Do you have an idea that could help CMU achieve its strategic priorities? Consider applying for a Go Grant to bring that idea to life!
The Go Grants initiative was designed to help CMU students, faculty and staff engage with the university’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan in a meaningful way. These targeted grants, ranging in value from $5,000 to $50,000, will provide funding for proposals that are aligned with CMU’s strategic planning priorities and goals and that have potential to make a positive impact on students and/or the communities we serve.
Why “Go Grants?
The word “go” implies immediate action and motion, and that’s exactly what we hope Go Grants will drive! These one-time funds are intended to inspire action on CMU’s strategic priorities, helping our community achieve its goals in meaningful ways and involving more of our students, faculty and staff in this important university-wide effort.
Go Grant proposal criteria
- Any CMU student, faculty or staff member may apply for a Go Grant. Groups of students, faculty and staff, departments, divisions and other CMU stakeholder groups are also eligible to apply.
- Proposals must be aligned with one or more of the strategic plan priorities:
Please note: Submissions for course releases are not eligible for Go Grants.
Submission deadline
The window for submission for 2024-2025 Go Grants has closed.
Students help students focus on mental wellness
Highlights:
- Students create sustainable peer-to-peer wellness support program
- The resources were funded through the Go Grants Initiative
Melissa Hutchinson saw the Go Grants Initiative as an opportunity to help Central Michigan University students thrive by creating a network of students to provide mental wellness support for other students.
Eleven students volunteered. Jacob Jensen, one of them, said he was motivated by a desire to make new students feel welcomed.
“I want the incoming freshman to come out of our meetings knowing they're not alone,” he said. “College is a stressful time, especially when it's someone's first time dealing with it. However, students should be able to attend our meetings and come out of them knowing that things will always get better, no matter the circumstances. It's about how you carry yourself in those stressful situations, and how you react when unexpected issues arise.”
Compass’ volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and represent academic disciplines across campus. They share one thing in common, however.
“They want to make a difference in the lives of their peers,” said Hutchinson, executive director for counseling services.
COMPASS – Community Outreach Mental Health Persistence And Student Success – was born.
The goal of COMPASS was to enable students to build the foundation for a program that would allow them to play a vital role in understanding how their mental wellness is crucial to their academic success.
“I think connection with peers is important,” she said. "Faculty and staff can offer support, but providing support through peers provides a complete support network.
Their first step was coming up with a name and a logo. It has the Action C in the center of a compass with “Navigating College Life” written at the bottom.
COMPASS will participate in World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 in the open field near the Biosciences building. They’ll talk about the importance of self-affirmations. They’ll also seek to reduce the stigma of mental wellness, encourage seeking help and acknowledge mental health challenges.
Its members also plan to participate in The Green Bandana Project.
COMPASS is part of the Counseling Center, which used its $25,000 grant to hire someone to help oversee the program, Hutchinson said. That will allow COMPASS to grow and allow the Counseling Center to continue providing its high level of support for students.
Hutchinson said she was introduced to the kernel of a concept through an academic retention program aimed at helping students who struggled their first semester on campus find success.
Go Grants in Action is a year-long series that shares the stories of how CMU students, faculty and staff are making a positive impact on the people and communities we serve through the Go Grants initiative.