Atlanta, GA (December 17, 2015) – Oglethorpe University has been awarded a $5,000 grant to participate in the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) Georgia Young Adult Program. This is the seventh consecutive year Oglethorpe has received this grant.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety addresses young adult driver crashes, injuries and fatalities and partners with colleges and universities throughout the state to implement the Georgia Young Adult Program (GYAP). This program has proven to be successful using strategies such as peer education, providing educational speakers to schools, and encouraging schools to develop creative, innovative techniques to reduce young adult crashes, injuries and fatalities in their communities.

“The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is committed to changing the tragic trend of young adult driver deaths in Georgia,” said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood. “We’re here to make changes and I believe the students at Oglethorpe University can help us achieve the goal of lowering driver, crash, injury and fatality rates statewide. Who better to address the challenges and dangers facing young adults than their peers? I’m confident these students can convince their peers to be safer, more conscientious drivers.”

At Oglethorpe, the grant will support peer-education training, as well as provide incentives as part of highway safety-focused events—specifically those that educate about drinking and driving.

“We are working to provide relevant and intriguing educational programming about alcohol and highway safety to keep our students safer on Georgia roads,” said Rebecca Stewart, coordinator of student activities. “Our hope is that this programming provides long term benefits that makes a meaningful impact on our students now and after graduation.”

The grant runs October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016.

About Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University has entered an era of innovation, re-invigoration, and growth, evidenced by a dramatic rise in enrollment, increased philanthropic giving, and new strategic entrepreneurial partnerships. To accommodate growth, Oglethorpe’s campus has recently seen the addition of a new $16 million campus center, the expansion of our arts and athletics facilities, and the addition of a new residential apartment complex that includes 6,000 square feet of state of the art laboratories for teaching and learning. Founded in 1835, Oglethorpe is Atlanta’s leading liberal arts and sciences university of 1150 students representing 32 states and 38 countries. Renowned for its groundbreaking Core program, Oglethorpe marries theory and practice through the A_LAB (Atlanta Laboratory for Learning), which serves as an incubator for students’ real-world experiential learning through civic engagement, global education, professional development and undergraduate research. Oglethorpe is the only university in Georgia to be named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for commitment to and achievement in community service every year since its inception. The university has expanded its global reach through strategic partnerships with study abroad provider LeadAbroad and EF (Education First), the world leader in international education, as well as the launch of Global Oglethorpe (GO) programs in Rome and Barcelona (summer 2016). New partnerships with a number of respected Atlanta arts organizations, as well as the OU Museum of Art, bring the Atlanta arts community to campus and provide Oglethorpe students with opportunities to work and perform alongside some of the nation’s top artists and performers. Oglethorpe is a member of the Annapolis Group, comprised of America’s most selective liberal arts institutions, and has been named among the best colleges by U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, Forbes and USA Today. The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels compete in the NCAA Division III Southern Athletic Association.

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Contact:
Renee Vary
Director, University Communications
404-364-8868

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