Valparaiso University was honored with the 2025 Indiana Collegiate Action Network’s (ICAN) Illuminary Campus of the Year Award earlier this month. This award goes to a campus who is doing exemplary work in the areas of prevention and mental wellness. According to ICAN, the Prevention and Wellness Education Office was selected for its adaptability to changing structures and needs, as well as financial management of money while still offering evidence-based programs.
“It’s an honor to receive this award from ICAN,” said Assistant Director of Prevention and Wellness Education, Natalie Muskin-Press. “ We pride ourselves on providing an expansive and exceptional student wellness experience and this award validates all of that work.”
The Prevention and Wellness Education office, led by Muskin-Press, currently serves all of the Valparaiso University community through a wide variety of services both on an individual and community level. Thanks to financial support through multiple grants, including from ICAN and the University Guild, several staff members at Valpoy have been trained to provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training (QPR) to the campus community.
Since 2021, these trainings have been provided to over 500 members of our Valpo community, and several areas across campus have embedded it into their curriculum or departmental training including Student Life, Occupational Therapy (OT), Social Work and Athletics.
“For OT students, MHFA and QPR reinforce the importance of client-centered, holistic care by preparing them to intervene in moments that significantly impact occupational performance, safety, and well-being.” said Sara Story, Ed.D., OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCG, CAPS, associate professor and program director of occupational therapy. “This training also promotes confidence and competence in addressing sensitive situations, while fostering a culture of compassion, resilience, and advocacy.”
While Valparaiso University’s programs have received national recognition for the quality of their educational value in the past, the incorporation of these elements produces future professionals who are able to serve those in need, on top of being expert professionals in their field. Service and leadership are two pillars of the University’s five-year plan Uplift Valpo: Our Beacon for the Journey Forward.
“Ultimately, by embedding MHFA and QPR into OT education, we are developing practitioners who are not only clinically skilled but also prepared to uphold their ethical responsibility to support mental health and overall wellness within diverse populations,” said Story.
The Prevention and Wellness Education’s office was created in 2021 as part of a restructuring that merged the former Office of Alcohol and Drug Education and Sexual Assault Awareness and Facilitative Education Office. The new office, partially supported at the time by the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant, combined all areas of wellness including Substance Use, Sexual Assault, and Suicide Prevention, shifted from being a part of the University Counseling Services to being a part of the Campus Recreation and Well-Being Department which lives under the Department of Athletics.
Other initiatives by the Prevention and Wellness Education office include placing a high priority on working collaboratively across departments to help bring new wellness opportunities to campus. Whether that is by helping develop new wellness focused rooms and resources in other campus buildings, by providing programing within our residence halls or commuter student community, or by developing new initiatives with the Institute for Leadership and Service and CITAL, the Prevention and Wellness Education office remains focused on meeting students where they are and ensuring a focus on their holistic well-being.
