About Our Services

Health initiatives are evidence-informed and based on Healthy People/Healthy Campus 2010 goals and objectives, Standards of Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education and data collected from Montclair State University students.

Health Promotion provides Montclair State University a variety of services to create a healthy campus community.  Among these services include:

• Programs and outreach
• Public advocacy and policy change
• Peer Advocacy
• Weekly Groups
• Alcohol Prevention Project
• GLBTQ Safe Space Program
• Research (data collection and analysis)
• Academic learning experiences
• Health information resource center
• Student employment (graduate and undergraduate)

Peer Advocates - Drop In Center
Peer Advocacy at the Drop In Center is a major component of Health Promotion. Peer Advocates are student volunteers who have been trained to provide peer education, referral and health advocacy services to other students. Our volunteers bring a first-hand perspective to current health and social issues. Peer Advocates help develop and implement new initiatives in order to execute programs they recognize as critical to the campus and to help others foster healthy lifestyle choices. They promote social change on campus by providing workshops, discussion groups, information and materials, and someone to talk to about health and social concerns. Their actions are all in an effort to create an actively healthy change for the campus community. Peer Advocates are an energetic and diverse group of students who are committed to making a difference for the campus community.

Program Requests
Programs are available for classes, organizations and CA’s with a 2 week advanced notification. Evening and Weekend Programs are available with a 3 week advanced notification.  Link here for a Program Request Form.

Multi Media Tools
Health Marketing is an emerging area in public health that incorporates traditional marketing principals with evidence-informed strategies.  The goal is to motivate, educate and inform the campus community about health messages in order to support student learning.  Health Promotion staff has worked to incorporate technology into health initiatives.  As a result, we have a series of Audio and Video podcasts available on iTunes U, along with print media that promotes healthy behaviors.  Link here to access podcasts on iTunes U.

What is health education?
Health education is one major strategy of health promotion and focuses on developing and enhancing skills, self-efficacy (confidence) and motivation in order to engage in healthy behaviors for both the individual and the community. 

Some examples of student health issues:

• Stress management
• Sexual health
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Body image
• Sleep
• Cold/Flu
• Media literacy

What is health advocacy?
Health advocacy is another strategy of health promotion and may be taken on by and/or on behalf of individuals to create living conditions conducive to health and the achievement of healthy lifestyles.  Advocacy includes a combination of individual and social actions aimed to gain political and policy support and social acceptance for a particular health goal.

Educational Opportunities and Partnerships
Health Promotion offers opportunities to provide direct relevant experience for both undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of programs to enhance their academic career. The department partners with administrative and academic offices on campus in order to provide Service-Learning opportunities, Observation Studies, Cooperative Learning and Fieldwork experiences to related academic courses.

In addition, we also provide paid, part-time student work positions. Both graduate and undergraduate students are employed to provide outreach and programs, design eduational materials, implement grants and assist with research and data analysis.

Some examples of collaborative partnerships:

• Service-Learning site for students in Health Psychology.
• Recipient of US Department of Education Model Programs Award and $176,922 grant incollaboration with the Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences.
• Co-sponsor with School of the Arts Day withOut Art (World AIDS DAY).
• Facilitate workshops on Alcohol and Decision Making for New Student Seminar classes.

*Founded by the gay and Lesbian Faculty and Staff Association, Health Promotion co-sponsors the program. The GLBT Safe Space Program identifies offices of MSU faculty and staff that are safe places for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.