18 Mar St. Cloud State University Receives $30,000 Grant From Otto Bremer Foundation
St. Cloud State University (SCSU) was recently awarded a $30,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation to provide housing, customized programming, peer support and clinical services to students in recovery who are working to obtain a college degree.
The SCSU Recovery Community is a Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC). CRC’s provide recovery coaching, and provide linkages to a wide spectrum of resources including recovery housing and recovery-conducive education and employment. CRC’s often host recovery support meetings, or connect participants to recovery support meetings helping to facilitate their continued social participation. They also serve as sites for recovery-focused social networking, advocacy, peer support, and community service activities. CRCs at educational institutions like SCSU focus on recovery supports ranging from sober housing, on-campus recovery support groups, recovery coaching, academic mentoring, study groups, sober social activities, community service projects, and scholarships for students in recovery.
According to the Association of Recovery Schools, there are currently no other public universities in the Midwest who offer a College Recovery Program with housing specifically for students in recovery. SCSU is listed in the top 4% of the most affordable universities in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” ranking for 2014. As such, St. Cloud State offers a high quality, affordable education while providing effective and innovative supports for those with alcohol and substance abuse issues.
SCSU anticipates that the Recovery Community will grow and evolve in numerous ways in the coming years. It is anticipated that the community will grow in size. As part of the operational plan, it’s anticipated that within the next five years, the program will grow incrementally to be able to serve up to 50 students in the Recovery Community.
St. Cloud State University (SCSU) prepares all students for life, work and citizenship in the 21st century. In the university’s rigorous academic programs, students apply their knowledge in real-world settings. SCSU’s 200 academic programs, 60 graduate degrees and education abroad choices on six continents emphasize hands-on learning through community engagement. Nearly 14,000 students from Minnesota and 2,000 students from approximately 80 nations are part of this vibrant and richly diverse campus community.