For five years, Wave of Support, a signature Tulane program initially made possible through the philanthropy and leadership of Drs. Kathy Fields and Garry Rayant, has strengthened a campus culture of care by providing students, faculty and staff with tools and resources to support student mental health and well-being.
Officially launched in 2021, the Wave of Support program has handed out hundreds of Red Folders, which provide mental health information to faculty and staff. The Wave of Support Leadership Academy has empowered multiple cohorts of students to champion wellness, and the annual Failure Tales event normalizes failure as part of life and something to learn from. The Green Bandana project empowers students to connect peers with available resources.
Since its launch, more than 1,300 students have been trained as student mentors, and over 4,400 Tulanians have completed Question, Persuade, Refer suicide-prevention training. Every September, the TUgether for Mental Health campaign invites the entire Tulane community to increase awareness.
“Our university’s motto — not for oneself, but for one’s own — could have been written specifically about Kathy and Garry,” Tulane President Michael A. Fitts said.
Fields and Rayant helped endow the program so that it will continue in perpetuity.
“We’re grateful for all the lives we’ve impacted,” Fields said. “I hope they go forth and share it with the world. As we say at Tulane, Wave of Support is about ‘caring out loud.’”
