[phas-dept] Fwd: Message from President Keck to A&M-Commerce Community

[Matt Wood]

Dear Students and Staff:

I thought the message below was important enough to share with you.  Depression is a hidden burden that affects some 5% of us - you or someone you know is affected at some level.  It is the leading cause of disability in the population, and doesn’t present itself like most diseases so those unaffected can be clueless, offering for example advice to “just lighten up”.  Depression can be treated.  If you or someone you know suffers from depression, please seek help or encourage them to seek help.

Matt A. Wood



Begin forwarded message:

From: Faculty/Staff Notification List <fsnotify at tamuc.edu>
Subject: [FSNotify] Message from President Keck to A&M-Commerce Community
Date: July 6, 2016 at 8:51:53 AM CDT
To: "fsnotify at tamuc.edu" <fsnotify at tamuc.edu>
Reply-To: <reply_to_employees_list at tamu-commerce.edu>

On April 29, 2016, Dr. Dan Jones, President of Texas A&M University-Commerce since 2008, passed away suddenly at his home on the Commerce campus. During his time as president, Dr. Jones led the university to statewide and national prominence, with explosive growth in enrollment and innovative programs in academic study and student life. Sadly, Dr. Jones suffered from chronic depression and this crippling disease led him to take his own life.
 
Those of us who worked with, admired, and loved Dan Jones know that he would want this tragedy to become an opportunity for enhanced understanding of depression and other community and mental health issues.
 
Accordingly, A&M-Commerce and The Texas A&M University System together plan to create an institute in honor of Dr. Jones that focuses on mental health research and outreach for rural Texas. The plans are still being developed and specific details will be announced in the coming months.
 
This university family remembers with gratitude and affection Dr. Jones’s presence  among us — his warm spirit, his inclusive embrace, his dedication to diversity and change.  The physical beauty of our campus and a hunger for better ways to live and to think remain Dan Jones’s legacy to us.  Each time students and faculty engage together new ideas, with energy and respect, Dan Jones is with us.
 
The staff of the Counseling Center is available to help students individually or as a group. Please contact the Center at 903-886-5145 or come to the Halladay Student Services Building, #204, during normal business hours for counseling assistance. University employees may also contact the Deer Oaks Employee Assistance Program at 888-993-7650.
 
Ray M. Keck, III
Interim President
 
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