Grants Awarded to Higher Ed for Emergency Management

Funds may be used to update plans, conduct vulnerability assessments, provide training, organize tabletop exercises or large-scale drills, work with local responders and community partners, and more.

U.S. Department of Education Awards more than $9.7 Million to Higher Education Institutions for Emergency Management Plans

Twenty six colleges and universities will be able to develop and strengthen their emergency management plans as a result of more than $9.7 million in Emergency Management for Higher Education discretionary grants awarded today by the U.S. Department of Education, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“Sending your children off to college can be difficult enough, but you shouldn’t have to worry about their safety and how well a campus is prepared to handle emergencies,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “These grants will ensure that campuses have the resources to develop comprehensive emergency plans that involve the community.”

Each plan, as specified in the grant application, must address all four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Funds may be used to update existing emergency management plans, conduct vulnerability assessments of campus facilities, provide training to campus staff and students, organize tabletop exercises or large-scale drills, collaborate with local first responders and community partners, and develop or enhance plans for preventing violence on campus by assessing and addressing the mental health needs of students who may be at risk of causing campus violence.

The grants are housed within the Department’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, which supports efforts to create safe schools, respond to crises, prevent drug and alcohol abuse, ensure the health and well being of students, and teach students good citizenship and character. The office also coordinates the Department’s efforts in these areas with other federal agencies.

The 2009 grant recipients are listed below:

CALIFORNIA
Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
(Stanford University)
Stanford, CA
$451,564

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC
$491,681

Georgetown University
Washington, DC
$549,302

FLORIDA
Miami Dade College
Miami, FL
$499,999

University of Central Florida
Orlando, CA
$176,245

IDAHO
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID
$502,148

ILLINOIS
Illinois Community College District #515
(Prairie State College)
Chicago Heights, IL
$267,090

KANSAS
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS
$249,094

LOUISIANA
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA
$440,286

MASSACHUSSETS
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Buzzards Bay, MA
$218,239

MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI $490,517

MISSOURI
Missouri State University
Springfield, MO
$469,515

MONTANA
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT
$499,900

NEW JERSEY
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
$536,009

NEW YORK
Niagara University
Niagara, NY
$398,157

Research Foundation of CUNY c/o John Jay College
New York, NY
$768,334

NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND
$412,352

OREGON
Southern Oregon University
Ashland, OR
$250,000

University of Oregon
Eugene, OR
$474,333

Teaching Research Institute
(Western Oregon University)
Monmouth, OR
$167,343

PENNSYLVANIA
Community College of Allegheny County
Pittsburgh, PA
$252,727

RHODE ISLAND
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI
$260,668

TEXAS
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
$175,756

VIRGINIA
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA
$247,419

WASHINGTON
Peninsula College
Port Angeles, WA
$255,115

WYOMING
Laramie County Community College
Cheyenne, WY
$229,593