Penn State employees Rodney and Michele “Mitch” Kirsch graciously gave $50,000 toward the creation of The Embedded Counselor Program this week. The program will fall under the umbrella of Counseling & Psychological Services, which provides group therapy and individual counseling for students in the Penn State community.

Every year thousands of Penn State students benefit from the psychological services CAPS offers. Coinciding with this year’s senior class gift, this new program will offer similar services but will be an extension to those living in residence halls and will work closely with resident assistants.

Mitch is the Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the Schreyer Honors College, and Rodney is the Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations. The couple was inspired by this year’s class gift, and wanted to help after discovering the demands for services exceed the number of counselors available.

“The story is not about Mitch and I, Rodney said. “It is about the mental health of our Penn State students and doing everything all of us in Penn State family can do to provide the best services we can to our students in this important area. If our students aren’t psychologically healthy, they cannot excel academically or reach their full potential.”

Mitch agreed, saying, “It’s about supporting our students and helping them maintain their health and well-being so they may take full advantage of all that Penn State has to offer them during their undergraduate studies.”

They hope this donation will pave the way for continued support and funding of the CAPS program, as well as stress the importance of the mental health of Penn State Students.