OhioHealth Gift Supports Student Wellness Initiatives at Otterbein

OhioHealth has made a $250,000 investment in Otterbein University to establish an endowment to support student wellness initiatives focused on behavioral and mental health. The gift was recognized at an event on Otterbein’s campus recently.

Karen Morrison, president, OhioHealth Foundation, and senior vice president, OhioHealth, presented the check on behalf of OhioHealth.

“OhioHealth is proud of its strong community partnership with Otterbein University, ranging from health services for students, faculty and staff to education benefits for OhioHealth associates enrolled in graduate programs at Otterbein,” Morrison shared. “Now being able to expand our commitment to student well-being further supports OhioHealth’s mission.”

Otterbein President John Comerford said that while the two organizations are in different industries, their values are aligned.

“OhioHealth and Otterbein have a shared reason for serving people. OhioHealth keeps people healthy, and Otterbein educates people, but the reality is we both do that for some wider purpose. We do it so that the people that we educate or provide healthcare to will go out into the world and help others, be productive members of society, and lift us all up. It’s about serving those individuals, but it’s also about something much greater than that when we work together,” he said. 

The OhioHealth gift will help Otterbein provide student mental health and well-being services, addressing an urgent issue in higher education. According to the 2024-25 Healthy Minds Study, 63% of college students surveyed indicated some level of agreement that they needed help in the past year for emotional or mental problems, such as feeling sad, blue, anxious, or nervous. The 2024–25 Healthy Minds Study includes data from over 84,000 undergraduate and graduate students at 135 colleges and universities, collected between September 2024 and May 2025. 

“This is a stressful time of life,” Comerford said. “This is a time of life when we ask young people to step back and look at themselves and their values and decide where they fit and who they’re going to be. And that feels, to many of our students, like the weight of the world on their shoulders.” 

“Students choose Otterbein because they know they will be cared for here; they won’t get lost here. This gift is going to impact students right here every single day, and we are honored by that,” Comerford said. 

Otterbein’s behavioral and mental health initiatives are led by the University’s Counseling Center and its campus partners, including the Otterbein Police Department. Services and programming for undergraduate students are provided through a cooperative group that includes counseling clinicians, peer leaders, wellness coaches, external content experts, public safety officials, and other partners. All campus services are provided at no cost to Otterbein students.  

Otterbein is currently fundraising to renovate the former health clinic to establish an innovative new Center for Well-Being and Safety Services, which will house well-being and safety personnel, outreach programs, and training. The center will be located in the middle of campus near partner offices that also focus on dimensions of well-being, like food services, faith and spiritual life, the Promise House basic needs resource pantry, Residential Life, and more. 

“I think we’re at a moment in the country where folks talk about mental health as a crisis,” said Bill Fox, vice president for student affairs. “Let’s also look at the opportunity we have at Otterbein to make a unique contribution to students’ lives as we teach lifelong healthy habits and behaviors, apply evidence-based practices that make a positive difference, and celebrate all the ways students flourish and enjoy positive mental health. We really have to be thinking about how we care for the whole person and how we can all be part of that work together.”   

Fox sees the gift from OhioHealth as more than just funding. “I think this is an opportunity for Otterbein to say, when we’re stuck, we have a friend down the road who can be a thought partner on this work because it’s incredibly important work. We want Otterbein to be known as a leader in how we embed a focus on student well-being in the educational experience. We are open to collaborating with OhioHealth and others to figure out the best solutions to student well-being because we see it as intertwined with student success — to do well, you must be well. This is the right time for Otterbein to embrace new approaches,” Fox said. 

Morrison expressed her appreciation to the professionals who care for Otterbein students’ mental health, and for the opportunity to support their work.  “Thank you for all that you do,” she said. “This is meaningful, purposeful work and at OhioHealth we understand how critically important it is to care for the whole person, and make that care accessible for all.”