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BOSTON - April 18, 2007 - Outside The Classroom, Inc. is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2006-2007 Prevention Excellence Awards. The Prevention Excellence Awards honor higher education institutions and Greek organizations that have achieved excellence in their alcohol prevention efforts.
Through this program, 13 institutions were recognized for their achievements in alcohol prevention. One school, however, was recognized with Highest Honors: the University of Alabama. Through its implementation of innovative programs and educational resources, the University of Alabama established itself as a leader in college campus alcohol prevention awareness. The University received a $10,000 donation in the name of the administrators who helped develop and implement the prevention program.
Seven other institutions were honored with the Prevention Excellence Award, including Bentley College, St. Joseph's University, State University of New York - New Paltz, University of Connecticut, University of Central Florida, University of Iowa, and University of Texas - San Antonio. In addition, five schools received honorable mentions in the program: Eastern Illinois University, Roger Williams University, Rhode Island College, Texas Tech University, and Washington University in St. Louis.
Award recipients demonstrated their dedication to the health and safety of their students by implementing comprehensive alcohol prevention programs on their campuses. The recipients' efforts included a variety of strategies, including Population-Level Prevention®, an approach that engages an entire population of students, such as a first-year class, not just those who have violated alcohol policies; peer education programs; poster campaigns; and events that underscore the importance of safe behaviors. These programs were supported with communication to faculty, parents, and community members, as well as evaluation to ensure the programs are impacting students and their behaviors.
Outside The Classroom's Founder and CEO, Brandon Busteed, noted, "Our applicant pool was phenomenal; it was truly an honor to get a view into the excellent work being done on campuses around the country. These institutions have created and implemented comprehensive prevention programs that will impact both the individual student and the broader campus culture in very positive ways."
All 13 colleges and universities were honored at a reception at the ACPA/NASPA Joint Meeting in early April.
Alcohol prevention on our nation's college campuses is critically important. In September 2004, the Center for Center for Disease Control and Preventions announced an estimate that 4,554 underage deaths per year were a result of excessive alcohol use. Similarly, a March 2005 report from the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) reported that the problem of college drinking exceeds previous estimates. The report cites more than 1700 alcohol-related deaths and 2.8 million cases of driving under the influence in 2001. Previous estimates also suggest 500,000 injuries, 70,000 sexual assaults, and 159,000 first-year student dropouts due to alcohol and other drugs every year.
Award applications were evaluated by a third-party panel of experts in the prevention field. Their decisions were based on five criteria: implementation practices, communication, evaluation, programmatic linkages, and organizational linkages.
The Prevention Excellence Awards program is sponsored by Outside The Classroom, Inc., the developer of the AlcoholEdu® online prevention programs used on more than 500 college campuses around the country.
About Outside The Classroom
The leader in online prevention, Outside The Classroom is focused on tackling high-risk drinking and the related epidemic-level health issues by delivering programs designed for population-level applications. The company's programs, including AlcoholEdu and SexualAssaultEdu™, provide a personalized approach that helps students make safer, healthier decisions and reduce the risk associated with these critical behavioral health issues. Outside The Classroom's development team includes prevention professionals, assessment and evaluation experts, experienced educators, and leading scientists, including Duke University Medical Center's Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D., and Aaron White, Ph.D., Boston University's William DeJong, Ph.D., University of Central Florida's Michael Dunn, Ph.D., and Keeling & Associates CEO Richard P. Keeling. Outside The Classroom collaborates with many prominent organizations, including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
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