Spurred in part by urgent federal legislation, programs designed to educate administrators, faculty, and students about alcohol and other drug abuse have taken new directions and dimensions, involving both campus and local communities in the process. While the need to address alcohol and other drug abuse on college campuses has been recognized for many years, progress toward that end has accelerated. Committed to the Elimination of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, a coalition of institutions initiated by the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The Network, active since 1987 in bringing institutions together to eradicate campus substance abuse, has seen its membership rise rapidly to 1,300 and its program of training, research and administrative support expand correspondingly. In addition, the National College Student Organizational Network for Drug and Alcohol Education, sponsored by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, has made substantial efforts to enhance student involvement in substance abuse education and intervention.
Abuse is representative of real growth in campus-based program development.
Many programs and policies are so new that information about them is still being gathered. As material becomes available, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education will establish a file within the existing ERIC database dedicated to college alcohol and other drug prevention efforts. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education expects to process about 600 selected descriptions of campus programs from Network member institutions for inclusion in the file. The existing literature, limited as it is, suggests that the programs in place vary widely in design, focus and scope. Programs receiving the Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol Issues' Distinguished Program Award illustrate the creativity and thorough planning needed for effectiveness.