Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Call for Proposals for New Jersey Higher Education Mental Health Summit

September 30, 2026

By: OSHE Staff

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Share Your Expertise at the 2027 NJ Higher Education Mental Health Summit

The well-being of New Jersey college and university students remains a central priority for higher education professionals and beyond. The 4th Annual NJ Higher Education Mental Health Summit will take place on Thursday, January 7, 2027 at Rutgers-New Brunswick (inclement weather date, January 8). Please join us for an opportunity to share your talent and expertise with a wide range of student-facing professionals and allied partners. As students and higher education employees alike continue to face complex and evolving well-being challenges, the Summit provides an excellent opportunity to learn from one another as we work towards finding timely solutions that value collective learning.

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2027 Summit Theme

Institutional Vitality: Strengthening the Mental Health and Well-Being in Higher Education

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Submission Timeline

• Program proposals will be accepted from September 9, 2026 through October 14, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EST
• Notification of presenters will occur on or before October 26, 2026

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Eligibility

Program proposals are welcome from:

• Higher education professionals working in mental health and wellness, including counselors, clinicians, prevention specialists, student affairs, faculty, administrative professionals, and other campus partners.
• Agencies, private practitioners, non-profits, resource centers, advocacy groups, and policy makers are invited to submit program proposals that demonstrate how their work contributes to institutional vitality and strengthens mental health and well-being in higher education.

Note: Private and for-profit entities promoting products or services may contact MaryAlice Breuninger, Vice President of the Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, for information about the Summit's Resource Fair, mabreuninger@njcolleges.org.

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Submitting a Program Proposal

Click here for the Call for Proposals application form.

To help you prepare your answers, we recommend giving thought to the following prompts:

• Proposed Audience: Identify the audience your program is geared towards, such as mental health professionals, health promotion, advisors, residence life staff, police/public safety, faculty, administrators, etc.
• Abstract (100-200 words): Provide a concise summary of your program. If selected, it will appear in Summit materials and on the website.
• Program Description / Details: Programs must be 60-minutes in length and suitable for in-person delivery. Proposals must be between 300-500 words, excluding the abstract and references. All proposals must demonstrate evidence-based or best practices to support the mental health and well-being of students and employees within higher education and the integration of inclusive theories and interventions across disciplines, such as psychology, counseling, social work, wellness, education, administration in higher education or a related field.
• References: In order to demonstrate evidence-based learning, please include three (3) scholarly references. If submitting a program that elevates a best practice, please include at least two (2) conferences or reputable publications where the material was presented.

We are pleased to offer a waiver of the Summit registration fee for the selected presenters. Please keep in mind that the Summit does not provide compensation for travel, accommodation, or speaking engagement fees.

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Selection Criteria

Program proposals will be reviewed based on clarity, relevance to the Summit theme, evidence-informed content or best practices, and applicability to a broad audience of higher education professionals.

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Questions about the Call for Program Proposals can be directed to Dr. Eric Rose (Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at Stevens Institute of Technology), erose@stevens.edu or Melissa Van Der Wall (Dean for Students/Vice President of Student Well-Being at Ramapo College, mvanderw@ramapo.edu). Eric and Melissa serve as co-chairs of the Programming Committee and on the Steering Committee for the NJ Higher Education Mental Health Summit.

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