Press Release

CONTACT: Debra Humphreys
(202) 387-3760
E-mail: humphreys@aacu.org

Can Involvement in Engaged Learning Practices Decrease Alcohol Abuse and Depression Among Students?

Bringing Theory to Practice Project Seeks To Measure Effectiveness of LearningStrategies and Provide Resources to Colleges and Communities

Washginton, DC—September 15, 2003—The Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Charles Engelhard Foundation recently announced the launch of a new project, Bringing Theory to Practice, developed in response to concerns about the increase of debilitating behaviors, such as alcohol abuse and the prevalence of chronic expressions of depression, among college students.

The project seeks to determine the efficacy of engaged forms of learning—including but not limited to service-learning, undergraduate research, or directed theses—in preventing or reducing these debilitating behaviors. The project does not seek to blur useful distinctions between academic and social experiences, nor does it aim to ask faculty members to serve in the role of counselors. It does, however, ask the question: Can engaged forms of learning result in strategic benefits and positively affect students' choices of behavior and their health? The project will help institutions develop programs and policies that will make a positive difference in the lives of college students and in the context of learning encouraged on campuses across the country.

“As members of faculties and leaders of colleges and universities, we cannot dismiss as ‘someone else's concern' the chronic and debilitating behaviors of alcohol abuse and conditions of depression that affect far too many college students,” said Donald Harward, AAC&U senior fellow and former president of Bates College. “Academic leaders work to create learning environments that allow all students to achieve. We need to be aware of the impact of different kinds of learning experiences and to engage our students and value their involvement in their own learning. By doing so, we may be able to assist them in choosing behaviors that benefit their learning and their overall health and well being.”

A planning group comprised of scholars, educators, practitioners, medical and social service providers, clinicians, and researchers is advising the project which is sponsored by the Charles Engelhard Foundation of New York and coordinated by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

In the initial phase of its work, Bringing Theory to Practice will complete a national scan of existing programs and projects and produce a report describing exemplary models. The report will be released and discussed at the project's first “action-conference,” scheduled to coincide with AAC&U's Network for Academic Renewal Conference, “Pedagogies of Engagement,” (April 15-17, 2004, Chicago, Illinois). The project will be seeking institutions interested in sending teams of campus leaders (faculty, administrators, and students) to this first Bringing Theory to Practice action-conference. Each attending team will be provided tools to assist them in initiating projects on their own campus and will be asked to continue as part of an ongoing study of programs providing data and examining the relations among the three areas of interest. A separate registration for the Bringing Theory to Practice “action-conference” will be required; only a minimal fee will be charged for participation as the conference is being supported by the Engelhard Foundation.

The project is conducting a research review that will be made available and will provide the evidentiary basis for the initiatives and models featured in the project's reports and activities. A series of papers is being commissioned detailing what is known and best practices related to the connections between forms of engaged learning and their use as preventive or interventionist strategies in addressing alcohol abuse and depression among college students. These papers will also be presented at the April conference.
For additional information about the April conference and ways to get involved, see www.aacu.org/bringing_theory/index.cfm. See attached for a list of individuals on the planning group advising the project.

Bringing Theory to Practice Planning Group Members

Bernard Arons, Senior Scientist
National Institutes of Mental Health
Bethesda, MD

Jennifer Blau
Congressional Fellow
Washington, DC

Robert Blum, Professor and Director
Division of Pediatrics and Adolescent Health
University of Minnesota

Thomas Bornemann, Director
Mental Health Programs
The Carter Center, Atlanta

David Burns, Director
(NSF) SENCER Project
Association of American Colleges
and Universities
Washington, DC

Joyce Bylander, Dean of Students
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA

Barry Checkoway, Professor
of Social Work and Urban Planning
Director of Ginsberg Center
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Michelle Asha Cooper
Association of American Colleges
and Universities
Washington, DC

Laurie Davidson, Associate Director
Higher Education Center for Alcohol
and Other Drug Prevention
Boston, MA

Joy Dryfoos
Educational Researcher, NY

John Ford, Senior Vice President
for Student Life and Professor of Public Health
Emory University, Atlanta

Susan Foster, Vice President
and Director of Policy Research
National Center on Addiction
and Substance Abuse
at Columbia University, NY

Stephanie Gordon
Director of Educational Programs
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
Washington, DC

Linda Hartling, Associate Director
Wellesley Center for Research on Women
Wellesley, MA

Donald Harward, Senior Fellow
Association of American Colleges
and Universities
Washington, DC

Rebecca Herzig, Professor
Program in Women Studies and Gender
Bates College, Maine

Elizabeth Huffman, Government Relations Advisor and Consultant
Washington, DC

Herbert Pardes, CEO
Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
New York, NY

Sally Pingree, Trustee
Charles Engelhard Foundation
New York, NY

Daniel Tad Roach, Headmaster
St. Andrew's School, Maryland

Robert Smith, Former Headmaster
Sidwell Friends School
Washington, DC

William Speers, Dean of Faculty
St. Andrew's School, Maryland

Raj Vinnakota, Co-Founder
The SEED Public Charter School
Washington, DC

AAC&U is the leading national association devoted to advancing and strengthening liberal learning for all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Since its founding in 1915, AAC&U's membership has grown to more than 1000 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.

AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.

Information about AAC&U membership, programs, and publications can be found at www.aacu.org.

The Charles Engelhard Foundation is a New-York based foundation whose mission focuses on projects in higher and secondary education, cultural, medical, religious, wildlife, and conservation organizations.