Institutional Investor's Alpha Magazine - November 2007 - (Page 22)

The Good Guys College Connection After a student takes his own life, Marc Mazur works to focus on mental health issues on campus. By Danielle Beurteaux I n the summer of 1998, Jed Satow, a sophomore at the University of Arizona, joined Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s summer analysts program. Marc Mazur, a Satow family friend and a consultant for then-CEO Jon Corzine, helped arrange his placement. Jed had a great summer experience, says Mazur, which is why it came as such a shock when the 20-year-old college student took his life the following December. “Jed had a ton of personality,” says Mazur. “I didn’t realize his issues were as serious as they were.” Mazur is a founding board member of the Jed Foundation, an organization created in 2000 by Donna and Phil Satow, Jed’s parents, to promote mental health awareness “It was amazing how few schools viewed mental health as a major issue,” says Jed Foundation board member Marc Mazur. among college students. Mazur and the Satows had met through Columbia College’s alumni association. Mazur, 48, now a senior adviser at Brevan Howard US Asset Management in New York, says the three began by brainstorming about methods that would have the greatest impact on students and then assembling a diverse board of academics, medical specialists and businesspeople who could help reﬁne and direct their message. Suicide is the second most common cause of death among college students, with more than 1,000 taking their lives each year. The intense pressures — academic, social, athletic — coupled with the possibility of feeling lost in the crowd during what is often their ﬁrst long-term experience away from home, make students a highly atrisk population. The American College Health Association’s 2006 National College Health Assessment shows that student depression has increased by 56 percent since 2000, and yet, says Mazur, most colleges allocate minimal resources to dealing with it. “It was amazing how few schools viewed mental health as a major issue,” he says. Destigmatization of mental health issues is a central goal of the Jed Foundation so that students, family members and friends feel comfortable seeking help. To that end, the organization has launched two major Web initiatives, ULifeline and Half of Us — offering user-friendly sites that explain depression and how to get help. ULifeline, started in 2002, was designed with student input and is tailored to each participating university’s mental health facilities — more than 1,250 colleges have signed up. The site contains information about suicide and depression and includes an anonymous screening tool, aiming to make mental health care less intimidating and easier to access. Half of Us was launched in November 2006 in partnership with mtvU — MTV’s college channel — to highlight the issue of depression and suicide on campus. The Emmy-nominated campaign includes informational segments, spots featuring celebrities like singer Mary J. Blige and musician Pete Wentz of the band Fall Out Boy, and public service announcements that feature students talking about the challenges they face. Although the Jed Foundation is relatively new and suicide prevention is difficult to measure, Mazur is certain that the organization has already had a positive effect. Based on its reach, number of site hits, feedback and the growth and demand for new programs, the foundation is looking to expand. The first aim, Mazur says, is to increase the budget, which is now $2 million a year. Mazur, who has a son attending Columbia, has no illusions about completely eliminating suicide, but he is certain that outreach and support can have a long-term and far-reaching impact. “Are we going to cure the problem? Probably not. But can we save lives? Yes,” he says. For more information, please visit www.jedfoundation.org. Photo by Chad Batka for Alpha 22 • INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR’S ALPHA • NOVEMBER 2007 http://www.jedfoundation.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Institutional Investor's Alpha Magazine - November 2007

Institutional Investor's Alpha Magazine - November 2007 Contents Letter from the Editor Longs & Shorts Pension Corner: Patriot State The Good Guys: College Connection Interview: Currency of Change Cover Story: Comeback Kid Strategies: Masters of Art Research Center: Alpha Awards: Top Technology Providers Top Analysts Alpha Bytes: Critical Choice Unhedged: Commentary: Banking on a Bubble

Institutional Investor's Alpha Magazine - November 2007

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