The Barnes Center at The Arch, a national pioneer of student-focused holistic health and wellness, has been named to the . The Barnes Center is one of only 30 recipients of this prestigious nationwide award.

“Our starting catalysts of success began in 2019 with the grand opening of the Barnes Center alongside Íř±¬ĂĹ’s commitment to being a national leader in integrated wellness,” says Cory Wallack, Ph.D., associate vice president of student health and wellness.

“The Princeton Review naming us to the Mental Health Services Honor Roll and more importantly, doing so for our work in student-focused holistic wellness, proactive and preventative skill-building, in addition to cultivating a campus culture fueled to support wellness, is a wonderful recognition of the hard work everyone has contributed to support student wellness.”

The 2026 Mental Health Services Honor Roll is a celebration of undergraduate institutions for their exceptional dedication and commitment to their students’ mental health and well-being. Through intentionally empowering students by placing them into the driver’s seat of their uniquely defined wellness journeys, coast-to-coast the Barnes Center has been established as a student experience success leader.

Uniting Wellness for Individualized Student Success

At the forefront of this honor is the recognition of the Barnes Center’s intentional and trailblazing work to implement an Integrated Wellness Model. This model intentionally weaves together Health Care, Counseling, Health Promotion and Recreation teams, services and programs, yielding countless student support success outcomes it continues to see accomplished.

“As a national leader our Integrated Wellness Model continues to be unique. While other campuses have integrated parts of these systems, Íř±¬ĂĹ is one of the only universities in the United States that has integrated services to the extent that we have,” Wallack says.

The Barnes Center is centrally located on campus and physically hosts the wellness team (Health Care, Counseling, Health Promotion and Recreation) under one sprawling roof. This shared location naturally creates and strengthens integration of student wellness experiences. At the Barnes Center, all are encouraged and empowered to “be well” in their own unique, ever-evolving wellness journey. In addition to integrating teams, this holistic wellness approach also intentionally encompasses mind, body, spirit and community.

The Princeton Review Names Barnes Center on 2026 Mental Health Services Honor Roll

The Princeton Review and partners selected honorees based on data from its 2025 Campus Mental Health Survey and those that have shown a strong commitment to their students’ mental health and well-being. Recipients, such as the Barnes Center, scored highly in campus quality of life, overall well-being, student empowerment and education, offerings (e.g., services, programs and resources) and administrative support (e.g., policies, staffing).

“One of the key strengths of our campus is the intentional way we foster a quality of life that supports students’ overall well-being,” says .

Among the other criteria that supported the Barnes Center’s honor roll placement are:

• Authentic Holistic Wellness Approach: Demonstrated through a broad range of services integrating mental and physical health, emotional resilience, identity development and community connection.
• Proactive and Preventative Skill-Building: A strong emphasis on equipping students to navigate stress, conflict and transitions.
• Campus Culture Prioritizing Holistic Wellness: A united campus in the pursuit of student well-being and a community of care, supported by data-driven presentations and trainings for faculty, staff and students.

Shaping Tomorrow’s Wellness with the Data of Today

“To ensure that the Barnes Center remains responsive to students’ evolving needs, we pursue continuous assessment comprised of collaboration and adaptation. Ultimately, we strive to remain curious and connected to the student experience, adapting our approach as new needs emerge and ensuring that wellness remains welcoming and a shared community-wide responsibility,” Brown says.

For the dedicated Barnes Center health and wellness team, this honor is just one of many milestones to come in the evolving pursuit of defining student wellness on a national level. Fueling a future of success is the ongoing commitment to data-informed decision-making.

“Our ongoing commitment to utilizing data to inform integrated health and wellness programs and services is a priority,” says Veronica Whalen Jones, director of health promotion.

“In addition to tracking utilization, we are committed to assessing impact through program assessment and focus groups to ensure we are meeting the needs of the student community now and into the future.”

A significant expansion in structure, programming and community outreach  is paving the way for the (CHB) to help position Íř±¬ĂĹ as a national leader in research, education and practice.

An initiative of the (A&S), the and the (IVMF), CHB has a particular focus on the study and promotion of health, well-being and resilience among veterans and military-connected individuals.

Since launching its website and affiliate portal this past summer, have joined CHB—researchers, educators and clinical practitioners from across the University and from area health institutions. have been launched and the student research cohort has been formed.

CHB has hired a dedicated to support affiliate projects. It has also established a for staff who coordinate research initiatives and plans to implement student awards. Additional workshops and research showcases are scheduled for spring.

Building an Ecosystem

CHB is designed to advance translational health behavior research, education and training and provide a collaborative ecosystem for professionals working in the health behavior field, says , A&S professor of psychology, licensed clinical psychologist and CHB director.

Health behavior is a broad, interdisciplinary area that examines the many factors, choices and conditions that influence physical and mental health across the lifespan. The center’s purposeful cross-campus, cross-institutional structure makes it a hub for affiliates to share interests, findings and treatments and engage in academic and professional collaborations. Affiliates conduct basic laboratory studies, field research, clinical trials, digital health intervention work, qualitative studies and implement projects.

Veteran Focus

While CHB operates across a wide range of health behavior fields, a specialized focus on veterans and military-connected individuals complements the University’s commitment to that population, according to Ditre.

“Íř±¬ĂĹ has a national reputation as the best university for veterans and military-connected students. The University has worked with the Syracuse VA for about 30 years, beginning with faculty research collaborations and later expanding to co-mentored training and student placements. Building on that reputation and three decades of partnership, we should also strive to be the best place to learn how to serve veterans,” he says.

Veterans experience higher rates of suicide risk, trauma-related concerns, sleep problems, chronic health conditions and substance use compared to civilian peers. Many also face barriers tied to geography, stigma and complex transitions between military and civilian systems.

“These gaps have real consequences for individuals, families and communities. The University and this center, in collaboration with the IVMF, are uniquely positioned to address them,” Ditre says.

Digital Innovation

Digital innovation is a high priority because technologies like mobile devices, biometric monitoring and virtual reality help researchers collect real-time data from participants and capture their moment-to-moment experiences as well as indicators of health and behavior.

Affiliates have built mobile tools, tested them in trials and worked with community partners to implement check-in platforms and digital interventions that deliver guided exercises or personalized feedback.

“These tools let us reach people who may not engage with traditional services and connect with participants as they go about their daily routines or in settings where traditional care is harder to access. These technologies also help us understand behavior, tailor information to individual needs and deliver support in ways that fit people’s circumstances. For many of the populations we serve, this kind of flexibility is essential,” Ditre says.

Assuring health equity is another key focal point. That means designing studies and programs that are flexible, accessible and attentive to actual conditions and making sure that research benefits and outcomes reach the communities that need them most.

Grant and Award Applications

Application portals for the new pilot grant programs open Jan. 20, 2026, and close Feb. 12, 2026.

The supports cross-departmental and cross-campus projects with external institutional partners. The supports new or expanded Íř±¬ĂĹ and Veterans Affairs collaborations.

The grants range from $500 to $10,000 and the total pool of $50,000 is funded by A&S.

The funds give teams a way to test ideas, build a partnership or generate early data for larger external grant submissions. They also lower the barrier for new investigators who want to connect their work with campus priorities, according to Ditre.

Nominations for the , which cites excellence in research coordination work, are ongoing.

Future Activities

Future plans include more workshops with VA partners and collaboration with University Academic Affairs and the IVMF on a “Voices of Service” showcase where faculty, staff, students and community partners share veteran-focused research, courses and applied programs.

A neuroscience and health behavior research day, new working groups regarding sleep, substance use, trauma and digital health issues, awards for student work and additional community engagement activities are also planned.