UAlbany Counselor Co-chairs National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Conference

Contact: Lisa James Goldssberry (518) 437-4980

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 15, 2003) -- M. Dolores Cimini, director of the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program at the University at Albany, has been appointed co-chair of the 17th Annual National Meeting on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention in Higher Education by the U.S. Department of Education. The meeting will be held October 16-19 in Austin, Texas.

The national meeting is the primary national conference for examining issues around alcohol, other drugs and violence prevention on college campuses and in their surrounding communities. The conference offers a variety of opportunities including keynote speakers, workshop and poster sessions. Attendees include prevention professionals, students, and community-based coalitions. "The opportunity for us to discuss effective strategies and programs helps us remain accountable to the students and communities we serve on a daily basis," Cimini said.

UAlbany's Middle Earth program was the recipient of a 2001 Exemplary Substance Abuse Prevention Program Award from the U.S. Department of Human Services. The program is nationally known for its work in presenting social norms information on alcohol and other drugs to college students using interactive peer theatre techniques. Regarded among best practices in the field, Cimini's research has been disseminated through professional publications and presentations on a local, regional and national level.

Cimini will be among four UAlbany faculty and professional staff members presenting at the National Meeting. Other presenters include Thomas L. Gebhardt, chair of the nationally-recognized UAlbany Committee on University and Community Relations, Matthew P. Martens, assistant professor, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Flora Casallas, the University's coordinator for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention.

Further information about the U.S. Department of Education National Meeting can be found at: www.edc.org/hec/natl/2003.

Established in 1844 and designated a center of the State University of New York in 1962, the University at Albany's broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research and public service engages 17,000 diverse students in eight degree-granting schools and colleges. The University is engaged in a $500 million fundraising campaign, the most ambitious in its history, with the goal of placing it among the nation's top 30 public research universities by the end of the decade. For more information about this nationally ranked University, visit www.albany.edu