Below are the two studies used in the EverFi AOD research:

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

NASPA Endorses AlcoholEdu and Buttonwood as Learning Platforms to Increase Student Retention and Improve Academic Success

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2011 

CONTACT:   
Jennifer Sykes, EverFi, Inc
jenny@everfi.com | 339-223-3170

Kaaryn Keller, NASPA
kkeller@naspa.org | 202-719-1177

(Washington, D.C.) NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession, today announced a partnership with EverFi, Inc. to address the primary causes of academic failure and dropout – financial issues and the misuse of alcohol. Through this partnership, NASPA has officially endorsed two of EverFi's learning platforms, AlcoholEdu® and Buttonwood™ Personal Finance and Student Loan Management, for institutions of higher education.

In addition to recommending the adoption of these critical programs to their members, NASPA will collaborate with EverFi to conduct original research into financial literacy, student loan management, alcohol, and other health-related issues among college students. Together, the organizations aim to provide fresh insights and world-class professional development training on these challenges for student affairs professionals. 

"Student affairs professionals are in an incredible position to become the 'retention arm' of higher education," said EverFi Executive Vice President Brandon Busteed. "Our goal is to help them and their institutions get to the root of the problem by teaching critical life skills, through programs that have been demonstrated through empirical research as effective in changing student behavior. If students are making smarter decisions about alcohol and feeling more in control of their finances, then they are much more likely to be academically successful."

"EverFi is a world-class resource poised to help campus leaders improve their institution's metrics for student persistence and engagement," said NASPA Associate Executive Director Kevin Kruger. "Their ability to build effective programs is unparalleled, as evidenced by the new federally-funded, independently conducted randomized control trial that found AlcoholEdu® to change student behavior around an issue that many consider intractable—the challenge of alcohol use and its consequences. Their deep expertise as the largest provider of online personal finance education is going to benefit college students perhaps more than anyone."

AlcoholEdu® has been demonstrated through numerous independently-conducted randomized control trials to reduce the negative consequences of drinking that impede academic performance, such as missed classes, injuries, and sexual assaults. The program incorporates the latest evidence-based prevention methods to create a highly engaging user experience that inspires students to reflect on and consider changing their drinking. AlcoholEdu® uses proprietary adaptive pathing to provide a highly personalized experience to all students, based on their drinking choices and readiness to change. The 2.5-hour course is used by more than 500 colleges and universities and by 36% of incoming first-year students each year. With the latest federally-funded, independently-conducted multi-site randomized control trial and 8 published articles documenting its efficacy, it has become the standard in higher education.

Buttonwood™ is a turnkey solution to empower students with the financial skills necessary to successfully manage their finances and loan responsibilities while in school and beyond; and to minimize dropouts and student loan defaults through education. The platform includes a compressed and sophisticated new-media presentation of key financial literacy concepts, complemented by an interactive, highly customized gaming simulation that provides a different experience for each individual. Buttonwood™ adapts to each user so that the educational content around loan management is most applicable to them.

"With the Obama Administration issuing a call to raise college graduation rates in the U.S., we have a unique opportunity to bring critical attention to the connection between student success and alcohol education and financial literacy," said Kruger.

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About NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education 

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. We serve a full range of professionals who provide programs, experiences, and services that cultivate student learning and success in concert with the mission of our colleges and universities. Founded in 1919, NASPA comprises more than 13,000 members in all 50 states, 29 countries, and 8 U.S. Territories.  

Through high-quality professional development, strong policy advocacy, and substantive research to inform practice, NASPA meets the diverse needs and invests in realizing the potential of all its members under the guiding principles of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and inquiry. For more information, please visit our website at www.naspa.org.

About EverFi, Inc.

EverFi, Inc. is the leading education technology platform company to teach, assess, and certify students in critical skills.  EverFi's education learning platforms include Financial Literacy, Student Loan Management, Digital Literacy, Cyberbullying, Alcohol Abuse and Sexual Assault Awareness, and additional product areas to be announced in early 2012. The company is already powering a national movement in 50 states that enables adults and students to learn using the latest technology, including rich media, high-definition video, simulation, diagrams, and avatars.  More than 4 million students have completed EverFi education technology platforms, and the company has nine published studies documenting the efficacy of several of these platforms. Learn more at www.everfi.com.