College inherently demands holding everything together—coursework, relationships, responsibilities and uncertainty about the future. Some days, it can feel like too much.

In the University of Oklahoma’s Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, help is now closer than ever. Thanks to a $275,000 gift from the Merrick Foundation, the college has created a new embedded counseling position to provide mental health support in its Student Success and Advising Center.

Bex Lisenbee, a licensed clinical social worker and OU ’04 and ’11 alum, started in the full-time role last fall. Her office in the Physical Sciences Center is just a few discreet steps away from where students meet with their academic advisers. She offers regular appointments, specialized support groups and office hours open to more than 8,000 undergraduate students in OU’s largest college. 

“Walking in here is a little less intimidating than walking into a separate counseling center, I imagine,” Lisenbee says. 

During her first semester in fall 2024, students began showing up, quietly at first, often after a hard week or a difficult conversation. Many were carrying layers of stress such as pressure to keep scholarships, anxiety about choosing the right major or the strain of being far from home. Some were on the verge of leaving school altogether or processing complicated combinations of grief, trauma and guilt. 

“One of the very first clients I started seeing was a referral from an academic adviser,” Lisenbee says. “They were struggling and trying to determine if they would finish the semester.” Parental and financial pressure had led the student to choose a major that wasn’t a good fit. Without access to counseling, “they might have had to withdraw and maybe not come back,” she says, “but they’re still a client and doing wonderfully.”

Since she joined the team, other embedded counselors have been added to OU’s Gallogly College of Engineering and OU Law. 

For students who might never have sought counseling on their own, accessibility matters. They see Lisenbee’s name and photo on orientation materials or walk past her door while grabbing a free snack after class. Others arrive after being encouraged by an in-house academic life coach or adviser. 

Lisenbee, who has additional training in trauma-informed care, notes a common trait among this generation of undergraduates. “They are motivated to heal,” she says. “They are ready to come in and do the work.” 

The Merrick Foundation’s gift to the OU Foundation is among the latest from a family that has supported OU since the mid 1940s, and reflects their mission to enhance the quality of life and improvement of health for Oklahomans. Supporting statewide mental health programs is a way to meet “a very real, very human need,” says Will Merrick, director of the Merrick Foundation.

“Our partnership with OU spans generations, but this initiative feels especially meaningful because it focuses on the whole student—not just academic success, but emotional well-being and resilience. It represents a natural evolution of our family’s commitment to helping people thrive.” 

Removing stigma, expanding access and building a culture of compassion are also priorities for the Merrick Foundation.

“We hope this gift empowers students to seek help when they need it and to build the skills that sustain lifelong mental health. If we can help one student feel supported enough to stay in school, to reach out for help, or to grow stronger through challenges, then this investment has made a lasting difference,” Merrick says. 

The initiative is already changing how some students think about mental healthcare. It’s a normal part of college life, right where they are and when they need it most.

“Ultimately,” Merrick says, “we want students to know they are not alone and that caring for their mental health is an essential part of their success.”

Sara Morrell Cowan is assistant editor of Sooner Magazine.

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