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Ferris Receives Award for TIPS Alcohol Training Program from Health Communications, Inc.

Ferris State UniversityFerris State University’s institutional-wide approach to educating and training students about the misuse of alcohol has been recognized by Health Communications, Inc. with the TIPS Award of Excellence.

More than 3,000 Ferris students and community members have been certified by TIPS, the Training for Intervention Procedures Award of Excellence program. The efforts of Ferris’ Student Affairs division, Center for Leadership, Activities and Career Services, and the Hospitality Management program were cited by Health Communications, Inc.

The award is presented annually by Adam Chafetz, Health Communications, Inc.’s president and chief executive officer. Winners are selected by an internal committee based on the volume of students certified and feedback from TIPS trainers and student participants.

“Ferris State University implements TIPS training in a variety of ways,” Chafetz said of Ferris, one of five campuses to win a 2013 TIPS award. “Whether it is their Hospitality Management program, Music Industry Management program, student activities or Greek affairs, Ferris takes a proactive, system-wide approach by training the professionals of tomorrow while making sure their students are safe today.”

Hospitality Management has offered TIPS for On Premise certification courses to majors since 1996, under the guidance of program coordinator Julie Doyle, a College of Business faculty member. Doyle is a 17-year TIPS trainer, and fellow faculty members Lianne Briggs and Kathryn Wolfer also are certified TIPS trainers who offer the certification as part of some of their courses. Students graduating from the program acquire the skills to manage a successful beverage operation and earn nationally-recognized alcohol-training certification.

“When Ferris hospitality majors are graduating and going through the interview process, it is a true advantage to already possess this certification that our industry requires,” said Briggs, who teaches courses in the Hospitality program.

Student Affairs partnered with the Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce to sponsor TIPS certification courses for all establishments that serve or sell alcohol in the community. The outreach effort was initiated more than 10 years ago and is expected to continue in the future.

The Center for Leadership, Activities and Career Services trains registered student organizations, including fraternities and sororities, as well as resident advisors in the TIPS for the University program. As a result of FSU’s multifaceted approach, more than 3,000 students and community members have been certified.

Health Communications, Inc. was started in 1982 by Morris Chafetz, founding director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, HCI is a nationally recognized expert in the field of alcohol training. Its flagship program, TIPS, was the first of its kind and continues to set industry standards for this type of training. Numerous public officials and government agencies have recognized and endorsed TIPS training as life-saving and critical to the progress made in reducing alcohol-related injuries and deaths. Information about TIPS.

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