As students have had to face uncertainty, isolation, and many other daunting experiences, along with corresponding mental health challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new position has been created within the College of Arts & Letters that will focus on student mental health and care.  

This newly created position — Director of Student Wellness for the College of Arts & Letters — is at the cutting-edge of student mental health care at the University and in the higher education community as a whole.  

Jonathan Ritz, who is an Assistant Professor and Academic and Professional Advisor within the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures, was appointed to this newly created position and looks to provide training and resources to help students thrive in their professional and personal lives.  

“The culture of care to which the College of Arts & Letters has committed itself is rooted in practices of care,” said Christopher P. Long, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters. “The appointment of Professor Ritz as Director of Student Wellness is one important way we are putting our commitment to care into practice. We seek to educate the whole person, so habits of mindfulness and wellness are central to our purpose. We are thrilled to have someone with Jon’s vision and ethical imagination leading our efforts.”  

In his new role, Ritz will work as a dedicated mental health professional and MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) staff member who is embedded directly within the College of Arts & Letters.

The appointment of Professor Ritz as Director of Student Wellness is one important way we are putting our commitment to care into practice. We seek to educate the whole person, so habits of mindfulness and wellness are central to our purpose.

Christopher P. Long, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters

“A localized approach to mental health care is a smart investment,” said Mark Patishnock, Director of CAPS. “It makes sure there is a dedicated professional actively engaged with a specific student population – learning about and addressing their needs and concerns over time, through an ongoing relationship.”

The goal of this new position is to bring in a third branch to the College of Arts & Letters educational experience, according to Ritz. The first branch offers students education within a particular major or program and the second provides specific emphasis on professional development, whether that’s career preparation or preparing for graduate or professional school.  

A localized approach to mental health care is a smart investment. It makes sure there is a dedicated professional actively engaged with a specific student population – learning about and addressing their needs and concerns over time, through an ongoing relationship.

Mark Patishnock, Director of CAPS

Wellness is the third important branch.  

“We recognize that our students are dealing with global challenges that are in many ways unprecedented and developing wellness attitudes and practices can help them thrive over the long haul,” Ritz said. “We also want to help them develop a holistic view of their academic work as being grounded in a life of contribution, creativity, and compassion.”   

Wellness Counselor and Resource

Within his new position, Ritz will not only serve as an embedded counselor for CAPS but will spearhead new wellness-focused resources and co-curricular activities, such as workshops, seminars, and lectures, starting with a two-credit course, called The Art and Science of Wellbeing for Arts and Letters Students.

“My top priority is to help provide clear, direct, low-stress access to mental health services for College of Arts & Letters students who are seeking it,” Ritz said. “That could mean resources on campus or in the community.”  

Ritz will work directly with College of Arts & Letters faculty to help support their efforts to address student mental health and wellness issues within their classes.

My top priority is to help provide clear, direct, low-stress access to mental health services for College of Arts & Letters students who are seeking it. That could mean resources on campus or in the community.

Jonathan Ritz, Director of Student Wellness for the College of Arts & Letters

“MSU does a good job of providing access to mental health resources for our students,” Ritz said, “but by locating it within the College itself, and by supporting College of Arts & Letters faculty, advisors, and other staff who work with students, my hope is to make getting connected to mental health support even easier for our students.”  

Ritz hopes to introduce wellness as a concept and tool, to help in everything College of Arts & Letters students do in college and beyond, by teaching them how to create a life in which they flourish, and a life where they can lift up others. 

“It’s most effective to make mental health services available to students in as many ways as possible, whether in a centralized hub like CAPS, the residence halls where students live, or in academic spaces such as the College of Arts & Letters where students take their classes and live out their academic lives,” Ritz said. “We can look at wellness not only in conventional ways, related to aspects such as nutrition, exercise, and substance use, but as a broader set of habits of mind and cognitive practices focused on creativity, mindfulness, and resilience.”   

New Position Begins This Month

Ritz recently completed his graduate degree to become a licensed counselor and completed his clinical training at MSU’s CAPS. 

“Jon Ritz’s unique background and interests bring tremendous benefit to his new role in Undergraduate Studies. As a scholar, teacher, creative writer, advisor, and now also credentialed counselor, Jon possesses a singular perspective on College of Arts & Letters students,” said Cara Cilano, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies. “His work in the College represents our commitment to focusing on and supporting students in all ways they learn and grow.” 

As a scholar, teacher, creative writer, advisor, and now also credentialed counselor, Jon possesses a singular perspective on College of Arts & Letters students. His work in the College represents our commitment to focusing on and supporting students in all ways they learn and grow.

Cara Cilano, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies

Ritz looks forward to integrating his passion and training in counseling into his work at MSU. 

“I’ve spent my career as a writing teacher and my heart is still in teaching and working with students in the classroom, but I’ve always had an interest in other caring professions as well,” Ritz said. “I realized there could be an opportunity to combine my teaching and advising experience and counseling degree into one position focused on student mental health.” 

Working with the College of Arts & Letters, MSU’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services, and Undergraduate Studies, Ritz starts his new role this month and will begin offering a full slate of programming and resources to students by the Fall 2021 semester.  

We want students to be set on a path not only for academic and professional success, but for broader success in life. The College’s interest in creating and supporting this position is a meaningful and very exciting step in that direction.

Jonathan Ritz, Director of Student Wellness for the College of Arts & Letters

“I’m hopeful that MSU and higher education in general will continue to move in this direction toward wellness,” Ritz said. “We want students to be set on a path not only for academic and professional success, but for broader success in life. The College’s interest in creating and supporting this position is a meaningful and very exciting step in that direction.” 

CAPS has been working with other colleges and units to create embedded counselor positions at MSU and the College of Arts & Letters is the latest example, with embedded positions previously established in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Residence Education and Housing Services (REHS).

“We are so fortunate to have a new collaboration with the College of Arts & Letters. Having both CAPS at large and localized embedded counselors throughout MSU is a smart and strategic approach to ensure we are meeting the mental health needs at MSU over the long term,” Patishnock said. “We are hopeful that more colleges will be open to this type of approach as our collaborations continue.”

For more information on Ritz and this new position or to schedule a counseling appointment with him, visit the Director of Student Wellness webpage.