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St. Bonaventure University has been awarded a four-year federal grant of $496,892 to strengthen mental health promotion, substance use prevention, suicide prevention, early identification and pathways to care for students.

The grant, awarded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant program, will fund BonaWell: A Campus Initiative for Connection, Wellness, and Prevention.

The award comes less than a month after the university opened its new Center for Student Wellbeing. Located on the second floor of the Reilly Center, the center brings Health Services and Counseling Services together in one integrated space, making it easier for students to access coordinated medical and mental health support. BonaWell will complement the care provided through the center by expanding prevention, education and early-intervention efforts throughout the university community.

Together, the new center and BonaWell directly advance Pillar 1, Community: Student Success, Enrollment, and Belonging, of the university’s 2025-30 strategic plan, Rooted in Mission, Focused on the Future, which calls for stronger mental health services and holistic support to help every student thrive.

“This grant is a tremendous accomplishment and a wonderful affirmation of St. Bonaventure’s commitment to supporting student well-being,” said Koriann Bollhorst, a health educator at the university. “We are especially thrilled to see this federal support continue and build upon the important work already underway, including the opening of the Center for Student Wellbeing. Together, these efforts will help ensure that students have access to the resources and support they need to thrive for years to come.”

BonaWell builds on initiatives supported by a three-year SAMHSA grant awarded to St. Bonaventure in 2023. That grant helped the university launch Bona’s HEALS, short for Helping, Educating, Advocating, Leading and Supporting, and supported the addition of a health educator, peer education, mental health screenings, suicide prevention training and campus outreach.

Through BonaWell, St. Bonaventure will expand wellness coaching, confidential behavioral health screenings, peer-led outreach, campuswide prevention training and coordinated referral pathways. The project is expected to reach approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students annually, generating more than 12,000 student contacts during the four-year grant period. The initiative will include outreach tailored to first-year students, student-athletes, military-aligned students and online graduate students.

A central component of BonaWell will be the creation of a Wellness Ambassador program. The university will recruit and train 20 students to promote mental health literacy, healthy coping strategies, suicide and substance use prevention, help-seeking, and awareness of available resources. The ambassadors are expected to deliver educational programs during the grant period.

The initiative will also establish a strengths-based wellness coaching program informed by motivational interviewing practices. Students will receive individualized support designed to improve stress management, resilience and coping skills while helping them connect with appropriate campus resources.

“By bringing Health Services and Counseling Services together, the new center gives students a more seamless path to care,” said Nick Kicior, director of Counseling Services. “BonaWell expands that work by creating more entry points for support, whether through a peer, a screening, a wellness coach, a faculty or staff member, or a counselor. Our goal is to identify needs sooner and connect each student with the right level of support.” 

BonaWell will also increase the university’s capacity to recognize and respond to students experiencing behavioral health concerns. Four university employees will become certified QPR Gatekeeper instructors, and St. Bonaventure will offer QPR suicide prevention and Mental Health First Aid training throughout the project.

The initiative responds to increasing demand for counseling support, particularly around stress management, as well as the need for more low-barrier, nonclinical services that encourage students to seek assistance early. St. Bonaventure’s rural location and the shortage of behavioral health providers in the surrounding region make campus-based prevention, early identification and timely referral especially important.

A multidisciplinary Student Wellbeing Committee will oversee implementation, review project data, strengthen collaboration among university and community partners, and help sustain successful programs beyond the four-year grant period.

By connecting the direct care offered through the Center for Student Wellbeing with peer outreach, wellness coaching, behavioral health screening and prevention training, BonaWell will help St. Bonaventure develop a more comprehensive campuswide system of support focused on early identification, timely intervention and student well-being.