Nine new members today join the PLG, representing a diverse group of campuses from around the nation. The expansion of the PLG marks the continued commitment by the Higher Education Center to highlight and promote the critical role of presidential leadership in collegiate alcohol and other drug prevention.

With support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the PLG was formed to bring national attention to alcohol and other drug issues on college and university campuses. Representing a broad array of institutions of higher education, officials from 45 campuses in 27 states now participate in this effort. The expanded PLG will build on the leadership efforts of its 36 previous members.

Officials serve as prevention spokespersons, change agents, and models for other presidents; they also support statewide and regional alcohol and other drug prevention efforts, adopting leadership roles in existing regional initiatives or taking the lead in states where statewide efforts have not yet taken hold.

"Presidents are in a unique position to invigorate and influence prevention efforts on their campuses and in their communities," states Higher Education Center Director William DeJong. "We look forward to working with the new members of the PLG as they continue to demonstrate how presidents may best serve this critical role, drawing upon campus resources and enlisting both campus and community constituencies in prevention."

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

"As president of Southeast Missouri State University, I sometimes see the health, academic, and social dangers that result from the abuse of alcohol and drugs by young adults of college-going age," Dobbins said. "I agree with the Proposals for Effective Prevention enunciated by the Presidents Leadership Group, and am pleased to add my efforts to that group and others around the nation who are working on this serious and growing problem."

The following college and university leaders have been selected to be part of the PLG:

The Higher Education Center formed the original PLG in 1997. That year, the six-member PLG published an alcohol prevention report urging college presidents to become more active leaders on this issue on their campuses and in their surrounding communities. Copies of the PLG report, Be Vocal, Be Visible, Be Visionary: Recommendations for College and University Presidents on Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, and its companion video can be obtained by visiting the Higher Education Center's Web site at www.edc.org/hec/plg/products.html.

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 Higher Education 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 nonprofit educational research and development organization located in Newton, Mass.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grantmaking in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reasonable cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse - tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs.

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

The following presidents and chancellors will continue to serve as members of the PLG: