The usual stressors of mid-semester often impact the health of our Eagles. Encourage your student to stick with healthy exercise, sleep and eating habits. Group exercise classes are fun and motivating. To-go containers at the Terrace Dining Room make it easy to pack healthy meals and snacks for later. And every student has online, interactive tools to support their wellness at their fingertips at you.american.edu.

As we head into cold and flu season, please encourage your student to get a free flu shot at our clinic on October 27 or by appointment. When your student does become ill, they can call to see about a same-day appointment at the health center or consult our 24/7 nurse advice line. For help after 5 p.m. our website lists area urgent care centers and guidance about emergency care.

Thank you, families, for all the ways you help your student to stay well and finish strong this semester!

10/27: Flu shot clinic on campus, registration required

10/31: Last day to apply for fall graduation

11/3: Last day to withdraw from a fall course or change a grade option

11/21: Tuesday classes cancelled, Friday classes meet instead

11/22 - 11/26: Thanksgiving holiday; no classes, halls remain open, dining services modified, university offices closed Thursday and Friday

12/11 - 12/16: Fall final examinations, consult with your student before arranging travel

12/17: Fall Commencement Ceremony for August and December graduates

12/17: Residence Halls close

1/16: Spring classes begin

We enjoyed getting to know our new families and reconnecting with our returning ones again during Family Weekend! Check out the highlights in our awesome recap video! If you were able to join us, we hope you enjoyed time with your Eagle and all that DC has to offer. If you were unable to attend, we hope you’ll mark September 27 – 29, 2024 on your calendar for our next Family Weekend and visit our website to view the recordings of our Fall Family Welcome webinar and Sine Institute of Policy & Politics panel.

Your feedback is important to us, please take a moment to complete our Family Weekend survey. 

Let's talk about student stress. How can we help our students to develop healthy coping strategies so they are better equipped to manage the inevitable challenges of college life? And how can we support them in ways that promote self-efficacy and resiliency when they call for help? Join with staff from the Center for Well-Being to review resources for students and effective tips for families.

​In advance of this session, you may find it helpful to review the range of resources available through the Center for Well-Being.

​We invite you to submit questions with your registration or email to [email protected].

We want to share an important update about our harm reduction strategies and how the community can access life-saving drugs and be trained to help decrease fatal overdoses. Our approach remains based on a commitment to the health and safety of our community, specifically by providing harm reduction measures in a variety of ways.

Last year, AU joined the 30x30 Initiative, a national campaign launched in 2018 that seeks to increase the number of women in policing. The university is among about 330 law enforcement agencies across the country that have pledged to ensure that at least 30 percent of sworn officers are women by the year 2030. The American University Police Department (AUPD) has since exceeded that goal, with women making up about 40 percent of its approximately 35 sworn officers.

Student-athletes’ physical wellness has been a longtime focus for athletic departments, from trainers to recovery resources, nutrition, and more. But as part of a growing movement of schools, AU has also bolstered its mental health resources in support of players’ success inside and outside the lines of play. That includes the recent addition of full-time positions devoted to holistic wellness.

The AU Department of Performing Arts hereby invites you on a quest to recover the missing “beat.” The musical Head Over Heels, live at the Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre from October 20-28, is inspired by Sir Philip Sidney’s pastoral romance The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia (1593) and follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save its beloved kingdom from extinction. This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s.

Dean and Distinguished Professor at the AU School of Education (SOE), Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, was selected as an Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow, a national fellowship for diverse leaders who are working on innovative ideas to improve the well-being of families. Past awardees include Senator Raphael Warnock (GA), Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, and CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, Aisha Nyandoro.