Campusgoers seeking health services this fall will be greeted by a sign for the newly named Ceriale Center for Cornell Health, which opened its doors on July 17 after a $20 million donation from its namesake, the Ceriale Family. Their donation will broaden the reach of the center's mental health services, expanding the reach of two key programs at several locations across campus.
College students often struggle with mental health issues based on social and economic factors alongside academic demands and the stress of moving to a new environment, according to the American Psychological Association. Cornell students have also previously expressed frustration over a perceived lack of mental health resources on campus, noting the long waiting periods for mental health appointments and potential understaffing.
Now, Cornell Health is attempting to change that with two new mental health programs that are currently expanding their reach across campus: Well-being Coaching and Embedded Therapy.
In a 2020 Mental Health & Well-being Survey, 47.7 percent of Cornell Students reported experiencing moderate or serious psychological distress. Last year, students on Cornell’s campus also expressed distress after a series of tragedies shook the community, stating a feeling of increased pressure yet a lack of support from the administration. Students have also reported a need to access mental health services out of state and around Tompkins County.
These new services are carrying forward Cornell’s aim to be a Health Promoting Campus, a goal set after the University signed the Okanagan Charter in 2022. The Okanagan Charter, developed internationally in 2015, provides a framework for universities to make healthcare services more available to students and faculty by diversifying locations and services.
A $20 million gift was given in October 2024 by Cornellian parents John and Melissa Ceriale, hoping to provide resources “to recognize and address the needs of those in distress in a caring and compassionate manner.” John Ceriale is also a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees, and the couple has four children, all of whom are Cornell alumni.
According to Julie Edwards, assistant vice president for student health and wellbeing, the donation is a “restricted gift,” meaning the $20 million can only be used to expand both Cornell’s Well-being Coaching Program for students and the Embedded Therapist program to more locations on campus.
The Well-being Coaching program, launched in 2024 from a Class of 1965 gift, is a program that offers free one-on-one meetings with faculty and community members at Cornell who serve as coaches. Students can book these sessions directly through a form on the Cornell Health website.
In an email to The Sun, Sheila Singh, program director for Well-being Coaching, wrote that the program “complements — rather than replaces — traditional health care” with an evidence-based style of communication training known as Motivational Interviewing. This communication style is designed for people to “explore their goals, values, and motivation for change, along with ongoing supervision, training, and professional development.” Coaches are not licensed therapists and instead offer non-clinical services to students.
Well-being Coaching has also received positive feedback from its participants. Abigail Dubovi, director of strategic planning and data analysis at Cornell Health, wrote that “more than 90% of students” who participated in the program reported making progress towards achieving their goals.
Coaches will now be available at multiple locations around campus where students can book meetings, including buildings on West and Central Campus.
With 11 new coaches becoming available this fall, 24 total coaches will be available across campus. According to Singh, the Ceriale donation will allow Cornell Health to add “up to 10-15 coaches each academic year.” Students can book coaching on Cornell Health’s website.
Students seeking clinical support for mental health challenges will also see an increase in support around campus with the growth of the Embedded Therapy Program.
According to Wahieñhawi Hall, assistant director of Embedded Therapy, this program will be “community-based,” locating licensed therapists in multiple locations across campus for students to access. In an email to The Sun, she wrote that therapists will assimilate into their target locations by partnering with colleges to offer “workshops, presentations, [and] collaborations with students, staff, and faculty.”
Currently, the Cornell Health website only offers links to Embedded Therapists at Lynah Rink for Cornell Athletics, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and Cornell Tech. These services are technically available to any student, however they are “designed to meet the needs” of students in their respective locations’ programs.
However, Cornell Health is in the process of hiring three new therapists this fall, to be located in Ives Hall, Martha Van Rensselaer Hall and Rhodes Hall. According to Edwards, the locations were strategically chosen so that students who have classes in multiple areas of campus will have access to the program.
Hall also explained the program’s goal to create a systematic solution to mental health problems on campus, explaining that Embedded Therapy works to “not only deliver clinical services to students across campus,” but also to “impact and support the system of which the student operates within.”
Therapists will offer similar services to what is located at the Ceriale Center — such as individual and group services and Let’s Talk Counseling, a confidential, drop-in service providing informal consultation.
“We’re trying to provide as much flexibility as possible so that we can meet students where they are and provide the care they need to support them,” Edwards said.
Cornell Health also has plans to add four therapists in fall 2026, totaling seven new therapists added in the next two years. Students can learn more about the program and book appointments at the Cornell Health Website.
Currently, Cornell Health is creating an evaluation measure for the Embedded Therapy Program, which is similar to the one used for the Well-being Coaching Program, according to Edwards. This measure will also implement qualitative categories, such as the program’s ability to reduce barriers to patients and change cultures in academic settings.
“[The Ceriale Family] wanted to support mental health and well-being in a transformative way, and I truly believe this gift will allow us to do that,” Edwards said.
