RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To spotlight the challenges, gaps, and opportunities to improve workforce mental health and well-being in higher education institutions (HEIs). METHODS: We convened a full-day summit of subject matter experts from academia, business, government, and practice to share research and best practices on workplace mental health. RESULTS: Highlights from the summit are presented in this paper covering the importance of leadership and culture; the mental health costs associated with being a Black STEM scholar; the role of the environment; case studies of three university mental health and well-being programs; and the future of work. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing a culture of caring requires leadership commitment; strategic planning; accountability and shared responsibility; and measurement and evaluation. HEI leaders are called to lead by example; foster community partnerships; adopt a Total Worker Health framework; and regularly evaluate progress.
RESUMEN
The resilience of high-achieving Black male students is often overshadowed in scholarly literature by narratives of deficit, disorder, and disdain that position Black males as particularly vulnerable in educational spaces. This study builds from two prior analyses of a group of mathematically high-achieving Black males living in high-poverty urban communities and attending underresourced schools during their middle school years and focuses on the external risk and protective factors these students experienced during high school. Findings suggest that Black male high achievers were forced to overcome a confluence of institutional and curricular barriers while leveraging relational and organizational resources that promoted positive identity development and mathematics achievement.