SU’s Whitman School to use donation for business and mental health initiative

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management has created a new initiative that will support students’ personal and professional development “at the intersection of business and mental health.”

Syracuse is using a donation of $500,000 from 1991 graduates David and Dina Nass. David Nass is a graduate of the Whitman School and Dina Nass graduated from Syracuse’s College of Arts and Sciences.

The program seeks to help students develop the tools and skills needed to address mental health-related issues they might face in school and as working professionals, “while also promoting greater work-life balance,” the school said.

The hope is that this programming will help students entering “high-stress” business careers to “confidently identify red flags” associated with mental health and to seek help for themselves and others.

“This kind of support for mental health-related issues is something we haven’t seen at many other business schools, despite it being increasingly important for young professionals to understand,” Alexander McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School, said in the school’s news release. “The programming we are creating through the generosity of the Nass family is forward-thinking and rare. It’s asking our students: ‘What does happiness look like to you?,’ ‘How will you prioritize the important things in your life?’ and ‘How will you deal with the challenges?’”

McKelvie went on say, “Creating this signature initiative, which will leverage expertise from across campus, will help students do just that. And, we are very grateful to the Nass family for helping the Whitman School make this possible.”

As managing director and head of real-estate finance at UBS Investment Bank in New York City, David Nass “knows all too well the stresses and long hours involved in rising through the banking industry,” Syracuse said. Dina Nass — who majored in psychology and for a time worked as a substance-abuse counselor — also “understands the pressures and stigma attached” to mental-health issues in the workplace.

The initiative will encompass more than coursework and include expert guest speakers, symposiums, technology, and the introduction of a variety of mental-health topics for both graduate and undergraduate students.

A formal launch event will take place early in the Fall 2023 semester, Syracuse said.