Gerald Shreiber knows that therapy dogs, which are certified and trained to provide comfort in group and individual settings, offer an array of benefits to students, including reduced anxiety, lowered blood pressure, increased confidence and unconditional love and friendship.
That’s why Shreiber, president and CEO of J&J Snack Foods Corp. of Pennsauken, committed $3 million to establish The Shreiber Family Pet Therapy Program of Rowan University.
“It is a pleasure for me to give back to the community,” said Shreiber. “I can think of nothing better than our young students who are striving for education, complemented by therapy dogs.”
Shreiber’s gift will establish an endowment to create a self-sustaining program bringing certified therapy dogs to Rowan’s Glassboro campus.
Rowan is committed to providing an environment where all students can thrive, and research has demonstrated that positive human-animal interactions improve the physical, emotional and psychological experiences of college students.
“This gift will ensure our continued ability to deliver resources to enhance the health and well-being of our students and the entire Rowan community,” said Rowan’s president, Dr. Ali Houshmand. “The social, emotional and physical well-being of our student body is always at the forefront of what we do.”
“We thank Mr. Shreiber for his generosity, his ongoing support of the University and his commitment to our students’ well-being,” said Houshmand.
Although college is often exciting and engaging, it can also trigger feelings of homesickness, upheaval and stress.
As students strain conventional mental health resources, institutions across the nation have begun searching for alternatives, including the use of therapy dogs on college campuses.
Over the past three years, Rowan’s Wellness Center has offered “Paws for a Break,” a program that enables students to interact with certified therapy dogs, and it’s become one of its most popular and well-attended outreach efforts.
The Shreiber Family Pet Therapy Program will complement treatment by Rowan health care facilitators by supporting students and helping to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression through targeted events, initiatives and services.
“A dog therapy program will enhance the general health and well-being of Rowan students and address emerging experiences of stress, loneliness, depression and anxiety,” said Dr. David Rubenstein, Rowan’s vice president for Health & Wellness.
Rowan will hire a full-time coordinator to oversee program logistics, including managing volunteer handlers and dogs through certified therapy dog organizations, coordinating schedules for animal visits and creating a required training program for program volunteers.
The University will create an office for staff and a resting place for the certified therapy dogs while they are on campus, as well as a permanent fenced outdoor space that is dog-friendly. The program is scheduled to begin in fall 2019.
