Institution Submitting Proposal: UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY College: Humanities and Social Sciences Department or Area in Which Program Will Be Located: Behavioral Science Program Title: Certificate of Proficiency in Licensed Substance Abuse Counseling Proposed Beginning Date: Fall, 2011 Institutional Signatures: _____________________________________________ Matthew S. Holland, University President Utah Valley University ______________________________________________ Ian Wilson Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs _______________________________________________ David Yells Dean _______________________________________________ Steven Clark Department Chair Date: 09/22/2010 Section I: Request Utah Valley University requests approval to offer a Certificate of Proficiency in Licensed Substance Abuse Counseling (LSAC) effective Fall semester, 2011. All of the courses for the proposed certificate have been developed and successfully piloted. The program will consist of 24 credits of online coursework designed to be completed in one calendar year. The program will also include an internship requirement of 300 hours of field work in a substance abuse treatment facility. Following successful completion of the program, graduates will become qualified to complete a 2000 hour supervised clinical experience and then take the state licensing exam. This action was approved by the UVU Board of Trustees on September 9, 2010. Section II: Need The state of Utah is experiencing a shortage of front-line workers in the field of substance abuse treatment, while the number of residents requiring such services continues to increase (http://www.dsamh.utah.gov/docs/2009_annual_report_for_web.pdf). This program will significantly increase the number of Licensed Substance Abuse counselors available to provide services to individuals suffering from issues related to substance abuse. This program is needed to address the growing incidence of substance abuse in the State of Utah. This includes illegal drug abuse (e.g. cocaine, heroin) as well as legal drug abuse (e.g. alcohol, pain medications). For example, prescription drug overdoses have increased by 500 percent over the last decade (http://www.dsamh.utah.gov/docs/2009_annual_report_for_web.pdf). The Utah County Division of Substance Abuse estimates that only 50 percent of individuals with substance abuse problems are able to access front line substance abuse counseling. That office, as well as numerous substance abuse treatment facilities throughout the state, is having difficulty hiring qualified workers. Currently, the University of Utah offers an LSAC program, but it is limited in capacity and in the ability to serve prospective students outside of the greater Salt Lake City area. Nationally, employment of substance abuse counselors is predicted to increase by 21 percent over the next decade, which is significantly higher than the average for all occupations. In Utah, Mental Health/Substance Abuse work is projected to have the 4th greatest number of job openings among all occupations over the next 5 years (http://jobs.utah.gov/wi/pubs/outlooks/state/joboutlook09.pdf). Growth will be particularly strong in rural areas, which the proposed program is designed to serve by offering the program via the internet. Currently, an average of 3 students per week contact UVU requesting information about a possible program in Substance Abuse Counseling. This figure is based on the past six months and includes telephone calls and e-mails to David Yells, developer of the proposal, and three advisors in the Behavioral Science Department. Several courses have been piloted over the last 18 months with enrollments from 5 to 15 students per course. Additionally, professionals in the substance abuse field have been in contact with UVU regarding the program and have expressed an interest in having UVU students fulfill internship requirements at their facilities. A list of 30 internship sites throughout the state has been developed. Finally, representatives from Vocational Rehabilitation have also been in regular contact regarding this proposed program. The University of Utah offers a similar program in a standard in-class format. The demand for such a program is beginning to exceed their capacity. Additionally, the in-class nature of their program does not effectively serve the entire state of Utah. UVU’s on-line program would be a valuable addition for residents throughout the state. Currently, UVU has students from Delta, Vernal, Cedar City, and Price, for example, who would find it difficult, if not impossible, to attend the program at the University of Utah. The main difference between the programs is that the UVU program would be delivered via on-line instruction, whereas the University of Utah’s program is in-class. Both programs require the same number of credit hours, the same number of internship hours, and are designed to be completed in a single calendar year. Section III: Institutional Impact The proposed program will not significantly affect enrollment in instructional programs of affiliated departments or programs. There will be no changes in existing administrative structures. There will be no changes in faculty or staff. No new or modified physical facilities will be required. Section IV: Finances No costs are anticipated from this change. The program will be self-funded through tuition revenue. There should be no budgetary impact on other programs or units within the institution.