Student Health Services (SHS) is the division of The New School responsible for providing medical support services to students. As of 2024, SHS is divided into three branches: Medical Services, which offers routine primary healthcare services to the university’s students; Counseling Services, which offers psychological, counseling, and psychiatric services; and Wellness and Health Promotion, which is responsible for public health initiatives and messaging.

Historically, with the New School’s focus on adult education, the university administration saw little need to provide the kinds of student services typically found at other universities. With the shift in focus toward its degree-granting programs in the early 1980s, and the increasing size of its undergraduate programs, came the recognition of a need to expand student service offerings, beginning with the appointment of the first Assistant Provost for Student Affairs and Services, Linda Reimer, in 1994.

The New School’s Student Health Services division first formed with the opening of the Student Health Services Center on November 28, 1994, which offered doctors appointments and short-term therapy to students. This same year, the New School also began to allow students to enroll in health insurance through the university. The Health Services Center was originally located inside the Henry and Louise Loeb Residence Hall at 135 East 12th Street. Besides offering basic medical care, testing, and psychological services, the Center also hosted some more specialized services, including a weekly gynecological clinic. The Center was open to all undergraduate students, who paid a “Health Services Fee,” although graduate students who elected to pay the fee could also access the Center’s services. Payment of the fee also enrolled students in the university’s accident insurance plan, as distinct from its optional health insurance plan for illness.

Following the hiring of dedicated public health professionals in December 2009, Student Health Services debuted “The New You” peer health advocacy program, a project recruiting student volunteers to assist with health and wellbeing messaging and initiatives, as well as forming the Student Health Advisory Council. In 2011, the Center was moved to the third floor of 80 5th Avenue, where it remains as of 2024.

Sources:

Audio Interview With Rachel Knopf Shey and Tamara Oyola-Santiago, 2019 November 7. The New You Peer Health Advocates Oral History Project, NS.07.01.05. The New School Archives and Special Collections. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/NS070105_Knopf_Oyola_20191107

The New School Observer, Volume 16, Number 1. 1995 January. New School Periodicals Collection, NS.05.06.01. The New School Archives and Special Collections. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/5_Student_Affairs_at_New_Sch New School Student Handbooks, General (1996-2013), (5 of 8). New School guides and handbooks collection, NS.05.07.02, Box 1, Folder 13. The New School Archives and Special Collections.

Reimer, Linda, “Student Affairs at the New School”, 1995 February 2. New School Central Administration Collection, NS.01.01.05. The New School Archives and Special Collections. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/5_Student_Affairs_at_New_Sch

Reimer, Linda, “Student Life”, 1997 March 6. New School Central Administration Collection, NS.01.01.05. The New School Archives and Special Collections. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/23_9_28_2010_4_52_32_pm