Full Description
An empowering essay collection on fostering a more inclusive, compassionate mental health culture in higher education.
In the competitive and achievement-driven world of higher education, the mental health and neurodiversity of faculty and staff often remain overlooked or misunderstood. While institutions increasingly prioritize student mental health, the challenges faced by educators are frequently ignored, leaving them to navigate a culture that values excellence at almost any cost. In Of Many Minds, editors Rebecca Pope-Ruark and Lee Skallerup Bessette give voice to the experiences of faculty and staff dealing with anxiety, depression, and neurodivergence amid a culture of stigma and exclusion.
This essay collection provides a platform for faculty and staff to share their stories and critically examine the culture of mental health in US higher education. Contributions normalize conversations about mental health and neurodiversity while offering insights to transform the academy into a more inclusive, supportive space. The essays combine personal accounts with actionable critiques, addressing topics like workplace stigma, ableism, and systemic barriers to seeking treatment. With contributions from a diverse group of educators and advocates, Of Many Minds challenges the status quo and fosters empathy for those living with neurodiversity in academia.
At a time when burnout and faculty attrition rates are soaring, this book urgently calls for higher education to reimagine its values and prioritize the care of faculty and staff. Of Many Minds empowers educators to advocate for themselves and others while breaking down the stigma that has silenced too many for too long.
Contents
Foreword, by Katie Rose Guest Pryal
Introduction, by Rebecca Pope-Ruark and Lee Skallerup Bessette
Coping and Masking
1. For Those Who Do Not Love the Archives, by Catherine J. Denial
2. To Be Seen as a Whole Person: Masking and Unmasking in Higher Education, by David Dault
3. Barely Passing, by Emily Van Walleghen
4. Ripping the Mask Off: The Body Knows What the Mind Denies, by Jim Luke
Higher Ed Structures
5. There Is No "One Path" in Academia, by Jorden Cummings
6. But Why? The Social Consequences of Boundaries as an AuDHD Person, by Shannan Palma
7. "It's all too much.": Finding a Place with Autism, by Robert Perret
8. Both Can Be True: Risk and Protective Factors for Bipolar Prognosis in Academia, by Darcy Gordon
9. Am I the Problem? Anxiety, Ambition, and Belonging in Higher Ed, by Rebecca Pope-Ruark
Stigma
10. No One Brought a Casserole, by Melissa Nicolas
11. Alone at the Table: Neurodivergence and Fractured Networks, by Ronnie K. Stephens
12. Don't Ask Me How I'm Doing, by Lee Skallerup Bessette
13. My Autistic Transformation: A Journey Towards Acceptance and Advocacy, by Dixie L. Burns
14. Born Under a Bad Sign: An African American Experience in Higher Education, by Kyle Younger
Bonus Chapter
15. "It's Okay to Be Human" and Other Lessons Learned Under My Desk, by Katrina Swinehart Held
16. Coda: Professionalism as Ableism, by Lee Skallerup Bessette
Bibliography
Index
