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Recovery Campus magazine interviews StepUP’S Patrice Salmeri

Pratice Salmeri on the coverAs Augsburg’s new executive director for recovery advancement, Patrice Salmeri will work to reduce stigma associated with substance use disorder recovery, inspire additional universities to provide recovery programs, and work with StepUP Program alumni, among other duties. Salmeri has led Augsburg’s pioneering StepUP Program for the past 15 years, and Recovery Campus magazine featured Salmeri in a story about the transition to her new role and the current climate of recovery in higher education.

In the article, Salmeri explained that while she’ll miss daily interaction with StepUP students, she is truly “looking forward to focusing more attention on the alumni and the value they bring to our community as well as advocating on local, regional and national levels.”

 

 

 

Acclaimed StepUP Program, staff take on increased national role in reducing stigma

Patrice Salmeri named Executive Director for Recovery Advancement

Patrice Salmeri was appointed to the position of Director of Recovery Advancement for the nationally acclaimed StepUP Program.(MINNEAPOLIS)—Students across the nation who seek to live in recovery from substance use disorders will have greater opportunities for success thanks to the generosity of donors to the Augsburg College StepUP® Program.

“This is a pivotal moment for students in recovery across the nation and how we serve them,” said Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow. “We are poised to leverage our 20-year national reputation as the gold standard in collegiate recovery in enhanced ways: to encourage and shape how other colleges and universities throughout the nation support young people in championing lives of recovery, to work to effect policies and programs that will staunch the opioid epidemic gripping our nation, and to reduce the stigma associated with addiction so that young people can lead lives of meaning.”

Continue reading “Acclaimed StepUP Program, staff take on increased national role in reducing stigma”

Expert: Salmeri available to respond to President Obama’s address on substance abuse disorders, prescription drug addiction

Patrice Salmeri is director of Augsburg's residential collegiate recovery program

MINNEAPOLIS — Patrice Salmeri, director of Augsburg College’s StepUP® Program for students in recovery and President of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education, is a national expert available to talk to media about President Barack Obama’s announcement to bolster medial services for persons in recovery from substance abuse disorders.

When: Salmeri is available until 6:30 p.m., beginning immediately following President Barack Obama’s announcement. (Watch President Obama on the White House live stream at 2:15 p.m. EST at https://www.whitehouse.gov/live.)

What: Salmeri can address the importance of eliminating stigma by:

  • Shifting language used to describe these disorders. For instance, rather than using the term “addiction,” shifting to “substance abuse disorders” to recognize that addiction is a medical issue.
  • Treating substance abuse disorders as medical issues, not unlike society responds to diabetes or other chronic medical illnesses.
  • Ensuring those with substance abuse disorders can access mental health and substance use services as readily as other medical services.

How: Call Stephanie Weiss, director of news and media services, at 612.330.1476.

Full Bio: Patrice Salmeri is the Director of the StepUP® Program at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the largest residential collegiate recovery programs in the nation. She also serves as the President of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education.

She is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, holds a Master’s Degree in Human Development specializing in leadership and spirituality, and also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Augsburg teaching courses related to chemical dependency. During Salmeri’s tenure as Director of StepUP, the program has experienced a 250 percent increase in the quantity of young people in recovery pursuing a college education.

In 2011, The U.S. Department of Education appointed Salmeri a Fellow for the United States Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention. In 2013, The Association for Recovery in Higher Education presented Patrice with The Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Collegiate Recovery.

MinnPost features StepUP in story about collegiate recovery

MinnPostAugsburg College’s StepUP program, a residential program for undergraduate students in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol, was featured in the MinnPost. Program Director Patrice Salmeri was interviewed about StepUP, orientation for students, and the role of StepUP in shaping collegiate recovery programs at other institutions. Read “Sober-living communities make college possible for students in recovery.”

StepUP® Gala – Believe in Yourself

stepupgalaWhat would compel a Texan to travel to Minnesota in February? It’s safe to say she didn’t know about Minnesota winters or that February is still very much winter in the state. But it’s also true that she came to Minnesota to help a friend and because she believes in the work of the StepUP Program.

Kitty Harris, the associate dean of outreach and engagement in the College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech University, was the keynote speaker at last weekend’s StepUP Gala. Harris and Augsburg’s StepUP Program director, Patrice Salmeri, are not only colleagues but also friends who have led their respective collegiate recovery programs since they filled the “big shoes” of their predecessors nine years ago. Continue reading “StepUP® Gala – Believe in Yourself”

StepUP program featured on higher education site

step_upOn Dec. 18, Augsburg’s StepUP program was featured in a story on Inside Higher Ed, a daily online news site for higher education.

Interviews with StepUP student Anne Thompson and director Patrice Salmeri highlight how Augsburg’s 10-year-old program supports students in recovery from chemical addiction. Setting Augsburg’s program apart from recovery programs in other colleges are the successes of the residential program on campus; the extent of counselor and peer support; and the academic support services available, such as tutoring, that continually provide support to students. Continue reading “StepUP program featured on higher education site”