Gift establishes Murray Center for Student Wellness
Boston College will enhance student health and wellness services through additional staffing, education, and training, and increase access to mental health counseling for all students thanks to a generous gift from BC alumna, parent, and benefactor Tami Murray ’83, P ’09, ’15, ’19.
The gift, made in honor of her late husband, former BC Trustee Stephen P. Murray ’84, will establish the Murray Center for Student Wellness and enhance access to same-day appointment availability for University Counseling Services (UCS), increase education, training, and resource development around health and wellness, and expand the promotion of mental health services.
It will also integrate campus health and wellness programs, placing University Health Services (UHS), UCS, Sports Medicine, and the existing Center for Student Wellness under the umbrella of the Murray Center, which will work closely with the Dean’s Office in Student Affairs to provide timely support to students in need. The center will be directed by Dr. Douglas Comeau, associate vice president, Murray Center for Student Wellness, who had previously served as director of University Health Services and Primary Care Sports Medicine.
Shawna Cooper Whitehead (Lee Pellegrini)
“We are grateful for this important gift, which will support a campus-wide effort to promote holistic student wellness, and a proactive, integrated approach to wellness education in support of students’ well-being,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper Whitehead.
“The Murray Center for Student Wellness will play a pivotal role in supporting the BC community through increased outreach and education, training, and resource development to address student needs proactively and collaboratively, placing BC at the forefront of collegiate efforts nationwide to address student wellness."
Murray said that having observed her sons’ positive experience with the Connors Family Learning Center when they were at BC, she believed creating a center where students could more readily access wellness services would be a great benefit to the Boston College community.
Tami Murray flanked by her sons (from left) Ryan, Jay, Nolan, and Sean.
“As a parent, I know there is so much more that young people face today, from social media pressures to increased academic and career competition,” said Murray. “I want anyone who is struggling to have access to services in their time of need. The hope in establishing the center is that no student ever feels alone, and that the Murray Center will provide comprehensive care for the well-being of all BC students.”
Research shows that a significant number of college students experience depression and anxiety while on campus, a trend that has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of the decade. Yet most colleges, administrators say, lack the resources and staffing to adequately address the issue.
Comeau said that the advantages of the Murray Center for BC students will include additional staffing and enhanced coordination and communication between health and wellness services, and the addition of Pastoral Counseling, which will work with the center’s teams to enhance access to spiritual counseling for those who seek it.
Dr. Douglas Comeau
In particular, the gift will enable the Murray Center to add a psychiatric nurse practitioner, an additional physician, and BC’s first full-time medical dietician to University Health Services. It will also enable electronic health records to be shared between UHS, UCS, and Sports Medicine, which will help further collaboration of patient care, particularly during a mental health crisis.
“Health care today is a 24/7 operation that requires access to care and enhanced communication and collaboration between service providers,” said Comeau. “The Murray Center for Student Wellness will do all of that for the benefit of BC students. We are thankful to the Murray family for making this center possible.”
Murray said she and her family are especially grateful to University President William P. Leahy, S.J., Haub Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, S.J., and the entire BC community for the support they provided and continue to provide to her and her family, and to Boston College for the profound impact it has had on her, Steve, and their four sons, three of whom received undergraduate degrees and one an M.B.A. from the Carroll School of Management.
“Steve was a person who saw a problem and wanted to do something to fix it,” said Murray. “He loved Boston College and believed in everything it stands for; I know he would be happy that we are doing this. I hope the center will have a welcoming presence at the University, and that students during difficult times will know there is always light and hope, and a place where they can seek assistance without fear of judgment through the Murray Center.”