Overview

There are over 4,000 two-and four-year public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States totaling over 15 million students and several million staff, faculty, and visitors (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2006). Each of these institutions has a commitment to ensure the safety and general welfare of those on their campuses and to provide appropriate policies, procedures, and strategies to maintain a safe campus. Because of recent violent crimes, natural disasters, and other emergencies or crises, colleges and universities are convening committees and task forces to reexamine or conduct a comprehensive review of policies, procedures, and systems related to campus safety and security. As with many critical areas on the agendas of administrators, campus safety requires building support and conducting a thorough and systematic process to produce a quality plan to prepare for and manage emergencies on campus. IHEs have many challenges in practicing emergency management that are related to the distinctive structure and environment of higher education. College and university campuses often cover large geographic areas, and sometimes even resemble small towns with the full extent of services in their vicinity (i.e., medical centers, sports complexes, residential centers, businesses). The campus population changes from day to day, semester to semester, and year to year. Many IHEs operate complex enterprises in addition to their academic programs. Hospitals, research and development facilities, performing arts venues, athletic complexes, agriculture centers, residential complexes, food services, and transportation systems all present a unique set of circumstances that must be considered when designing emergency management plans. These structural and environmental characteristics pose challenges for access control, monitoring movements, defining boundaries for facilities and grounds, standardizing procedures and decision-making processes, and prioritizing resource allocations. IHE governance is also highly varied, complex, and often widely dispersed. Decentralized organizational structures and academic departments may be located in different buildings and have differing decision-making methods. The nature of higher education institutions, with faculty involvement in the governance process, is much different than the hierarchical structure of corporate entities or governmental agencies. Decision-making in such an environment can be slow, and hinder campus response to a crisis. The need for clear lines of authority and decision-making are all the more important at IHEs. Responsibility for developing, testing, and implementing an emergency management plan should be shared and communicated across all departments and functions. This Action Guide for Emergency Management at Higher Education Institutions has been developed to give higher education institutions a useful resource in the field of emergency management. It is intended for community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, graduate schools, and research institutions associated with higher education entities, both public and private. This action guide may be used in a variety of ways: As a starting point in researching the topic of emergency management for those needing an overview of the subject; As a resource for an initiative to develop and implement an emergency management plan at a higher education institution; or As a reference and resource for colleges and universities looking to evaluate their emergency management programs to identify potential areas needing enhancement.

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