A Letter from Dr. Karen Riley
Good afternoon Regis,
Time – limited time, timelines, gift of time – our conversations, rightfully so, often include references to time; how much we have or do not have and how we can use it most effectively. Not having enough time is a concern for many and I want you to know that I hear you. We also have some good news to share! Your work and your efforts are making a difference and are being recognized by others and although it is a challenging time, we are moving in the right direction.
Gift of Time
I had never heard of the Thanksgiving holiday, or the time between Christmas and New Year’s being referred to as the gift of time. I love the reference; however, it is only a gift of time if you can completely disengage from work so that you can truly focus on yourselves, your family, and/or your friends. I know that many of you use your evenings, weekends, and holidays to catch up on work rather than to catch up with your loved ones. Please work within your teams to ensure that your team can truly enjoy this gift of time. I look forward to hearing the creative approaches to freeing up time that week so that your team members are ready to disconnect. This is wellness, this is how we support one another, this is how we fill our own buckets so that we can support our students.
HLC Update
Last week the reviewers completed the first step of the review process for our Year 4 Accreditation Update. I thought I would share the responses of the reviewers in their own words – “Marvelous”, “The best one I have read.”, “Seems Regis is bouncing back well from the cyber-attack and COVID.” This was a team effort and again I want to thank all of you for your hard work. I know that we are in a challenging position, however, this is something to celebrate. All of your hard work is making a difference and is being recognized by others. We are moving forward in a positive direction and again that is because of all of you!
Regis College Faculty Lecturer of the Year
Finally, I wanted to share my congratulations to Dr. Abby Gosselin, Professor of Philosophy, Regis College for being named our Regis College Faculty Lecturer of the Year. Dr. Gosselin is an impressive scholar and her work on mental health is nothing short of inspiring.
I wanted to share some statistics from a report that was completed by a group of faculty at DU. “Mental illness affects about 18.5% of Americans, or about 43.8 million people in the United States. The cost of mental illness tops $193.2 in lost earnings annually in the U.S. and is a significant contributor to healthcare costs annually ($2.5 trillion). With respect to healthcare needs, adults living with serious mental illness have a life expectancy that is 25 years shorter than their peers. Those same people are more likely to be underserved by traditional systems of care. In the U.S., only 41% of adults and 50.6% of children with mental illnesses or subjective distress receive services.
Nationally, Colorado has one of the highest prevalence rates of mental illness, ranking 48th in mental wellness. Across age groups, demand for prevention and treatment of mental illness in Colorado is widespread. For example, with the 4th largest 65+ population, 1 in 4 of whom already experience mental health problems and a projected growth of older Coloradoans of 61% by 2030, the state will need to address issues related to an increased demand for geriatric mental health care services. Further, Colorado has significant issues regarding suicide, with one of the highest rates of suicide for adults (44th) and an 85% increase in the suicide rate among children, teens, and young adults in the last 15 years, while also currently ranking second to last for youth substance use disorder services (49th).” The Collaborative.
These statistics were brought to life through Abby’s lecture. Thank you, Abby, for your scholarly contribution, your advocacy for individuals with severe mental illness, and for your bravery. You exemplify our values and our community is stronger because of you and your contributions.
With gratitude,
Karen