**March 6-11, 2005 FEMA EM Higher Education Project Activity Report**

\(1\) BALL STATE UNIVERSITY, MUNCIE, IN:

March 7, 2005 \-- Dr. Robert Schwartz (see Blizzard note below), writes
to note that though it has taken several years, \"most of the details\"
concerning a proposal to develop an interdisciplinary Homeland
Security/Emergency Management Program at Ball State have been \"worked
out\" and a draft proposal is about ready to finalize and submit. More
information should be forthcoming after the proposal has been finalized
and forwarded.

\(2\) BLIZZARDS:

March 7, 2005 \-- Received short note from Dr. Robert Schwartz, Graduate
Program Coordinator, Department of Geography, Ball State University, in
response to my notes from the book \"The Blizzard of \'78\" by Michael
Tougias:

\"The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as winds over 35 mph,
falling or blowing snow reducing visibility to less than a quarter mile,
and all of these conditions lasting at least three hours\....Based on my
research, the term blizzard was first used by Henry Ellis along Hudson
Bay in 1746 although his meaning at the time was ambiguous. In South
Dakota, some newspapers used the term in 1867 but the description of the
winter storm of March 1870 in Iowa was credited for using the word. By
the 1880s, the term was in general use\....My dissertation was the
Geography of Blizzards and I studied the physical and societal aspects
of these dangerous storms.

\(3\) COASTAL HAZARDS MANAGEMENT \-- GRADUATE-LEVEL COURSE DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT:

March 11, 2005 \-- Reviewed 2nd draft of Session 7, \"Coastal Hazards
II,\" by Katherine Eschelbach, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, and provided review comments to lead course developer, Professor
David Brower, also of UNC-Chapel Hill. Forwarded draft session to the
EMI Webmaster for upload to the Project website \-- Free College Courses
section \-- Courses Under Development subsection \-- to replace the
earlier draft. Should be accessible shortly.

\(4\) DISASTER PREPAREDNESS SUMMIT:

March 6, 2005 \-- Attended a Disaster Preparedness Summit sponsored by
the Community College National Center for Community Engagement and by
the League for Innovation in the Community College, in New York. This
one-day summit preceded the annual conference of The League for
Innovation in the Community College. About 90 people present \-- 75 were
expected. Was particularly interested in service learning and community
engagement activities conducted at Brevard County (FL) Community College
subsequent to this year\'s hurricanes. Delivered short presentation on
the FEMA EM HiEd Project and upcoming June 7-9, 2005 EM HiEd Conference.

\(5\) DISASTER RESPONSE OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT \-- UPPER DIVISION
COURSE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT:

March 8, 2005 \-- Received for review from course developer, Dr. David
McEntire, University of North Texas, 2nd draft of Session 37.
\"Communications and Coordination.\"

\(6\) EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HIGHER EDUCATION CONFERENCE, EMI, JUNE 7-9,
2005, EMMITSBURG, MD:

March 7-9, 2005 \-- Communicated with Dr. Neil Britton and Leanna
Falkiner concerning development of the International Disaster Management
Breakout Session.

March 7-10, 2005 \-- Communicated with Charles Howell, Human Resources,
Department of Homeland Security, concerning his attending the conference
and presenting on higher education-related DHS programs and interests.

March 8, 2005 \-- Communicated with Steve Charvat, Emergency Manager,
University of Washington, concerning the possibility of a presentation
at the conference on his recent symposium on collegiate disaster
preparedness and planning at the University of Washington.

March 8-9, 2005 \-- Communicated with two potential conference
participants concerning their interest in putting forth/defending the
terms \"Hazards Management,\" and \"Homeland Security\" during the
\"What Should We Call What We Do\" Breakout Session. Repeated requests
for volunteers (in previous activity reports) have not been successful
in getting volunteers to support these two terms.

March 9, 2005 \-- Communicated with Dr. Dennis Mileti, Previous
Director, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado at Boulder,
concerning his giving a presentation on \"The Future of Emergency
Management,\" during \"The Future of Emergency Management and Homeland
Security\" session.

March 10, 2005 \-- Communicated with Roger Henry, Director of Community
Service Learning Programs at Brevard Community College, which has five
campuses on the east Florida coast, concerning his attending the EM HiEd
Conference and delivering a presentation along the lines on a slide
presentation he delivered at the Disaster Preparedness Summit noted
above. This presentation was of interest to me from three related points
of view \-- all connected to \"walking the talk\" \-- one,
college/university support to service learning; two, hazard, disaster,
emergency management student service learning specifically; and three,
collegiate CERT \-- community emergency support team \-- training.

March 11, 2005 \-- Admissions Office notes they have processed
(accepted) 26 applications and are working on others.

\(7\) FEMA REGION IV HISTORICAL BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCU)
CONFERENCE, MAY 4-7, 2005, Tallahassee, FL:

March 10, 2005 \-- Communicated with George Yearwood, FEMA Region IV,
concerning the HBCU conference being planned at Florida Agricultural and
Mechanical College in Tallahassee, FL, May 4-7, 2005. I have been asked
to deliver a presentation on the FEMA Emergency Management Higher
Education Project during a panel on Academic Roles and Resources the
morning of May 5th. For additional information, Mr. Yearwood can be
reached at: george.yearwood@dhs.gov

\(8\) FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT \-- GRADUATE-LEVEL COURSE DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT:

March 11, 2005 \-- Reviewed 3rd draft of Session 8, \"Introduction to
Ecological Principles and Ecoregions,\" by Dr. Susan Bolton, and
provided review comments to lead course developer, Robert Freitag,
University of Washington. Forwarded draft to the EMI Webmaster for
upload to the Project website \-- Free College Courses section \--
Courses Under Development subsection \-- where it should be accessible
shortly.

\(9\) FLORIDA BUSINESS DISASTER SURVIVAL KIT \-- BUSINESS CONTINUITY
PLANNING IN TODAY\'S WORLD \-- CD ROM:

March 6, 2005 \-- While at the Disaster Preparedness Seminar (noted
above), picked up a CD ROM entitled \"Florida Business Disaster Survival
Kit\--Business Continuity Planning in Today\'s World.\" Briefly looked
through some of the CD upon my return and went to the \"Business
Disaster Survival\" website. Material looks interesting and helpful and
well-worth, I would think, the \$2.75 charge for ordering the CD from
the website. From the website:

\"Welcome to the Florida Business Disaster Survival Kit Website Recent
hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, wildfires and the tragic events of
September 11, 2001, have emphasized the need for everyone - families and
businesses -to be prepared. The Florida Business Disaster Survival Kit
is part of the official state disaster preparedness and mitigation
program, Florida Prepares!

This site is divided into four sections:

Section I. The first section introduces the Business Continuity Planning
Process. It explains why disaster planning is so important for all
businesses in Florida, and highlights what you can do - step by step -
to prepare your business and your employees and reduce your
vulnerability to disasters.

Section II. The second section, Hazard Analysis and Response Guide,
provides an overview of the hazards that businesses in the State of
Florida may face. This expanded section includes natural hazards,
technological hazards and other hazards that may result in business
interruption and significant loss. This section references Response
Checklists for specific events.

Section III. The third section relates to the Recovery and Mitigation
process. The recovery actions portion describes re-entry teams, repairs
and the relocation of essential operations, if necessary. The mitigation
strategies are initiatives designed to minimize your risk of loss due to
specific hazards. The strategies include policies, strategies and
investments to protect your human resources, your facility and both
tangible and intangible assets.

Section IV. The fourth section is the Preparedness Info Center. It
provides helpful publications and links to web sites where you can
obtain critical local information, publications and contact information.
There is also a glossary of terms relating to terrorism, severe weather
and general contingency planning.\"

The kit was prepared by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and the
Business Continuity Planning Alliance in association with the State of
Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Regional
Planning Councils.

For more information, and CD ordering information, go to:
[[http://www.fldisasterkit.com/]{.underline}](http://www.fldisasterkit.com/)

\(10\) HAZARDS MAPPING AND MODELING \-- UPPER DIVISION/GRADUATE COURSE
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT:

March 10, 2005 \-- Received for review from lead course developer, Dr.
John Pine, Louisiana State University, Session 13, \"Introduction to
Mapping,\" by Dr. Michael Leitner, Department of Geography and
Anthropology, LSU.

\(11\) MONTGOMERY COLLEGE, ROCKVILLE, MD \-- INVESTIGATING DEVELOPMENT
OF AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

March 8, 2005 \-- Communicated with Kathleen Dayton, Coordinator, Fire
Science and Emergency Services Program at Montgomery College, who notes
that the school is beginning an investigation of some sort of emergency
management program there (certificate, concentration, degree), as well
as the development of one or two emergency management courses
specifically designed to be incorporated into the existing Fire Science
and Emergency Services Program. Will soon be meeting with an advisory
committee to assist in this initiative. For additional information,
Kathleen Dayton can be reached at: Kathy.Dayton@montgomerycollege.edu

\(12\) SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY (CA) \-- PROPOSING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
CONCENTRATION, MPA PROGRAM:

March 8, 2005 \-- Received note from Dr. Guna Selvaduray, Professor and
Graduate Coordinator, Chemical & Materials Engineering Department at San
Jose State noting that while things are moving slowly, they are moving
forward and that he expects to receive SJS University approval for this
new concentration before the end of this semester \-- which, if granted,
would allow for the introduction of this new program perhaps as early as
the Fall Semester. For additional information, Dr. Selvaduray can be
reached at: gunas@email.sjsu.edu

\(13\) UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT DENVER \-- NEW EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
POLICY AND PLANNING GRADUATE CERTIFICATE:

March 8, 2005 \-- Received note from Dr. George Busenberg, Graduate
School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado at Denver and Health
Sciences Center, to the effect that \"we have launched a graduate
certificate program in Emergency Management Policy and Planning here at
the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. The
program will center on the all-hazards emergency management model.\" Two
of the core courses in this new stand-alone certificate are: (1)
Disasters and Emergency Management Policies, taught by Dr. Busenberg,
and (2) \"Hazard Mitigation and Vulnerability Assessment, taught by Dr.
Deborah Thomas, Department of Geography. We will be working with Dr.
Busenberg to draft a description of this initiative for the \"College
List\" on the Project website. In the meantime, for additional
information, Dr. Busenberg can be reached at:
George.Busenberg@cudenver.edu

\(14\) UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, EMERGENCY ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING
(EADP) PROGRAM NEWS:

March 11, 2005 \-- Received note from EADP program director, Dr. David
McEntire noting, amongst other things that \"we are going to add several
course options to our university core and major electives. These
include:

University Laboratory Science Core:

BIOL 1130 Environmental Science

GEOG 4065 Environmental Geology

Electives:

GEOG 4400 Introduction to Remote Sensing GEOG 4120 Medical Geography
BIOL 3160 Biological Resource Conservation and Management PADM 3700
Non-Profit Management COMS 3000 Community and Public Service COMS 3300
Intro to Philanthropy and Fundraising COMS 41200 Social Evolution of
Contemporary Fundraising COMS 4300 Proposal Writing and Grants
Administration COMS 4400 Volunteer Management Concepts and Applications
COMS 4500 Community Resource Mapping and Collaboration COMS 4600
Volunteer Program Planning and Evaluation

I believe these courses will help our students better understand
hazards, environmental issues, technological applications, the
non-profit sector, and grant administration.

We now have 222 majors in our program. This does not include minors,
those majoring in a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences, those taking
electives, or those in our masters concentration.\"

Dr. McEntire asked if we would advertise a new faculty vacancy in his
program, to wit:

\"The Department of Public Administration invites applications for an
anticipated tenure-track position in the undergraduate Emergency
Administration and Planning (EADP) program. The tenure-track
appointment, subject to budget approval, is at the assistant professor
level and begins September 1, 2005. (Both entry-level and those holding
a tenure-track position are encouraged to apply.) Prospective candidates
from any disaster-related discipline are encouraged to apply, but the
successful candidate must have research interests and professional
qualifications in emergency management. Primary teaching responsibility
is in the department=s undergraduate EADP program, although the
successful candidate may also occasionally teach a graduate course in
the emergency administration specialization in the department=s Master
of Public Administration and PhD programs. Preference will be given to
candidates with research and teaching interests in one or more of the
following areas: computer applications in emergency management, hazard
mitigation, disaster preparedness, and terrorism and homeland security.
Candidates must hold an earned doctorate at the time the appointment
begins.

To ensure full consideration, candidates should submit a letter of
application, vita, and the names of at least three references. Review of
completed files begins April 15 but applications will be accepted until
the position is filled. Applications should be mailed to EADP Faculty
Search Committee, Department of Public Administration, P.O. Box 310617,
Denton, TX 76203-0617. Information about the EADP program may be
obtained at [[www.unt.edu/eadp/]{.underline}](../www.unt.edu/eadp/).\"

\(15\) VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND \-- BA IN HOMELAND
SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROPOSAL:

March 9, 2005 \-- Received from Dr. Bill Newmann, School of Government
and Public Affairs at VCU, an update note on the progress of their
proposal to develop a Bachelor Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness. Approval has been received and the school is in the
process of program development \-- anticipate Fall Semester 2005
roll-out. The first full-time faculty hire for this program has been
accomplished \-- William Parrish, Associate Professor \-- Marine Corps
(retired \-- Commander of Marine Corps Security Forces), then Director
of the US Customs Office of Anti-Terrorism, then Associate Director for
Homeland Security of the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, and until
most recently, the Department of Homeland Security\'s Senior
Representative to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (reporting to DHS
Secretary Ridge). Dr. Newmann asked if both he and Professor Parrish
could attend the June 7-9, 2005 EM HiEd Conference and we said
certainly.

B.Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM

Higher Education Project Manager

Emergency Management Institute

National Emergency Training Center

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Department of Homeland Security

16825 S. Seton, N-430

Emmitsburg, MD 21727

\(301\) 447-1262, voice

\(301\) 447-1598, fax

wayne.blanchard@dhs.gov

[[http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu]{.underline}](http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu)