On the afternoon of July 16, Professor John Allegrante from the Department of Health & Behavior Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, was invited to Beijing City University (BCU) to deliver a special lecture titled "Living with Uncertainty: How to Promote Mental Health on University Campuses." The event was attended by Vice President Yuan Jia, Dean of the School of Education (SOE) Zhou Jianhui, along with related faculty members, student representatives, and staff from the psychological counseling center.
Drawing on empirical research and cutting-edge case studies, Professor Allegrante analyzed the current state of campus mental health from multiple dimensions. He highlighted that the health status and health behaviors of children and adolescents significantly impact their academic performance, with a particular focus on the substantial effects of anxiety on mental health, academic outcomes, and lifelong well-being. During the interactive session, attending faculty engaged in in-depth discussions on hot topics. In response to the question of "how to balance the pros and cons of technology in the AI era," Professor Allegrante emphasized that guiding technological applications to serve human well-being is a core principle—for instance, utilizing intelligent systems to support psychological interventions. He also stressed the need to establish early mental health intervention mechanisms and called for the development of a life-cycle approach to mental health care across society.
One month prior, BCU President Liu Lin led a delegation to visit Teachers College, Columbia University, where both parties reached a consensus on academic exchanges between faculty. Professor Allegrante's visit marks the integration of top-tier international academic resources into BCU's teaching and research systems, laying a solid foundation for deepening international cooperation and enhancing academic influence. By introducing internationally authoritative research findings, BCU will continue to advance interdisciplinary collaboration, providing strong support for cultivating new-era talent with both professional competence and psychological resilience. In the future, BCU plans to organize a series of international academic activities to further build a platform for global talent exchange and promote the synergistic development of academic innovation and social service.
