college based on state politics or policies. This is especially true among states known to be deeply Republican or Democratic, with colleges in Texas, Florida, California, New York, and Alabama having the most students exclude these schools for socio-political reasons. Furthermore, as I discussed in a previous 2024 report in Forbes.com, sociopolitical stress among college students is associated with poor psychological well-being. These data points highlight arguments made in 2020 report by Inside Higer Ed that the need to support students because of macro-level political events is high, regardless of the students’ political affiliation.
Governmental Agencies
A 2024 report by Forbes.com discussed how the government’s interest in mental health policies, such as expanding telehealth and increasing the number of mental health professionals, are not partisan based. This report highlighted how the number of U.S. adults screened positive for depression occurred in similar amounts among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. However, the prevalence of mental health concerns among college students is higher than those reported by Forbes.com. For example, the 2022-2023 Healthy Minds Report indicated that 41% of college students screened positive for any type of depression. Furthermore, in 2023, the Center for Disease Control reported that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teens and young adults. In addition, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that 12.6 million individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 experienced a mental, emotional, or behavioral health issue in the past 12 months. Government agencies view traditional-aged college students as a key demographic for many mental health concerns, and as I outlined in a previous article in Frobes.com, these agencies have a potentially vital role in new developing models of campus counseling.
University Administrators
Regardless of which political party controls the government, many institutions of higher education are concerned about the pending enrollment cliff. This cliff is explained in a 2024 report by Forbes.com and reflects in a decline of birth rates, resulting in fewer high school seniors currently living on the planet, meaning that they will be fewer future college students. This cliff is expected to start in 2025 and last at least 10 years. There’s concern that many schools will experience significant financial burdens due to this drop in enrollment. A 2023 report by BestColleges.com described the enrollment cliff as a Darwinian threat, in which schools will compete with each other to survive.
Because of the pending enrollment cliff, schools are highly focused on student retention and making sure that students stay enrolled and complete their degree. Campus counseling centers are one of the strongest protectors of student retention. According to a 2024 study in the Journal of College Student Mental Health, about two-thirds of campus counseling centers’ clients reported that counseling services helped them remain enroll in school. The retention rate of students seeking counseling services was significantly higher than the rate of the general campus population.
Though there are various opinions and emotions about the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the value of college mental health remains high for various stakeholders. The public is still concerned about the mental health needs of college students, despite the reduced confidence in higher education. Helping schools address mental health concerns on campus is still a priority for government agencies, and university administrators still value the role that campus counseling centers have in protecting student retention rates.