Of Many Minds: Neurodiversity and Mental Health Among University Faculty and Staff

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.

Rebecca Pope-Ruark, PhD, is the director of the Office of Faculty Professional Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is the author of Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal and the coeditor of Redesigning Liberal Education: Innovative Design for a Twenty-First-Century Undergraduate Education. Lee Skallerup Bessette is the Assistant Director of Digital Learning at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship at Georgetown University. She is the editor of Affective Labor and Alt-Ac Careers.