Thursday, December 10, 2026
2:00 – 3:30 pm ET

How Pepperdine’s RISE Program Is Transforming Student Well-Being

Across higher education, colleges and universities are facing a growing challenge: students are struggling to manage stress, navigate setbacks and regulate their emotions. As these needs increase, faculty and staff are often left on the front lines, supporting students through increasingly complex challenges while managing the emotional demands of their own roles.

Join us on Thursday, December 10, 2026, to discover how Pepperdine University developed and implemented its innovative RISE program to strengthen student resilience, enhance staff well-being and create a more supportive campus culture. In this practical, solutions-focused webinar, expert presenters will share how RISE – a proactive, research-informed, skill-building approach – integrates resilience development into the everyday experiences of campus life. Discover how this model empowers students to navigate challenges with greater confidence, equips faculty and staff with practical tools to support student well-being, and fosters a shared commitment to resilience across the campus community.

Translate resilience-building principles into practical strategies that strengthen your campus community. Gain actionable strategies, proven approaches, and a roadmap for creating meaningful, sustainable change on your own campus.

Topics Covered

Leave the webinar prepared with strategies to confidently:

• Build a resilience strategy that meets your campus' evolving needs and identify opportunities to create, strengthen, or expand initiatives that help students develop essential coping skills and navigate challenges more effectively.
• Explore national trends in student mental health and learn how a resilience-focused approach can complement existing resources and help address growing campus needs.
• Understand the core components of Pepperdine's RISE program and discover how its framework supports both students and staff, making resilience a shared responsibility rather than a standalone intervention.
• Gain practical strategies you can integrate into everyday interactions like orientations, academic advising, student leadership development, team meetings and frontline student support without needing to create entirely new programs.
• Discover ways to align departments, engage campus partners, and build a coordinated culture of care so students receive consistent support wherever they turn.
• Develop practical tools to strengthen your personal resilience, manage emotional demands, reduce burnout risk and remain grounded in an increasingly challenging higher education environment.
  

Presenters

Connie Horton is the Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Institute at Pepperdine University, where she leads initiatives to expand resilience education and well-being efforts across the University and beyond.
Click here for full bio.

Stacey Lee Gobir ('15, MDR '17) is the Director of the Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Program at Pepperdine University.
Click here for full bio.