My “Join Our PACK Pitch” at Providence College

Providence College Hawkins Hall

Today I had a meeting at Providence College with Steven Sears, VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, and Rosemary Mugan, Director of the Personal Counseling Center (PCC) to discuss the possibility of incorporating a campus therapy dog as part of their college community. I shared with them my website and the College Campus Therapy Dog Guide and how exactly Join Our PACK can assist them in making this happen.

Dr. Mugan shared with me that her family ended up with a “pandemic puppy” at the start of COVID, a warm hearted Bernese Mountain dog who she secretly has been hoping could become a dog who could become certified and come into the PCC as a member of their staff! Yay!

Providence College’s PCC is currently in the process of hiring a Triage Counselor as part of their staff who will be in constant contact/communication with the student community, and this new hire might be the perfect staff member to manage the campus therapy dog.

Dean Sears asked me to be in contact with PC’s Student Congress to determine the student’s interest in a therapy dog being part of their college community. The Student Congress is PC’s student run government that works to support the undergraduate experience by collaborating with administrators and faculty to improve campus life, provide high quality services to students, and organize innovative events to foster a sense of community. Dr. Mugan expressed how enthusiastic she believes the students will be regarding this initiative based on the experiences they have had with visiting therapy dogs during exam times. I will be reaching out to PC’s Student Congress to get the ball rolling!