Oakland University selected as inaugural participant in Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative

ROCHESTER, Mich. - Nov. 15, 2016 - PRLog -- Oakland University was awarded a $20,000 grant as part of the American Cancer Society and the CVS Health Foundation's Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative (TFGCI), a $3.6 million multi-year program intended to accelerate and expand the adoption and implementation of 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free campus policies. Oakland is one of the first 20 colleges and universities to receive a TFGCI grant.

"We are honored to partner with the American Cancer Society and CVS Health Foundation to promote a smoke- and tobacco-free environment on campus," said Cora Hanson, Environmental Health and Life Safety Manager at Oakland University. "This grant will allow us to continue to build on efforts to create a safe and healthful environment for the entire OU community."

Over the next three years, colleges and universities throughout the U.S. will be awarded TFGCI grants to support their efforts to advocate for, adopt and implement a 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free campus policy. Campuses will also receive technical assistance and resources to support their efforts with education, communications, cessation and evaluation.

TFGCI grants are intended to address a critical, unmet need by helping colleges and universities achieve 100% smoke- and tobacco-free campus policies. The U.S. Department of Education reports there are approximately 4,700 institutions of higher education in the United States. According to the Americans for Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, only 1,427 college campuses are 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free. That reflects major progress over earlier years, but much remains to be done.

Of the roughly 20 million college and university students in the United States, more than 1 million are projected to die prematurely from cigarette smoking. While approximately 90 percent of smokers start by age 18, fully 99 percent start by age 26, underscoring the importance of supporting young adults with more effective prevention and cessation efforts while eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke and all tobacco use in their learning environments.

"Through support from the CVS Health Foundation, we are excited to advance the efforts of many dedicated students, faculty and staff to make their campus 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free using proven strategies that will also reduce tobacco use among students," said Cliff Douglas, vice president for tobacco control and director of the American Cancer Society's Center for Tobacco Control. 'To be successful in creating a tobacco-free generation, it is important that we prevent and eliminate lethal and addictive tobacco use among America's college students."

Grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 will be awarded to 20 institutions in 2016. TFGCI strives to deliver the nation's first tobacco-free generation, with a national goal of doubling the number of 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free institutions of higher learning in the next five years.

The inaugural awardee schools include:

California          Merritt College

California          California State University San Marcos

California          Saint Mary's College of California

Illinois          St. Xavier University

Indiana          Indiana University –Bloomington

Massachusetts          Springfield College

Michigan          Oakland University

Michigan          University of Michigan

Michigan          Davenport University

New Jersey          Montclair State University

North Carolina          Piedmont Community College

North Carolina          East Carolina University

North Carolina          Lenoir-Rhyne University

Ohio          Bowling Green State University

Ohio          University of Cincinnati –Blue Ash College

Pennsylvania          University of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania          Penn State University

Texas          Texas Christian University

Texas          El Paso Community College

Texas          Texas A&M University –Corpus Christi

This TFCGI grant announcement coincides this week with the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout on Thursday, November 17, an intervention effort to encourage smokers to quit for a day, quit for good, or make a plan to quit. On that day, clean air "patrols" will be on OU's campus providing resources encouraging smokers to quit.


About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of 2 million volunteers saving lives in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society's efforts have contributed to a 23 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. We're finding cures as the nation's largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at (800) 227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

About the CVS Health Foundation

The CVS Health Foundation is a private charitable organization created by CVS Health that works to build healthier communities, enabling people of all ages to lead healthy, productive lives. The Foundation provides strategic investments to nonprofit partners throughout the U.S. who help increase community-based access to health care for underserved populations, create innovative approaches to chronic disease management and provide tobacco cessation and youth prevention programming. We also invest in scholarship programs that open the pathways to careers in pharmacy to support the academic aspirations of the best and brightest talent in the industry. Our philanthropy also extends to supporting our colleagues' spirit of volunteerism through Volunteer Challenge grants to nonprofits where they donate their time and fundraising efforts. To learn more about the CVS Health Foundation and its giving, visit cvshealth.com/social-responsibility.