Mississippi State University

The MSU Connection initiative is a new multidisciplinary program at Mississippi State University- Starkville (MSU) designed to make suicide attempts and death by suicide a never event. Informed by the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, this new initiative aims to reduce suicides by 1)Creating stronger connections between mental health providers across campus; 2) Broadening our mental heath network by providing QPR gatekeeper training to student leaders, faculty and staff; and 3) Creating new health and wellness initiatives aimed to help reduce suicidal ideation and encourage help-seeking behaviors.MSU is the largest university in the state of Mississippi with an enrollment of 20,365 students and growing. Our campus is extremely diverse with 20.2% of students being African-American and 24.9% affiliating with an ethnic minority group. MSU also has a strong connection with the military, and 10% of our student body consists of members of the Veterans community.