John T. Casteen III, President, University of Virginia

The Center for College Health and Safety congratulates John T. Casteen of University of Virginia for being the 2002 award recipient.

President John T. Casteen III The Center for College Health and Safety has long recognized the important contributions that presidents make in substance abuse prevention and the difference these efforts make on campus and in the larger community. In the spirit of this appreciation, the Center congratulates President John Casteen III, President of University of Virginia on being the first recipient of the PLG Award.

Presented at a meeting of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors on January 31, 2003, the award acknowledged President Casteen’s efforts both on campus and on a state and national level. At the University of Virginia, he commissioned a campus-wide AOD task force in 1991 and formed a permanent university AOD committee in 1998. He has served on the Virginia Governor’s Task Force on Substance Abuse and Sexual Assault on College Campuses, the Virginia Attorney General’s Task Force on Drinking by College Students, and the Task Force on College Drinking established by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Under President Casteen’s leadership, U.Va.’s comprehensive approach to prevention – involving students, administrators, faculty, parents, alumni, and others – has resulted in the development of new programs and policies. Data from two surveys conducted by the university show promising results in patterns of alcohol use by U.Va. students. President Casteen has been instrumental in helping the university accomplish the following:

Greater number of professional staff devoted primarily to AOD prevention
Dissemination of AOD information to parents and students during summer orientation
Enhanced student involvement in AOD prevention
Routine reference to AOD issues in speeches and letters to students, parents, alumni, faculty, and staff
Improved coordination of prevention, intervention, and enforcement activities
Increased alcohol-free options for students, including weekend night events, a free concert series, a coffeehouse in the first-year residential area, a café in the library, and on-line calendars to inform students of activities
Adoption of a parental notification program, with a letter sent to all parents informing them of the policy
Institution of a no-readmittance policy to football games
Targeted efforts to high-risk populations (e.g., deferred fraternity and sorority rush, specialized Greek programming)
Specialized training for university police
Increased presence of officers in high-risk areas and during weekends
Collection of data on student AOD use
Institution of a social norms marketing campaign