Cincinnati -- Until now, the University of Cincinnati was the only campus in Ohio to offer an undergraduate degree to train tomorrow's professionals in understanding, preventing and treating addiction.

But thanks to an unusual articulation agreement between UC and Columbus State Community College, the same opportunities available to UC students to study chemical dependency, food addiction and gambling addiction will now be available to Columbus State students through distance learning, according to Larry Anthony, UC program coordinator.

At UC, the Addiction Studies Program, one of only a handful of such baccalaureate programs nationwide, offers a four-year degree track or a professional certification track for those who already have a baccalaureate degree in a related field.

Now, Columbus State students with associates degrees of applied science in mental health counseling or chemical dependency counseling will be eligible to pursue a baccalaureate degree through UC's program, explained Lenore Schneiderman, chair of the human resources department at Columbus State.

Three UC courses will be available to the Columbus State students each quarter of the coming academic year, including Clinical Supervision, Administration of Addiction Programs, Education/Prevention of Addiction, Family Counseling Skills, Pharmacology and Managed Care. All courses will be offered either Friday evenings or Saturdays in order to accommodate students already working in the field. Classes will begin Sept. 25.

Each UC course instructor will teach from the university's distance learning facility while the Columbus students see, listen and learn, fully participating from almost 100 miles away. The two sites will be linked via a dedicated video/phone line and technology consisting of tracking and document cameras as well as large, full-color monitors.

The popularity of the UC courses should grow among the Columbus students because of the increased career opportunities for students with a bachelor's degree. "The difference between the opportunities for those with an associate's degree and those with a baccalaureate in this field is night and day. It's increasingly difficult for those with an associate in the field to find even entry level work...The region's students have wanted this kind of offering desperately. Previously, if they wanted a baccalaureate, it had to be in a related program so they couldn't necessarily concentrate on their area of interest. It's a win- win-win situation for UC, Columbus State and local agencies," said Jerry Seaman, executive director of the Ohio Credentialing Board which certifies individuals practicing chemical dependency therapy and counseling.

UC's Addiction Studies Program, offered through the College of Evening and Continuing Education, has grown since it began in 1996. It started with 12 students in its four-year degree track. In the spring of 1998, there were 78 students enrolled. Anthony predicts the program will continue to grow to meet societal needs.

Currently, 13.8 million Americans have a drinking problem, and alcohol-related accidents cost Americans more than $44 billion each year. America's tab for drug abuse each year comes to $122 billion, with the social costs for crime control, drug treatment, and social welfare coming to about $20,000 per year, per addict. Treatment is often the most cost-effective means of aiding the abuser. Treating a drug user costs between $2,800-$9,000 while it costs approximately $25,900 a year to imprison a drug offender.

Despite the scope of the problem, there is a lack of educational opportunities because addiction studies is such a young field, explained Seaman. "UC is a leader...and is unique because of its clear emphasis. Their addiction studies program is not an afterthought to another program," he added.

According to Schneiderman and Anthony, more social work, medical, psychiatry, and counseling professionals are interested in pursuing continuing studies in chemical and other addictions because of changes driven by managed care. The state offers chemical dependency credentialing on three levels, with level three being the most advanced. Counselors or therapists licensed at that level can devise and implement a treatment plan without supervision while those accredited at the first or second level must work under supervision. More and more managed-care plans are requiring that treatment for an addiction be performed by a professional accredited at the highest level.

UC will have a similar articulation agreement in place with Central Connecticut State University this January in order to bring the Addiction Studies Program's professional certification track to students there.