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Center for the Advancement of Public Health

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic Planning serves as the central core for many of GMU’s CAPH initiatives. The range of projects and resources offered by GMU’s CAPH provides assistance to individuals and organizations as they seek to achieve their own goals. Some of the evaluation approaches focus specifically on helping organizations improve their services, and selected training activities and resources assist organizations with implementing meaningful approaches. Of particular note is the Action Planner, a strategic planning document identifying an 8-step process for institutionalizing a targeted effort.

 

Action Planner

Designed for college-based efforts to reduce alcohol, this resource incorporates an 8-step process for institutionalizing a comprehensive campus effort; the rationale and worksheets are helpful for leadership personnel.

 

 

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA

Loudoun Youth Study 2006

 

  • EVALUATION PROJECT.The Loudoun Youth Study 2006 was prepared to promote a grounded, positive and healthy environment for youth in Loudoun County, Virginia.    With multiple needs assessment methodologies, a scan of professional literature, and collaborative efforts with Loudoun youth and adults, a detailed Report of Findings has been developed.   This includes specific recommendations for action within the county, as well as a recommended strategic plan with short-term and long-range efforts.
  • Executive Summary (pdf)
  • Report of Findings (pdf)

 

Step by Step Evaluation Guide

An important part of strategic planning is evaluation processes to assist organizations and groups in understanding the depth and breadth of evaluation. This Step-by-Step Guide includes 14 steps, from establishing foundations, designing evaluation, implementing protocols and reviewing and revising project plans and the evaluation. Each step includes a description of rationale, an overview of ways of implementing this step and a worksheet.

 

 

Community Evaluation Planning Process:
TUNE UP

The TUNE UP booklet and training program were developed to assist communities in their evaluation and planning efforts. This simplifies the Step-By-Step Evaluation Guide with six specific steps: Tools, Understanding, Negotiate, Effort, Us, and Presentation. Each of the six identified steps contains the rationale, background, and a worksheet for local use.

 

Virginia Standards

To assist colleges and universities with appropriate strategies for addressing alcohol issues on their campuses and in the surrounding communities, professionals from 20 college campuses convened to review existing approaches, guidelines, and frameworks. These were synthesized and organized in a summary framework entitled Virginia College Alcohol Abuse Prevention Standards. These guidelines are organized into four core issue areas (Foundations, Who Should Be Involved, Focus of Efforts, and Context of Efforts) and 14 thematic areas. Within each of these 14 clusters are over 175 tenets. These tenets provide specific guidelines deemed appropriate for campuses as they plan, refine and implement alcohol abuse prevention and services strategies. These standards are appropriate regardless of the extent to which a campus has previously implemented strategies; further, while developed by Virginia professionals, these are appropriate for colleges and universities throughout the United States.


 

Alcohol Summit

 

Designed by the North American Interfraternity Conference, the Alcohol Summit is a training program designed for undergraduate fraternity and sorority leaders committed to reducing alcohol abuse on their campuses. CAPH provided evaluation of these initiatives, and authored a publication with campus learnings and insights about ways of best instituting this process designed to shift the culture around alcohol.

 


Strategic planning activities have been conducted for and/or with grants from the following groups and organizations:

 

BACCHUS & GAMMA PEER EDUCATION NETWORK

 

  • TOBACCO CONTROL AND PREVENTION efforts complement those of the BACCHUS & GAMMA Peer Education Network and provide foundations for working with college campuses as they implement comprehensive tobacco reduction strategies. Specific strategies have included interviews with staff and community leaders, the preparation and distribution of an Environmental Scan for each campus, and implementation, analysis and reporting on a student survey conducted online by CAPH. See also http://www.tobaccofreeu.org/

 

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA

    • SUBSTANCE ABUSE SYSTEMS ANALYSIS project involved a review of current strategies to address substance abuse issues within Fairfax County. Using a strategy of detailed interviews and materials review, this process examined school-based efforts, community services activities, judicial system enforcement strategies, volunteer efforts, and other approaches used to address the range of substance abuse services. The final document included a detailed review and recommendations. See also http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/

NORTH-AMERICAN INTERFRATERNITY CONFERENCE

 

  • ALCOHOL SUMMITS. Complementing CAPH’s role as an evaluator for the Alcohol Summit activities, CAPH wrote a document that will help any campus establish appropriate strategies to address alcohol use and abuse among fraternity and sorority members. “Best Practices for Promoting Alcohol Abuse Prevention Among Fraternities and Sororities” highlights campus-based change strategies and recommendations based on lessons learned from 18 Alcohol Summit sites. An adapted version, “The Alcohol Summit: A Road Map for Fraternities and Sororities” is finalized for distribution by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. See also http://www.nicindy.org/

 

THE CENTURY COUNCIL

 

  • ACTION PLANNING: COLLEGE ALCOHOL ABUSE PREVENTION as part of the Promising Practices: Campus Alcohol Strategies initiative, CAPH personnel, in conjunction with a project co-director and advisory board, conceived and drafted an action planning document. The Action Planner: Steps for Developing a Comprehensive Campus Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program complements the Sourcebook and Task Force Planner; this incorporates an eight-step approach to preparing and institutionalizing campus alcohol abuse prevention initiatives. See also http://centurycouncil.org/

 

U.S. CENTER FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION (CSAP)

    • CULTURAL COMPETENCE PLANNING. CAPH personnel, in conjunction with a local firm, conducted detailed needs assessments with CSAP’s professional staff. This included written surveys, staff interviews, and focus groups. In addition, materials were gathered and training was conducted in a “learning community” format with CSAP staff. See also http://prevention.samhsa.gov/

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

    • EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY. George Mason University’s CAPH has conducted keynote addresses and training on ways that new grantees can be more accountable with their programs through the use of evaluation. This includes work sheets and identification of appropriate process and outcome evaluation strategies. See also http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html

 

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL

 

  • COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION PLANNING FOR UNDERAGE DRINKING. CAPH personnel have worked with community leaders in towns, cities and counties in Virginia to help them better address underage drinking. Through assisting with the design and implementation of a strategic plan that included enforcement, education, community building, and youth-based efforts, communities focused more deliberately on underage drinking. See also http://www.abc.state.va.us/

 

 

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES

 

 

  • STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR MATURE DRIVERS. CAPH prepared a foundational document on how best to address mature drivers and highway safety. This was based on an extensive literature review as well as a review the limited plans and strategies in other states. This resource was used for by state leadership personnel to initiate planning activities. See also http://www.dmvnow.com/
    webdoc/general/ safety/maturedriver/index.asp

 

 

 

   
   

 

 


 


Affiliated Sites

Healthy Expectations & Compass

Promising Practices

Traffic Safety

Legacy of Life


CEHD and RHT

College of Education and Human Development
(CEHD)

School of Recreation, Health and Tourism (RHT)


New to Our Site!

The Loudoun Youth Study 2006

Loudoun Youth Study 2006

 

LEGACY OF LIFE:
Creating Healthy Futures

LEGACY OF LIFE: Creating Healthy Futures

CD-ROM and
Powerpoint Show!

 

The 2006 College Alcohol Survey Results

College Alcohol Survey (CAS)