Erik Bitterbaum, president of West Virginia University at Parkersburg, selected to serve as national leader in alcohol and other drug prevention.

Contact: Erik Bitterbaum, WVU Parkersburg president, 304-424-8200.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Erik Bitterbaum, president of West Virginia University at Parkersburg, has been selected to serve on the Presidents Leadership Group (PLG), a body of higher education presidents and chancellors who have declared their commitment to student substance abuse prevention, announced the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention.

Higher education officials from 31 campuses representing 22 states have now joined in this effort.

"I am deeply committed to addressing issues of alcohol and other drug prevention among the students at WVU Parkersburg," noted Bitterbaum. "I look forward to participating in the Presidents Leadership Group to bring national attention to this issue, and to serve as a model for other higher education presidents."

The Presidents Leadership Group (PLG) was originally formed by the Higher Education Center in 1997 with support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to bring national attention to alcohol and other drug prevention on college and university campuses. The six-member PLG published an alcohol prevention report that year urging college presidents to become more active leaders on this issue on their campuses and in their surrounding communities.

The expanded PLG will build upon the activities of the original group, with members serving as prevention spokespersons, change agents, and models for other presidents. PLG members will also serve to further statewide and regional alcohol and other drug prevention efforts, with members adopting leadership roles in existing regional initiatives or taking the lead in states where statewide efforts have not yet taken hold.

"Presidential leadership is a critical component of successful prevention efforts on college and university campuses, and of effective partnerships between these institutions and their surrounding communities," states Higher Education Center Director William DeJong. "We are looking forward to seeing these presidents serve as change agents in their campus communities, and also as models for other presidents who are looking to take action."

Twenty-six new PLG members were chosen based on their previous leadership and their plans for future leadership in alcohol and other drug prevention. The rigorous selection process required applicants to submit personal statements, letters of support from people within their institution and their surrounding community, and biennial review reports—a federal reporting requirement under the Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Regulations.

The following college and university leaders have been selected to be part of the new PLG:  Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania - Jessica Kozloff; California State University - Fresno, John Welty; California State University System - Charles B. Reed; Clarkson College -  J. W. Upright; College of Santa Fe - Linda Hanson; Edgewood College - James Ebben; Frederick Community College - Patricia Stanley; Gustavus Adolphus College - Axel Steuer; Lehigh University - Gregory Farrington; The Ohio State University - William Kirwan; SUNY, Potsdam - John Fallon; San Diego State University - Stephen Weber; Southeastern Louisiana University - Randy Moffett; University at Albany, SUNY  - Karen Hitchcock; University of Bridgeport - Neil Salonen; University of California, Santa Barbara - Henry Yang; University of Delaware - David Roselle; University of Kentucky - Lee Todd; University of Puget Sound - Susan Pierce; University of Missouri - Rolla Gary Thomas; University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg - Frank Cassell; University of San Diego - Alice Hayes; University of Wyoming - Philip Dubois; Weber State University - Paul Thompson; West Virginia University at Parkersburg - Erik Bitterbaum; Western Washington University - Karen Morse.

Additionally, the following original PLG members have reaffirmed their commitment to this effort by continuing their membership:  Prairie View A&M University - Charles A. Hines; Tennessee Wesleyan College - B. James Dawson; University of Iowa - Mary Sue Coleman; University of Rhode Island - Robert Carothers, and Vanderbilt University - Gordon Gee.

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 non-profit educational research and development organization located in Newton, Massachusetts.

For additional information, contact the Higher Education Center by telephone (800-676-1730) or through the Internet (HigherEdCtr@edc.org). The Center's Web site (www.edc.org/hec) provides one-stop shopping for alcohol and other drug prevention in higher education.