# Presentation: 496215

## Establishing an EM Program

- Brenda D. Phillips
- Oklahoma State University
- Fire and Emergency Management Program
- 519 Math Sciences Building
- Stillwater OK 74078
- _[Brendaphillips@prodigy.net](mailto:Brendaphillips@prodigy.net)_
- 405-612-4741 cell

## Overview of this presentation

- Considerations
- Writing a proposal to the state
- Issues for the curriculum
- Challenges
- The academic-practitioner link
- Understanding the faculty role
- The “Academy”
- Professionalization
- Views from within higher education
- Views from the field

## Writing a proposal to the State

- Take 6-12 months minimum.
- What are the needs of the state?
- Follow the application carefully.
- Craft the proposal.
- Establish a relationship with key person.
- Obtain external review.
- Obtain external consultant(s).
- Revenue streams versus costs.
- Obtain data.
- Competitive programs.
- Student market.
- Job market projections.

## What must we have?

- For most accrediting bodies, degrees must have:
- A body of “disciplinary” knowledge.
- Theory and methodology of the discipline.
- For practice-oriented degrees, a link to experiential components.
- Accountability
- Student outcomes assessment procedures.

## What do we call “it”?

- Program titles, undergraduate level
- Emergency
- Program titles, graduate level
- Emergency = 13
- Disaster = 6
- International perspectives
- In Canada, hazard (6), risk (5), disaster (3)
- Australia, emergency
- UK, disaster, risk, crisis
- Istanbul, emergency

## Defining emergency management

*the management of risk in order to protect life and property through a comprehensive effort that involves non-linear activities tied to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery*.

## The implicit core curriculum

**Data sources**:
- Most commonly occurring chapter titles in available introductory texts.
- Undergraduate course titles among institutions with highest enrollments.
**Findings**:
- Emphasis on the public EM.
- The core is activity-based rather than conceptually or theoretically based.
- An Americanized view of emergency management.
- Assumes an all-hazards approach.
- Impact of the National Governor’s Report.

## The debate over core competencies

- This is a dynamic field.
- The work varies by sector.
- Many competencies can be addressed by the general education curriculum (basic science, communication et al.)
- What are the needs of the state?
- What is your niche?
- Faculty-student advising is key.

## Student outcomes assessment

- Mission based
- Basic data (from the start):
- Demographics
- Recruitment
- Retention/Attrition
- Graduation
- Employers
- Data (from start to alumni/job status)
- Papers, projects, portfolios, exams
- Interviews, surveys, focus groups

## Delivery mode

- Traditional
- Distance
- Internet
- Video, Satellite, Polycom
- Correspondence/Independent
- Mixed

## Challenges:  linking academics and practitioners

*Well done Indiana*!
- Get to know each other’s organizational “cultures.”
- Respect for the practitioner and their knowledge, valuing their experience.
- Grasping the faculty role
- Teaching, research, service, practice.

## Challenges:  the “academy”

- Understand that resources are scarce and institutions of higher education are pressed financially.
- EM is fairly new, be prepared to explain, justify, convince universities of the academic integrity of the degree.
- Turf battles are common, especially over curricula, establishing new programs, interdisciplinary programs.
- Where do you ***put*** emergency management?
- Strong social science influence on knowledge base.
- Money will change things.

## Professionalization: 			the bad news

- An ongoing battle since 1980s.
- No accreditation bodies for academic programs.
- Models:  public admin, social work
- Image problem:
- From air raid wardens to ambulance chasers.
- Rodney Dangerfield was right.

## Professionalization:  			the good news

- Degree increasingly cited in job announcements.
- Students are in good jobs, being promoted, in all sectors.
- New respect for the field.
- Good questions are being raised.
- Degree programs are sound and varied.

## What we can all do

- Follow academic accreditation standards rigorously.
- Work with the state (EMA, Commission for Higher Education)
- Work ***together*** to develop professional organizations, especially with/for higher education.
- Share what we know and learn.
- Advocate for increasing professionalization including higher education programs.