Poor mental health is one of the top reasons students leave college. National data shows that 40 percent of students believe their mental health impacts their ability to focus, learn and perform academically “a great deal”; an additional 36 percent believe mental health impacts their college experience at least somewhat, according to a 2024 survey by Inside Higher Ed.

The challenge for colleges and universities is to provide adequate campus resources to address the diverse needs of students who are struggling.

Leaders at Rutgers University created ScarletWell in 2024 to coordinate efforts centered on student well-being and health across the institution’s four campuses.

One unique facet of ScarletWell is Scarlet Arts Rx, a new program that unites work at the Mason Gross School of the Arts and the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology to encourage students to access the arts.

Led by director Peichi Waite, ScarletWell links visual and performing arts with student well-being, highlighting some of the positive effects of art engagement, such as reduced stress, anxiety and depression, as well as greater joy, empathy and self-confidence.

How it works: Scarlet Arts Rx’s first goal is to give students greater awareness of arts activities and events on or near campus. Staff accomplish this through providing free, reserved tickets to music, theater and dance performances, in addition to recommending activities in the community.

“Through Scarlet Arts Rx, students learn about and are provided with many free opportunities to experience how the arts can be an important tool for their emotional uplift, social engagement and community bonding,” Waite said.

When asked what would boost their participation in campus activities, 28 percent of students said being more aware of them, according to Inside Higher Ed’s Student Voice survey—the third most popular response after holding them at a more convenient time and location and seeing a clear connection between the activities and their career goals.

Any student at the university can take advantage of Scarlet Arts Rx tickets after completing a short sign-up form, and if they complete a feedback form after attending an event, they’re entered into a monthly drawing for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

Campus partners can request specific arts and well-being events aimed at certain student populations, Waite said. For example, “Dining with a Side of Art,” put on with Dining Services, offered students healthy eating education as well as free miniature canvases, easels and paint to practice arts engagement. “Residency with Clay with Rutgers Gardens and Byrne Seminars” showed students how to harvest clay from gardens and led first-year seminar students through a sculpting activity.

Additionally, Waite and her team created and distributed a portfolio of arts and well-being resources through a weekly newsletter called The Scoop to deliver content directly to students’ inboxes. Students could also follow the office on Instagram.

Some of the educational materials distributed included an arts event zine for Rutgers students and an arts and well-being tool kit, co-created with a public health student. With the tool kit, readers can explore arts accessibility guides, a well-being walking map and an online course on arts prescribing, “which teaches participants about the benefits of the arts on well-being and various methods through which students and others can be connected to arts experiences,” Waite said.

What’s next: During the first year, which wrapped in spring 2025, Scarlet Arts Rx engaged students more than 5,500 times, with some students becoming frequent fliers at events and offerings. Of the 2,423 student feedback forms submitted, 99.3 percent of respondents said they wanted more access to arts activities and 93.6 percent said they felt more engaged with the institution after attending.

In the upcoming year, Waite hopes to engage more students through new and exciting events, such as a Jazz on the Lawn series.

Scarlet Arts Rx team members are also developing an app to suggest well-being activities to students at the touch of a button and to help students track their wellness, as well as reward engagement with events.

Do you have a wellness intervention that might help others promote student success? Tell us about it.