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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Student-Driven Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative Earns Gold Star of Excellence Recognition for UNE

The University of New England will be recognized in the 2015 Maine Tobacco-Free College Network Gold Star Standards of Excellence Program thanks to the efforts of Vice President for Student Affairs Cynthia Smith Forrest, M.Ed., Ed.D., and the UNE student community to implement a tobacco-free campus. The award presentation will take place on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 11 a.m. at Bangor Savings Bank on 5 Senator Way in Augusta, Maine.

Tobacco use accounts for nearly 6 million deaths each year. To recognize organizations working toward change, the Gold Star Standards of Excellence are awarded to colleges and universities that make extraordinary efforts to create tobacco-free environments on their campuses. Schools receive bronze, silver, or gold levels of recognition depending on the number of Gold Star Standards they meet. These standards include offering clear signage indicating the 100% tobacco-free initiative, written policies, advertising and enforcement.

The University of New England’s Tobacco and Smoke Free University Policy is unique owing its student-driven origins. UNE’s undergraduate and graduate student governments initiated discussions with the university community and administered a student poll to gauge the level of support across UNE’s Portland and Biddeford campuses. With Forrest acting as the administrative liaison, the policy went into effect July 1, 2014. Forrest continues to advise a representative council consisting of two student trustees and members representing three student government organizations: Undergraduate Student Government, the Graduate and Professional Student Association and the College of Osteopathic Medicine Student Government.

“As an innovative health sciences university grounded in the liberal arts, it is the goal of UNE to promote a campus culture of wellness and environmental responsibility,” says Forrest. “We strive to provide a safe and healthy environment for our students, faculty and staff to learn and work, and adopting a tobacco-free policy is an example of this commitment.”

Learn more about the Maine Tobacco-Free College Network Gold Star Standards of Excellence

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.