Statewide collaborative to reduce college drinking and related problems

Background: College student drinking exacts enormous social and economic costs for families, friends, campuses, and the community-at-large. While many colleges have invested significant effort to ameliorate these outcomes, with some notable exceptions the problem continues without major improvement. Methods: Public health experts at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Maryland School of Public Health reviewed the research literature and best practices, designed and implemented a statewide assessment of institutions of higher education (IHE) activities regarding alcohol consumption, and developed a state-of-the-art measurement system to produce comparable data among campuses. Results: With support from the state health department, Maryland IHEs have formed a statewide learning collaborative, led by a statewide Governance Council of interested IHE presidents, complemented by an Advisory Board of campus and community leaders. Reports on baseline policies and practices at Maryland IHEs, a user-friendly Guide to Best Practices, and a statewide conference were held in year one of the initiative, paving the way for an intensive training and consultation process with and among campuses that joined the collaborative in year two, along with implementation of the standardized measurement system. Conclusion: A statewide collaborative of college presidents, community partners, and public health experts can raise the public profile of the college drinking problem, assess policies and programs, and design strategies and systems to significantly reduce college drinking. The Maryland model draws on and can inform similar efforts in other states.