On Feb. 19, Recovery on Campus (ROC) launched its 2025-2028 Action Plan and the Recovering in Place Lab (RIPL) at an interactive breakfast event. The launch also announced $3 million in funding from the Government of Alberta Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction.
ROC is an Alberta-wide initiative spanning across 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions and is led by the University of Calgary, serving as its administrative, research and evaluation, and proof-of-concept headquarters. It supports students, staff and faculty who are in or seeking recovery from addiction. Through scholarships, research opportunities, peer and professional support, education, and campus partnerships, it works to build post-secondary communities where recovery is visible, valued and supported for everyone.
RIPL is a transdisciplinary research hub exploring how recovery-oriented programs can be utilized in post-secondary institutions and elsewhere.
Initiative marks major milestones
This past year marked major milestones for the program, says Dr. Victoria Burns, PhD, ROC founder, director and person in long-term recovery herself. "What began with one peer-support meeting and a borrowed coffee cart has grown into a province-wide initiative and an emerging international model for systems change in post-secondary recovery and well-being," says Burns. "Over the past year, we have stayed grounded in our grassroots origins, centring lived experience, responding to real campus needs, and building recovery-friendly environments one relationship at a time."
Through its mandate, the province-wide initiative also provides funding and technical support to its 26 partner institutions to provide recovery-friendly programming. In 2025, Mount Royal University, Red Deer Polytechnic and the University of Alberta received $75,000 seed grants from ROC to higher-education co-ordinators in order to create their own campus recovery communities.
The $3-million grant provided over three years by the Government of Alberta will allow ROC to strengthen the infrastructure needed to sustain and scale ROC across Alberta's campuses.
"We are proud to support Recovery on Campus, a province-wide initiative that is helping to build recovery-friendly campus environments," says Rick Wilson, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction for Alberta.
ROC a core campus service
At the launch, Provost Sandra Davidson and Burns highlighted ROC as a core campus service grounded in a whole-community approach. It supports those in or seeking recovery, along with family members, friends, and people who choose not to use substances. Program leaders and individuals with lived experience also shared how ROC has transformed their lives.
Attendees then engaged in guided table discussions with ROC administrators, sharing experiences and identifying ways to build recovery-friendly campuses. The session generated concrete actions to further strengthen and grow ROC's impact into shared experiences.
In 2024-2025, the University of Calgary Recovery Community (UCRC), under ROC, hosted 282 peer-support meetings attended by 1,125 campus members; 96 per cent of those attendees felt an increased sense of belonging after attending a meeting, and 97 per cent said they would return without hesitation. During this time, UCalgary also hosted 19 substance-free events and made 12 substance-free beds available in residence, with 42 applicants. More than $100,000 in scholarships and awards have also been distributed to 50 students, staff and faculty members.
To learn more about ROC and UCRC, visit the webpage.
