Testimonials

Your perspective on respect for others and the campus environment made so much sense and resonated in me, it was the missing link to the explanation of the work I was doing around assisting campuses to accomplish this same goal. You assisted us in a 3 month time frame with planning 4 conferences across NYS to address the barriers of effective enforcement for the implementation of a 100% tobacco-free campus policy, as that is one of the biggest obstacles institutions face when they decide to implement a policy. All of the conferences were a huge success, and I cannot thank you and the NCTP enough for your desire, your commitment, and your perseverance in the fight against big tobacco on college campuses nationwide! Thank you, Ty, for your dedication and your partnership.
Jennifer L. Sullivan, Director, Strategic Health Alliances
American Cancer Society, Eastern Division (NY/NJ)

When doing research regarding tobacco-free college/campus polices, I stumbled upon your site as a result of an internet search. I was most impressed with the website and your work. With the help of ideas gleened from your web site, our institution implemented a tobacco-free campus policy on August 1, 2011. Thanks again for making the information easy to locate and of such quality that I found it very helpful in our efforts to get where we needed to go.
Glenn Little, Vice President for Administrative Services
South Florida Community College, Avon Park, FL

Thank you very much for a wonderful presentation… Those in attendance profited greatly from your experience and advice. I have already seen evidence of the effectiveness of your suggestions and positive changes on campus. Please accept our gratitude and admiration for your intelligent, sensitive, and mature approach to initiating a totally tobacco free campus environment. Those who were [present] were some of the most significant members of our college community, including our College President and several deans and important administrators. The audience including students, faculty, staff, and administrators, asked important questions which you answered well. The discussion was lively and spirited and we all learned a lot.
Sheldon Malev, Chairperson of the President’s Advisory Committee for a Tobacco-Free Campus
Westchester Community College, Westchester, New York

The College Council this afternoon passed the policy and procedure for the college to go smoke-free on August 1, 2011. Many thanks to you for all your help and support. We would not be where we are today without your guidance. The conference was extremely helpful… I expect other colleges to follow our lead.
Willie G. McCullough, Dean of Student Affairs
Ashland Community and Technical College

Mr. Patterson, I met you a number of years ago at a NASPA conference where you were presenting on becoming a smoke free campus. I am pleased to report that your guidelines and suggestions were most helpful and as a result, our campus has become the first four year public institution in Maryland to become smoke free.
Deb Moriarty, PhD. - Vice President for Student Affairs
Towson University, Towson, Maryland

As of July 2010, five of Oregon’s community colleges (representing 50% of community college students statewide) have adopted 100% tobacco-free campus policies. The foundation for much of the success in Oregon as well as in other states is the pioneering work of Ty Patterson and his Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Campus Policy at Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC). Ty has visited Oregon twice over the past few years, presenting his story of OTC going tobacco free in 2003 to statewide groups of administrators, as well as offering consultation on policy adoption and implementation to individual college campuses and public health partners. As a retired student services administrator with over 30 years experience, Ty brings a wealth of experience and a passion for student success. While serving as an amazing cheerleader for the idea of tobacco-free campuses, Ty also contributes an important understanding of the practical challenges and solutions involved in implementing and enforcing this type of policy. Here in Oregon we remain grateful for Ty’s assistance and wish him all the best in his continued efforts to help other colleges create healthier campus enviroments, tobacco-free!
Andrew Epstein, MPH - Community Programs Liaison
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, Oregon Public Health Division

I wanted to thank you for providing much of the inspiration to move my college to a 100% tobacco-free environment. When we made the announcement last month, our local agencies told us we were the first public college campus in Florida to adopt the policy. The resources on your website were extremely helpful, and a personal desire to achieve this goal to honor my mother who died of lung cancer 16 years ago gave me the courage to move forward. As you and others encouraged, in a very short time we made the decision, inspired our student leadership and took the plunge. Now, our other campuses are taking steps to join us no later than 2010. Again, we have never met, but your life’s work through the website is to be commended. Thank you, and thank you for the future health of our students and staff. In today’s newspaper, our neighboring city manager indicated he was moving along with us to isolate portions of the city’s public areas as tobacco-free zones. Thank you!
Dr. Patricia Land, President
Edison College, Charlotte Campus

At Lane Community College, we have been working towards becoming a tobacco-free campus for over two years now. After a presentation by and discussion with Ty Patterson, from the Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Campus Policy, we have seen a renewed interest in our quest to make Lane a tobacco-free campus. Ty brought a refreshing, new perspective to a discussion around tobacco-free campus policy. He discussed reasons for adopting a 100% Tobacco-Free Policy and clarified facts about going tobacco-free, for example, enrollment will not decline, employees who use tobacco will not resign, and that these policies are more enforceable than limited restrictions. He also reviewed steps to successful implementation of tobacco-free campus policy such as emphasizing compliance rather than enforcement, creating awareness around the movement to make public places tobacco-free and focusing on the importance of the institution’s role as a community leader. The presentation opened a very respectful yet passionate discussion from those wanting to see the college become tobacco-free and from those adamantly opposed. Ty’s presentation and the following discussion brought us all together and created a dialogue of cooperation. As we continue to pursue the path of a tobacco-free campus policy, we will continue to follow Ty’s guidelines and recommendations.
Wendy Simmons - Employee Wellness Coordinator
Lane Community College - Eugene, Oregon

Mr. Patterson’s insights and experience helped guide our college administration toward a frank and constructive discussion regarding the use of tobacco on campus. By hearing from the experience of others, our college was able to make an informed decision fairly quickly and begin the process to make the campus tobacco-free while being sensitive to concerns of all individuals.
John R. Laws, Ed. D., Dean of Student Affairs
Ivy Tech Community College Lafayette, Lafayette, Indiana

As Stanly Community College began preparation to become a tobacco-free institution, we were pleased to receive great insight from Ty Patterson of Ozarks Technical Community College. Ty was extremely generous with his expertise in the process and preparation necessary for a smooth transition to a tobacco-free campus. Ty shared his program with us and many of our North Carolina College System officials at a drive-in program hosted at SCC. During this program Ty gave us tips on how to involve the entire campus for a seamless process. We are pleased to say that the policy change has been well-received by our students, faculty and staff. Thanks so much to Ty and his team at Ozarks Technical Community College. We are grateful for the support, guidance and experience they have shared with SCC.
Michael R. Taylor, Ed.D. - President
Stanly Community College - Albemarle, North Carolina