In 1987 the U.S. Department of Education established The Network of Colleges and Universities Committed to the Elimination of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. The name has since been changed to The Network: Addressing Collegiate Alcohol and Other Drug Issues and is commonly referred to as The Network. It is a volunteer organization whose member institutions agree to support The Network Standards that provide a framework for campus alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention programs aimed at reducing AOD abuse and resulting problems at colleges and universities. The Network Standards can be found on The Network page of this website and at www.thenetwork.ws/standards.htm.

The Network established 21 regions throughout the mainland, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to facilitate the exchange of information and to collaborate nationally in areas of alcohol and other drug education and prevention. Volunteer Regional Coordinators (RCs) lead each identified area and for 19 years our region has been Georgia, Florida and Alabama. In 2006 The Network began a restructuring process and our new region is Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

The Regional Coordinators were asked to develop state and regional networks and to facilitate workshops, conferences and training programs. As a result, The Georgia Network was established in 1988 to create collaboration among the institutions of higher education in the state of Georgia and to bring the latest research and evidence-based programming information to the local level.

The state and national Networks are voluntary membership organizations whose member institutions agree to adhere to a minimum set of standards aimed at reducing AOD problems at colleges and universities. These standards reflect current research on effective prevention approaches that include individual, educational, and environmental strategies. A copy of the entire content of the Standards can be found on The Network page of this website and at www.thenetwork.ws/standards.htm.

The only requirement to join the Georgia Network is to be a member of The Network and/or attend the GNTI. The Network membership requirements can be found on that section of this web site or at www.thenetwork.ws/members.htm.



A Steering Committee for the Georgia Network was formed to provide oversight, direction, and monitoring of substance abuse training, networking and resource development. Membership on the Steering Committee included administrators from public and private institutions and addressed needs of four-year, two-year and technical institutions. Functions of the Steering Committee included but were not limited to:

1. Oversight of the Sub-Committees
2. Fiscal Management of the Network
3. Monitoring of Federal & State Policies, Regulations, &Laws
4. Collaboration with national and statewide stakeholders

In light of the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and the new Biennial Review requirement, the Georgia Network started offering education for administrators and staff from Georgia's IHEs regarding compliance with this legislation. The chairperson of the Steering Committee attended the U.S. Department of Education's National Prevention Meeting to obtain updated information about this legislation. Realizing the importance and urgency of this issue, the Chair presented an update to the Regents Administrative Committee on Student Affairs to heighten awareness at system institutions. Following this presentation, the Steering Committee established an Administrators Forum at the 1999 Georgia Network Training Institute (GNTI) to provide more extensive training on implementation of this important legislation. Because these Federal Regulations require that all colleges and universities establish policies and programs to provide alcohol and other drug abuse prevention, the Georgia Network provides resources and guidelines for addressing alcohol and other drug issues on individual campuses. These guidelines may also be adopted/adapted/modified to include existing CAS Standards (Council for the Advancement of Standards), The Network standards, and practical experience of college leaders throughout the state.