On a Sunday late in May 2011, the campus of Missouri Southern State University, located in Joplin, Mo., was hosting the Joplin High School graduation. Within 30 minutes of the commencement’s conclusion an EF5 tornado took aim at the town. Although the regular students, usually numbering nearly 6,000, had gone home for summer break, the campus was still full of visitors for the graduation.
Hours after the December 8 on-campus murder of a Virginia Tech University police officer and the suicide of his killer were resolved, one media outlet turned to how and how well the university got the word out as the emergency progressed. Based on university, law enforcement and expert comments, the mass notification worked well.
Loyola University New Orleans announced the appointment of Stephen Murphy to the newly created position of emergency manager in a March 5 press release.
So what if Jose Ruano and Steve Weatherly were “blown away,” in Weatherly’s own words, by megapixel cameras. But that wasn’t really justification for a hard-nosed business decision when it came to a next generation of security video technology at the University of Miami, located in Coral Gables in south Florida.
Old Dominion University's Board of Visitors approved a regulation Thursday that prohibits everyone except law enforcement officers from bringing a gun to campus buildings or events.
Today, security is of utmost importance at the nation’s colleges and universities. Events such as the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 remind administrators, parents and students of the stark reality that considering the safety of all individuals who visit, work or attend classes at college campuses is essential.