The Wayne State University Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) has officially launched with the hire of its first employee, Erin Cox, who fills the role of recovery growth coordinator.

The CRP was made possible thanks to a grant earlier this year from the Jamie Daniels Foundation. The CRP is currently focused on supporting students and their allies who are in recovery from substance abuse.

Jeffrey Kuentzel, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, spent the past few months educating the collegiate community, creating the new position and looking for the right person to fill it. The hire of Cox as its first recovery growth coordinator marks the official launch of campus services for students. 

“Erin is a master's-level social worker who is perfect to lead Wayne State's Collegiate Recovery Program because of her professional training and life experience, but also because of her incredible passion for helping support students in recovery,” said Kuentzel.

In addition to providing students with the support they need; Cox wants the students to have a say in the program’s offerings.

“The most important thing we want to show is you don’t have to sacrifice school for recovery or sacrifice recovery for school,” said Cox. “I am in recovery myself, and when I was in school, I didn’t realize that I needed someone to talk to about both being in school and staying sober until I found it. I want to be there for people, offer advocacy and provide resources for people to be successful in their health and academic future.”

WSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Kornbluh said that the CRP underscores the university’s commitment to reducing nonacademic barriers to student success, as outlined in its 2022-2027 Strategic Plan.

“We don’t think there is a big substance abuse problem here at Wayne State, but we’d be naive to think there aren’t students who can use some help,” said Kornbluh. “Every student deserves to have all the tools they need to succeed, and I am proud to be part of a university that invests in and advocates for the success of the whole person.”

In 2018, Ken Daniels and Lisa Daniels-Goldman established the Jamie Daniels Foundation in memory of their late son, Jamie, who was 23 when he died from an overdose while in a treatment facility in Florida. Wayne State’s CRP is focused on providing a supportive environment that reinforces a student’s decision to engage in a lifestyle of recovery from substance use and addiction on campus and beyond.

Currently, the program offers meetings on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the School of Social Work in room 179, where students are actively involved in planning the future of this resource. Interested students can learn more about the organization on its Facebook and Instagram pages or by completing a survey about what kind of support they would like to see in the future.

According to research, approximately 4% of college students in the United States meet the criteria for substance use disorder or are in recovery. For Wayne State, that means more than 900 students are likely in crisis and would benefit from a collegiate recovery support network on campus.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with substance abuse or seeking recovery support, Wayne State offers consultations with counseling and psychological services (CAPS) afterhours phone support (313-577-2277) and various campus health support clinical support opportunities.