STEPS IN DEVELOPING AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AT SHAW UNIVERSITY BY JOAN D. BARRAX, PhD.

STEPS IN DEVELOPING AN EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AT SHAW UNIVERSITY

BYJOAN D. BARRAX, PhD

The steps are those related primarily todeveloping an Emergency ManagementConcentration for the Bachelor’s DegreeProgram in Public Administration at ShawUniversity, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Step 1

• Researched as much as possible emergency management programs at other institutions:--Accessed information on the FEMA Website on emergency management programs; courses; curricula, syllabi, relevant competencies; articles, papers, and presentations; and the body of knowledge on the Website. --Sent for all of the free course materials that FEMA has on CDs that are related to the degree level of the program being developed.

Step 1 (contd)

• Attended FEMA conferences to be current in the body of knowledge and practices that are related to the profession.

• Got on the mailing list to receive the FEMA Higher Education Project newsletter.

Step 2

• Reviewed the credentials of faculty on the campus.

• Polled faculty in such disciplines as the natural sciences, social sciences, public administration, business administration, etc., to see if they would be interested in teaching in the emergency management program.

• Formed Advisory Committee.

Step 3

• Researched the potential pool of likely applicants or likely constituents for the program. Did needs assessment.

• Needs assessment questionnaire sent to EMS agencies, emergency management departments, fire departments, police departments, the Red Cross, insurance departments, agencies that dealt with rescue, churches, security forces at the airport, community colleges, county managers, town managers, city managers—all in various areas—the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, and the North Carolina Emergency Management Homeland Security Branch.

Step 3 (contd)

• At this stage, planned to offer courses face-to-face and by videconferencing to main campus and off-campus sites. (Online courses via Blackboard were to come later.)

Step 4

• Analysis of the needs assessment results from forty-two agencies that responded indicating whether they had persons interested in enrolling in the program, or teaching in the program, or whether they could provide internship opportunities for our students, because the program includes a practicum.

Step 5• Identified possible courses, developed

course descriptions for the curriculum, including suggested electives (some of which were already being offered in various degree programs), and invited feedback from the Advisory Committee, making modifications based on the consensus of the group.

• Sent the tentative curriculum to Dr. Wayne Blanchard for his advice.

• Conferred with all appropriate administrators at the University to ensure support for the program.

Step 6

• Prepared the proposal for the new degree program for submission to the Dean’s Council for approval. (From the Dean’s Council, the proposal would have to go to the President’s Cabinet for approval and would finally have to be taken by the President to the Board of Trustees for approval.)

Components of the Proposal for the New Emergency

Management Program

I. Proposal Summary and Catalog Copy

A. A brief summary of the proposed action

B. Proposed catalog copy of all courses (with course numbering and credit hours) in the degree program

I. Proposal Summary and Catalog Copy (contd)

1. When and how often added courses will be taught

2. The extent to which the content and/or frequency of offering other courses will be affected

3. Anticipated enrollment in courses added

4. Extent to which enrollment in other courses will be affected and how

this was determined

II. JustificationA. Identification of the need addressed by the proposed new program and how the proposed new program meets the needB. Prerequisites/co-requisites for the

course(s), including class standingC. Demonstration that course numbering is consistent with the level of academic advancement of students for whom it is intendedD. The extent to which the proposed new program will improve the scope, quality, and/or efficiency of programs and/or instruction

III. Impact

A. The group of students served by the proposed new program (e.g., undergraduate of graduate)B. The effect that the new program will have on existing courses and curricula

IV. Resources Required to Support the New Program

A. PersonnelB. Qualified faculty members interested in teaching the courses (listed by name)C. Physical facility required to offer the new

programD. Equipment and supplies needed, including computer and audio-visual equipment and suppliesE. Services needed, including media production services and library servicesF. Other resources (e.g., for travel, communication, printing, and binding)

V. Sources of Funding for New/Additional Resources Required to Support the New Program

(Anticipated funds from tuition and fees)

VI. Consultation with the Library and Other Departments or Units

A. Consultation to determine relevant library holdings already in place and to be acquired.

B. Consultation to determine courses to be offered by various departments.

VII. Summary Action of the Unit Originating the New Program

A. Minutes of departmental meeting when the program was approved.

B. Signatures of departmental faculty who approved the program.

VIII. Attachments

A. Syllabi with course outlines, including topics to be covered

and suggested reference materials with dates of publicationB. Signatures of all faculty consulted and who supported the new program

Step 7

• Advertised for faculty, including sending announcements to the FEMA Higher Education Project newsletter.

• Sought a person with a doctorate in emergency management or a related field with at least 18 credit hours in emergency management in order to satisfy the regional accrediting agency’s requirements. We could not find such a person.

• Had to go back to the Dean’s Council to modify the proposal to change the bachelor’s degree program to a degree in Public Administration with a Concentration in Emergency Management.

Step 7 (contd)

• Had to start the program with adjuncts who had a master’s degree in public administration and experience working in the field of emergency management, plus rely on the two regular full-time faculty members in the Department of Business and Public Administration with graduate degrees in Public Administration, one of whom has a doctorate in Public Administration, plus some faculty in social and political science who had credentials that we thought would satisfy SACS for the various courses they would be asked to teach.

Step 8

• Notified our accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and got SACS’ official acknowledgement of the new program.

• Because the program was now a concentration rather than a new degree program, approval from SACS was not needed; SACS just had to be notified.

• Notified FEMA of the new concentration and was listed on FEMA’s College List.

Step 9

• Developed a brochure and fliers to give to the Admissions and Recruitment Office.

• Sent fliers, brochures, and letters to agencies identified from the questionnaire with interested persons as well as other agencies and organizations, and placed public service announcements about the program on radio stations, including the University’s own radio station.

Step 9 (contd)

• Developed a PowerPoint presentation to deliver at Shaw’s College of Adult and Professional Education off-campus sites, primarily, to groups of interested persons. The PowerPoint presentation addressed not just the new program but, also, employment opportunities in the field of emergency management and emergency management competencies—information taken from the FEMA Website. The presentation directs persons to the FEMA Website as well.

Step 10

• Consulted with the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Director and met with any agency director—whether insurance, airport security, Red Cross, etc.—who expressed an interest in our program, listened to their advice, found out their needs, and found out about the availability of internship opportunities for students. (The Chair of the Department of Business and Public Administration was included in all such discussions.)

• Had the brochure placed on the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management’s Website.

Step 11• Assisted students with getting through the

admission process, including evaluating transcripts of transfer students.

• Had 14 enrollees the first year (2006-2007), primarily adults working in a related field.

• Recognized for the first time on Academic Awards Day--after the end of the first year of the program-- the emergency management major on the honor roll having the highest GPA of persons majoring in the program.

Other Steps

• Developed a master’s program in emergency management which has already been approved for implementation in the Fall Semester of 2008. Nine of the 42 agencies that responded to the original questionnaire said that they had persons interested in a Master’s Program. Impetus for development of the Master’s Program came from Shaw University’s President.

Other Steps (contd)

• Did all of the research needed to develop a Master’s Degree program and submitted a proposal for the Master’s Program with all of the components outlined before for the undergraduate program.

• Currently, interest is being expressed in a certificate program by various agencies in areas where we have CAPE sites, so the possibility exists for offering a certificate program through continuing education.

Future Steps

Finally, future steps are: ongoing recruitment, ongoing speaking to groups, ongoing mailings to get the enrollment up, ongoing search for qualified faculty, and seeking scholarship funds for enrollees.