UC Announces $400K-Plus of Increased Support for Student Counseling Services Center (CAPS)

University of Cincinnati Provost Beverly Davenport, in partnership with President Santa Ono and Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance Robert Ambach, announced today a significant increase in support for the university’s Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) effective immediately. 

With more than $400,000 in additional new funds, some coming from private donations, CAPS will be able to hire additional full-time staff and offer expanded services, resulting in:

• doubling the psychiatric services currently available 
• adding up to three new staff psychologists, two new clinical counselors and two new interns. 

The new funding will increase UC’s counseling capacity to match other institutions across Ohio and provide for the needs of UC’s increasing student population, which has continued to set record enrollments for the past decade.

The Office of the Provost and the Division of Student Affairs have been working all summer to come up with a funding model that would provide a series of initial free visits for all students followed by paid follow-up visits for both undergraduate and graduate UC students. 

“We take our responsibility to support our students’ wellness, including mental health, seriously,” Davenport said. “We want to provide them with the support they need, when they need it, and our renewed and increased financial investment is a part of that.”  

Davenport and Vice President Debra Merchant, who work closely with students and UC’s Student Government, credit Student Body President Andrew Naab and Student Body Vice President Andrew Griggs for making mental health services a priority in their work on campus. 

Student Government leaders have lobbied hard to ensure students’ mental health needs are met in an accessible and affordable way. 

“I’m impressed with the research these student leaders have done on this issue,” Merchant said.