Newton, Mass.: The U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention announced in August a newly selected class of Center Associates to help strengthen alcohol, other drug, and violence prevention efforts on U.S. college campuses. Working as trainers, consultants, and evaluators, the Center Associates (CAs) represent an elite group of alcohol, other drug, and violence prevention experts from around the country. Becky Markwell, Director of the Eastern Illinois University Office of Safety Programs was selected as one of the chosen consultants.

Center Associates help the Center assist colleges and universities and other key stakeholders with their collegiate alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention efforts. CAs help higher education institutions similar in size and type to where they work, and with institutions that are working on particular issues in which the CAs have expertise. "Center Associates have proven to be a powerful way for the Center to assist colleges and universities in their prevention efforts," says Beth DeRicco, Associate Director for Institutions of Higher Education at the Center. "They extend our reach into many more communities than we are able to serve alone, and are strong advocates for change within their own community."

Every two years the Center selects a group of approximately 30 Center Associates on the basis of their prior leadership, expertise in a specific content area, and success as a community mobilizer, trainer, or writer.  The newly selected group of CAs represents the fourth set of Center Associates since the program's inception.  Their roles on campus and in the community are varied: health promotion and  education, crime prevention, sexual assault prevention, residential life, campus safety, and alcohol and other drug prevention.

The new CAs have convened in Newton for a five-day workshop that will include an overview of the Center's philosophy and prevention framework, an  explanation of the Center Associate's role, and sessions on substance abuse prevention and strategic planning.  CAs will also have the opportunity  to begin working with their new partners from other campuses and organizations.

"Hearing the challenges of other AOD professionals and helping them to overcome them has been invaluable," says Nancy Wahlig, a CA and Director of the Student Safety Awareness Program at the University of California, San Diego. "The opportunity to share and learn from other national leaders  in the field has also been highly beneficial to my work on my own campus."

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention serves as the national resource center for institutions of higher education concerned with reducing alcohol and other drug use.  Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, with supplemental funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Center offers training, technical assistance, publications, and other information to assist those who want to take an active part in changing the environment in which students make decisions about alcohol and other drug use.  The Higher Education Center is based at Education Development Center, Inc., an internationally known educational research and development organization located in Newton, Massachusetts

February 26 and 27, 2001 - Attended the Illinois Campus Alcohol and Traffic Safety (CATS) Conference held in Springfield, Illinois

    *  Received The Extra Mile Award
 
 

Last updated: 1/14/02
For questions or comments email Eric Davidson at: csesd@eiu.edu