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50 Initiatives You Can Put Into Action
Many of today’s students are lonely. They often socially isolate rather than engaging with others. They face difficulty forging beneficial social connections. And they’re not quite sure where to turn for assistance.
As former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said when declaring loneliness a national epidemic in 2023: “loneliness is more widespread than other major health issues in the U.S.,” likening the mortality impact of being socially disconnected “to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.”
You’ve seen loneliness and social isolation in action. It's not just homesickness — it’s something much more insidious. Loneliness is correlated with anxiety, depression, despair, suicidal ideation, adverse long-term emotional and physical health effects, and poorer academic performance. Social connections are essential to our long-term survival, yet a great number of today’s students are struggling — and lonely.
The Numbers Tell the Story…
- Nearly two-thirds of college students report feeling lonely (Active Minds/TimelyCare survey)
- College students who report feeling lonely are four times more likely to experience severe psychological distress (Active Minds/TimelyCare survey)
- LGBTQIA+ students are 70.3% more likely to report feeling lonely with 33.8% feeling like they’re often isolated from others, 26.9% often feeling left out and 22.6% feeling like they often lack companionship (Active Minds/TimelyCare survey)
- College student loneliness has been linked to insomnia, as loneliness results in rumination, hypervigilance and stress sensitivity, all which impact sleep (Oregon State Study)
- People experiencing daily loneliness are nearly five times more likely to rate their current life poorly than those not reporting daily loneliness (Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index)
That’s why we’ve put together this timely strategy guide: Addressing Student Loneliness and Isolation on Campus: 50 Initiatives You Can Put Into Action. Inside, you’ll find unique campus strategies and other tangible loneliness-busting ideas you can easily adapt to your campus. It’s what your students need from you now to thrive, succeed and persist on campus.
Inside this guide, you’ll discover more about:
- Arizona State's Friendship Bench initiative that provides intergenerational connections
- Equipping students with skills to support one another and create social connection points
- The connection between time poverty – often experienced by adult student learners in caregiving roles – and loneliness
- Connection Project courses like those held at Virginia Tech and the U. of Virginia
- Helping students develop and maintain interpersonal skills, plus develop a sense of self and belonging, through a Healthy Relationships curriculum offered by the BU Center for Psych Rehab
- Speed-Friending, Walking Club and Social Prescribing events on a number of campuses
- Exploring how UConn approaches the Humanities as key to training people to navigate meaningful human connections
- Creating “third places” (beyond where they work/attend classes and live) where students can socialize and strengthen their sense of community, plus ways to enhance social infrastructure
- Training faculty and staff to identify students experiencing loneliness and act with empathy by providing a guide like the University of Bath does
- And much more!
Addressing Student Loneliness and Isolation on Campus: 50 Initiatives You Can Put Into Action tackles a major underlying issue that affects students’ well-being so they can have a healthier, thriving, more successful student experience.
Plus, your purchase also includes a site license to share with your staff and campus community!
This timely strategy guide:
- Puts the very real loneliness/social isolation epidemic front and center as a major campus problem while also offering ideas about how to handle it.
- Provides tangible strategies that can be adapted to various campuses, so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
- Offers succinct, realistic strategies that don’t require extensive funding or organizational change.
Two Versions to Choose From
- Printed with Digital Download – includes a printed copy of this resource as well as digital access to the enclosed materials and accompanying license to share with your campus community. Price includes $9 shipping fee.
- Digital Download Only – includes digital access to this resource and accompanying license to share with your campus community.
This resource will be available on or around March 21, 2025. For questions, email info@paper-clip.com.
