FEMA’s Higher Education Program Bits and Pieces
National Emergency Training Center, Emmitsburg, MD
16 December 2011
Hi Ed Website (submitted today to webmaster for posting next week):
v Hi Ed Activity Reports – http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/activityRA2011.asp
· December 9
v College List – EM Programs – Masters Level Certificate, Specialization, Track - http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/collegelist/EMMasterLevel/certificate.asp
· George Washington University - Graduate Certificate Emergency Management and Public Health
· Park University, Hauptmann School for Public Affairs – Graduate Certificate in Disaster and Emergency Management
· Southwestern College Professional Studies – Graduate Certificates – Emergency Planning and Enterprise Risk Management
· University of Maryland, Baltimore County – Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management
v College List – EM Programs – Associates Level – http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/collegelist/emassociate/
· Red Rocks Community College – Associate of Applied Science Degree in Emergency Management and Planning
· Southeast Arkansas College – Associate of Applied Science in Emergency Administration and Management
· St. Petersburg College – Associate Degree in Emergency Administration and Management
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Associate of Applied Science in Emergency and Disaster Management
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Associate of Applied Science in Technical Emergency and Disaster Management
v College List – EM Programs – Stand-Alone Certificates – http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/collegelist/emstandalone/
· Madonna University – Emergency Management Certificate Programs
· Red Rocks Community College –Emergency Management and Planning Certificate Program
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Certificate in Technical Emergency and Disaster Management
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Diploma in Emergency and Disaster Management
v College List – EM Program – One or More Courses - http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/EMInsOneOrMore/
· Florida State University – Select Courses
v College List – HS Programs – Certificates/Diplomas – http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/collegelist/dhscertificate/
· Madonna University - Certificate of Completion in Homeland Security
v College List – Emergency and Disaster Mgmt Programs in Other Countries - http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/collegelist/OtherCountries/
· Royal Roads University – Graduate Diploma in Disaster and Emergency Management
· Royal Roads University – Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management
v College List – Distance Learning – http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/collegelist/dl/
· Red Rocks Community College – Associate of Applied Science Degree in Emergency Management and Planning
· Red Rocks Community College –Emergency Management and Planning Certificate Program
· University of Maryland, Baltimore County – Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Associate of Applied Science in Emergency and Disaster Management
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Associate of Applied Science in Technical Emergency and Disaster Management
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Certificate in Technical Emergency and Disaster Management
· Western Iowa Tech Community College – Diploma in Emergency and Disaster Management
v College List - Programs Being Proposed/Investigated – http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/collegelist/proposedprogram/
· Northern Essex Community College – Emergency Management Certificate
v EM References - http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/highref.asp
· NOAA: U.S. Sets Record With a Dozen Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in One Year
Source: NOAA, 12/7/11
To date, the U.S. set a record with 12 separate billion dollar weather/climate disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion. This record year breaks the previous record of nine billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in one year, which occurred in 2008. Previously only 10 events were reported; the two new billion-dollar weather and climate events added to the 2011 total include:
· The Texas, New Mexico, Arizona wildfires event, now exceeding $1 billion, had been previously accounted for in the larger Southern Plains drought and heatwave event. This is in line with how NOAA has traditionally accounted for large wildfire events as separate events.
· The June 18-22 Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather event, which just recently exceeded the $1 billion threshold.
All comments concerning website materials should be emailed to .
14th Annual Emergency Management Higher Education Conference Update
v 15th Annual Emergency Management Higher Education Conference is scheduled June 4-7, 2012.
College and University News:
v Shannon continues to be hard at work with the yearly update of the Hi Ed website college list. The college list is the section most used by potential students seeking program information as well as being used by other colleges and universities that are investigating the possibility of an emergency management program in their school. For these and other reasons it is essential for us to have the most current and up to date information for your programs. Please respond to Shannon’s email as soon as possible when she contacts you. We appreciate the time you take to inform us of changes to your program.
v Hi Ed Statistical Update for December 2011:
· Emergency Management Higher Education Programs – 254
o 68 Certificate, Diploma, Focus-Area, Minor in EM Collegiate Programs
o 47 Schools Offer Associate Degree Programs
o 43 Schools Offer Bachelor Degree Programs
o 86 Schools with Master-Level/Concentrations/Tracks/Specializations/Emphasis Areas/Degrees
o 10 Schools Offer Doctoral-Level Programs
· U.S. Homeland Security/Defense and Terrorism Hi Ed Programs – 126
· U.S. International Disaster Relief/Humanitarian Assistance Programs – 15
· Public Health, Medical and Related Program – 26
· Listing of Related Programs – 27
v 2012 Student Conference Scholarship Program - 26th Annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference
All students interested in Emergency Management are invited to apply for a Student Scholarship to attend the 26th Annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference
May 13-18, 2012 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Eligibility:
Students currently enrolled in a public or private institution of higher education, at the graduate or undergraduate levels, and who have taken or are taking emergency management related courses as part of their academic program, are eligible to apply. While a student’s major or minor concentration of study need not be “emergency management” specifically, they should demonstrate that their field of study has a direct impact to overall emergency preparedness, response, recovery and/or mitigation.
Additional Eligibility Considerations:
Recent Graduates: Students who complete their degree requirements no more than 6 months prior to the conference are also eligible to apply.
Florida Residents: Students who are Florida “residents for tuition purposes” (as per § 1009.21, F.S.) will be given priority. Out-of-state or online students may also be considered based upon review committee recommendation.
Institutional Limits: The total number of students from any single institution will be limited based on total funding availability.
How to Apply:
Apply online between December 15, 2011 and February 15, 2012 at
http://cdrp.net/ghcsp/index.cfm
Email to be added to the email distribution list for future communications regarding the program.
Applicants will be notified of their status in March.
For more information on the 2012 GHC, visit www.flghc.org.
v The 2nd Annual National Alabama State University HBCU Conference, March 5-7, 2012
Theme: Entrepreneurship: Transforming Education, Government and Industry
Today’s speaker highlight is Edward J. Lee, who is the Historical Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) Program Manager for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) in Arlington, Virginia. The AFOSR is one of 10 directorates that comprise the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The office has a staff of 200 people and an annual working budget over $400 million that supports more than 5,000 basic research grants and contracts critical to the defense of the United States. AFOSR is charged with maintaining the technological superiority of the U.S. Air Force and manages its entire basic research program. In 2010, AFRL's total support for HBCU/MIs exceeded $16 million in research and development funding in the form of grants, contracts and fellowships.
Mr. Lee has worked for the AFOSR since 1997, initially overseeing the University Research Initiative program. He now works to enhance the communications between HBCUs and MIs to enable them to compete for contracts and grants at a larger scale. Working in private industry prior to coming to AFOSR and owning his own business – EJL Associates- since 1987, Mr. Lee has helped to establish and support black-owned businesses in the Washington Metropolitan area. He is an alumnus of Morgan State University, an HBCU in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mr. Lee is a panel speaker on the Building Strong Partnerships for Innovation track session.
Media Contacts:
For additional information on the conference contact Tammi L. Thomas, 301-583-3500 or at
v Sent to us by Claire Rubin:
Sector Report for December 8, 2011: Education Special
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/sector-report-december-8-2011
Right degree helps grads compete in DHS hiring boom
HS Newswire
Published 8 December, 2011
Even amid the economic downturn, students who graduate with degrees in homeland security can breathe a bit easier knowing that they are more likely to find jobs than their fellow graduates; the agency’s hiring boom is expected to continue over the next several years as more and more baby boomers in their 50s begin to retire
Even amid the economic downturn, students who graduate with degrees in homeland security can breathe a bit easier knowing that they are more likely to find jobs than their fellow graduates.
In recent years, DHS and other national security agencies have been on a hiring spree for individuals with cybersecurity expertise, counterterrorism know how, emergency management skills, and other homeland security related skills.
In particular, recent graduates with degrees in law enforcement, criminal justice, and cybersecurity have been well-poised in the job market.
For instance in 2009, DHS’ National Cybersecurity Division nearly tripled its workforce. Meanwhile a 2009 report by the Partnership for Public Service found that DHS was planning on hiring more than 65,000 employees over the next three years including 34,500 transportation security officers and 9,800 border patrol agents.
At a recent conference focusing on homeland security education in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Robert Zitz, a former deputy undersecretary of DHS, said the agency’s hiring boom will continue to grow in the next several years as more and more baby boomers in their 50s begin to retire.
As evidence, Zitz pointed to USAjobs.org, an official website that lists government jobs which had more than 500 pages of Homeland Security job openings.
Stressing the importance of having the right skills, Zitz said, “They are hiring, but it’s important you have the skills.”
Zitz said individuals looking to enter the homeland security industry can make themselves better candidates for the department by taking classes or receiving a certification.
J. Eric Dietz, the director of Purdue’s Homeland Security Institute, considers the university’s program a “differentiator” for students and a “a way to sell yourself in a tough job environment.”
Steve Riedel, a graduate student at Purdue, said, “What my resume looked like two years ago to what it looks like now — there is no comparison.”
Riedel, an eleven year veteran of the Navy, said Purdue’s Homeland Security Institute has recruited dozens of veterans to return to school. Riedel has completed three domestic security courses and is in the midst of completing his thesis. He hopes to finish and find a job in agricultural security.
“The demand is phenomenal,” he said
Some institutions like Germanna’s Center for Workforce & Community Education look to make classroom lessons directly applicable to the real world.
David A. Sam, the president of Germanna Community College, said the school is constantly working to match its homeland security oriented curriculum to match existing job openings.
“We know that because of the ‘skills gap,’ millions of jobs are going unfilled because people lack the training to do them,” Sam said.
***
Government preps next generation of cybersecurity employees
HS Newswire
Published 8 December, 2011
NICE: http://csrc.nist.gov/nice/framework/
With the increasingly critical role that technology plays in everyday lives and the growing threat of hackers, the U.S. government is actively working to educate the next generation of cybersecurity officials
With the increasingly critical role that technology plays in everyday lives and the growing threat of hackers, the U.S. government is actively working to educate the next generation of cybersecurity officials.
Currently the need for qualified cybersecurity professionals in both the private and public sector is growing more urgent as demand outpaces supply.
NIST projects that more than 700,000 new cybersecurity professionals will be needed in the United States alone by 2015.
“The need for cybersecurity is only increasing. It is imperative that we develop a nation of cybersavvy citizens and a strong workforce to support and protect our digital economy and our national security,” said Michael Kaiser, the executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA).
To that end, the U.S. Department of Education has teamed up with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to launch several initiatives aimed at cultivating cybersecurity professionals.
The two agencies recently partnered with NCSA to promote cybersecurity education programs in K-12 schools, higher education, as well as career and technical education environments. The program will bring together government officials, industry leaders, members of the non-profit community, and academia to make recommendations and suggest guidelines on cybereducation.
In particular, the initiative will focus on identifying the cybersecurity education needs of young people along with the basic knowledge, skills, and competencies a future IT professional will need to protect critical government or business networks.
“With cyberthreats on the rise, career opportunities in cybersecurity will continue to grow, and students need to have access to the necessary foundational education and other prerequisites needed to pursue them,” said Ernest McDuffie, the lead manager of NIST’s National Initiative for Cyber Security Education (NICE).
To further bolster the U.S. cybersecurity workforce, NIST recently issued a draft of its “Cybersecurity Workforce Framework” in November as part of the NICE program.
The framework is designed to define the professional requirements in cybersecurity, similar to the way that accounting, medicine, and law have official requirements, by classifying the typical duties and skill requirements of cybersecurity workers.
“One thing NICE has found is that there has not been a consistent way to define or describe cybersecurity work across the federal workforce,” McDuffie explained.
So far the cybersecurity workforce has not fit into traditional job titles and descriptions for federal job classifications, so NIST is seeking to better define them.