Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Canine Educators visited Armstrong Hall on March 7, bringing therapy dogs to the Herman & Heddy Kurz Atrium for the College of Engineering’s “Canines, Cookies, and Calm.” The event served not only as a source of joy but also highlighted the documented benefits of therapy animals, which are known to reduce student stress, anxiety, and depression, contributing to improved emotional regulation.

The event was the College of Engineering CARES Hub’s final program of Mental Health Action Week (March 3–7), and it drew roughly 300 students who spent time with the therapy dogs, enjoyed cookies and connected with peers. This approach aligns with emerging mental health initiatives that advocate for a campuswide, public-health strategy to mental well-being.

The dogs were described as the center of attention and a source of visible relief for students gathered in the atrium. “Those amazing dogs have the capacity to create calm and joy for our students, and it was a privilege to observe it happening,” said Kristy Eaton, director of Community, Assistance and Resources for Engineering Students (CARES) at Purdue University. The presence of the therapy dogs is particularly significant, as research indicates that interactions with them can lead to measurable decreases in cortisol levels and sustained improvements in mood.

Sarah Schroeder, Canine Educators coordinator and teaching animal protocol technologist in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Purdue University, helped bring the program to the College of Engineering as part of a collaboration with the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. The Canine Educators program provided the dogs and student handlers who facilitated interactions with attendees. Purdue University has substantially expanded its mental health services in recent years, placing its Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) program among the top 4% of U.S. universities for the proportion of unique students served.

Organizers framed the event as low-barrier support for student well-being during a campuswide week of mental-health programming led by Purdue Student Government and supported by Purdue administration and Human Resources. Eaton said she heard “so much laughter and saw so many smiles” and that students expressed repeated thanks for the visit. Programs like this are part of a broader trend that includes peer-support initiatives, enhancing the ability of faculty and staff to recognize distress and connect students to help.

The College of Engineering’s CARES Hub promoted the event as a wrap-up activity for Mental Health Action Week, inviting engineering students, staff, and faculty to spend informal time with the therapy dogs and learn about campus support resources. The program’s mix of social connection and animal-assisted interaction aimed to create a calming, welcoming environment for attendees, illustrating how on-site activities can effectively bolster broader mental health strategies.

Staff and volunteers organized the space in Armstrong Hall’s Herman & Heddy Kurz Atrium so students could move through stations to meet the dogs while remaining in small groups. Eaton called the visit “a gift the College of Veterinary Medicine shared with our engineering students to wrap up MHAW.”

The event illustrates a campus approach that pairs student-facing mental-health outreach with practical, on-site programming. Purdue’s CARES Hub uses events such as this to build community and direct students to available supports, and the Canine Educators visit was one element of the college’s broader Mental Health Action Week offerings. Details about the event were listed on the College of Engineering’s event page for Canines, Cookies and Calm.

Students who attended described the time with the dogs as restorative during a week of focused well-being activities. Eaton said she was repeatedly thanked by students and noted the clear emotional effect: the visit fostered smiles, laughter, and gratitude across the crowd.

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Original reporting: view the original article.