Issue link: http://baypath.uberflip.com/i/1388453
14 Bay Pathway Spring/Summer 2021 The opportunity for student support, however, isn't limited to the classroom and career paths. In spring 2020, colleges and universities every- where suddenly experienced students needing to be supported through a new kind of growth, as a global pandemic and rapidly erupting social justice issues altered their worlds overnight. Over a year into COVID-19, an era that will define this generation, over sixty-five percent of students surveyed at one hundred and sixteen institutions reported having fair or poor mental health, according to a March 2021 Student Voice survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse. At Bay Path, the ability to support students inside and outside of the classroom is woven tightly into our mission. The idea of whole student support, or wrap-around support, is an integral piece of the work to which every faculty or staff member is held accountable. For many, it's what drives them to Bay Path in the first place. It's what drives many students to Bay Path, too. For residential and commuter Bay Path students, the campus community is known for its close-knit, familial atmosphere. Small class sizes and engaged faculty members encourage personal connections, and through deliberate and dedicated faculty commitment to their students, those same dynamics have been facilitated into online classrooms, too. Whether online or on ground, undergraduate or graduate, or a traditional or nontraditional student, Bay Path has been able to integrate academic, emotional, and mental support through classroom interactions. Students feel supported and uplifted by not only their professors, but by their peers, mentors, and advisors as well. Supporting the Whole Student For many students, college is a peregrination of growth, providing a safe haven to explore the world outside of what they've always known, as they discover who they might become. Bay Path University has been at the forefront of that growth for over a century, offering students opportunities that prepare them for career fields that they may have never imagined while also preparing them for life after college. The ability to suport students both inside and outside the classroom is woven tightly into Bay Path's mission.