The World Grieves After the Shooting at Virginia Tech
University of Texas Tower Sniper Recalled: 1966 Rampage was Deadliest Campus Shooting unitl Virginia Tech. (AP) Last August, with little fanfare, the University of Texas marked the 40th anniversary of what was then the nation's worst mass shooting.
Until Monday's carnage at Virginia Tech, the Aug. 1, 1966, sniping rampage by Charles Whitman from the Austin school's landmark 307-foot tower had remained the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. For the complete story link here or go to http://cbs11tv.com/seenon/local_story_107105409.html
What have we learned since 1966? Are our colleges and universities any more prepared to prepare for and respond to violence on campus, for natural disasters, or for protecting their business operations?
In the aftermath of Virginia Tech, university and college campuses around the world are re-visiting and reviewing their own security, communication, and response capabilities.
Colleges and universities face different challenges than private industry or government in regards to business continuity, crisis management and emergency response. They are not even very similar to elementary or high school campuses. Traditional business continuity planning does not provide the answer.
What then should colleges and universities be doing to prepare themselves to face both continuity of operations type disruptions as well as safety on campus?
This newsletter will focus on providing answers to some of these questions and to opening an ongoing discussion on what can and should be done.
If you would like to be a part of a consortium being formed to focus on these issues, please contact Lynnda Nelson at 866.765.8321 or email lynnda@theICOR.org. ICOR is partnering with the University of Connecticut on this project. | |
|
|
|
ICOR Offers Professional Development Opportunities Like No Where Else!
ACP Members, Continuity Insights Attendees, and WCDM attendees Save 10% on all ICOR courses through 2007!
Become a Certified Data Center Professional!
Data Center Professionals all over Europe and Asia have become certified - this cutting edge and valuable professional development and credentialing course is now available in the United States and Canada only through ICOR.
The Certified Data Center Professional course is designed to expose IT, Facilities, Business Continuity, and Data Center Operations professionals working in and around the Data Center to the key components of the Data Center. It is the first in a series of four courses developed for Data Center Professionals.
May 20-21 Las Vegas - CPM
Human Impact Preparedness Audit
What's the weakest link in your continuity strategy?
Thirty-five percent of companies report that "People Risks" are the "weakest link" in their continuity strategy, planning, and recovery efforts.
The Human Impact Preparedness Audit course covers the critical components of a successful Human Impact Preparedness Program and will help you learn to assess your organization's state-of-readiness and to plan for pandemics.
Developing a BCM Response - The Incident Response Plan
Learn how to develop an Incident Response Plan and on how to integrate business continuity procedures with incident response procedures. In addition, the course will review the Incident Command System and provide you with the latest information on public/private partnerships.
Organizational Crisis Preparedness
Part of any resiliency/continuity plan is to do an assessment and to prepare for the probability of any type of event that may impact a work organization. This program will provide attendees with a comprehensive paradigm for looking at the total organization and its ability to mitigate the probability of occurrence as well as the impact of a wide array of crises.
ICOR's DRII Qualifying Exam Review Course
Choice is EVERYTHING.
Failed the Exam and feeling frustrated? ICOR guarantees our course - or you can take it again for FREE. Get Certified. Feel Good. Call ICOR Today.
*ACP members save 20% at this location!
Also available as self-study and elearning.
Register Now!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virginia Tech: Crisis Communications Lessons Learned
By John Cullen, Crisis Communications Consultant, Foresight Consulting www.foresightPR.com
At this writing, the horrible shooting events at Virginia Tech are only two days old. Indepth analysis of what happened and what can be learned to mitigate or prevent future tragedies will happen in due course. But some lessons, even at this stage, are self-evident - especially in regard to crisis communications.
|
|
Just as I finished writing (an article on workplace violence), I did one of my periodic CNN.com checks and found the story about the unfolding tragedy at Virginia Tech University where - if you are outside of the U.S. and haven't seen the story - 21 people are reported killed by a gunman who is still loose on campus.
The World After Virginia Tech May 1 Newsletter
HOW THE WORLD CHANGED AFTER VIRGINIA TECH By Gerald Baron
It is an axiom of crisis management that an organization going through a major crisis is changed forever. But there are some crises that change not just the organization, but also the surrounding environment. I believe that will prove to be the case with the horrific tragedy at Virginia Tech.
|
|
Universities Lean on Each Other for Better Disaster Recovery By Beth Pariseau, News Writer
07 Sep 2006 | SearchStorage.com
On the front lines of the disaster that changed the nation's thinking on disaster recovery is the University of New Orleans IT department, under assistant vice chancellor for university computing and communications Jim Burgard.
The University didn't have a flood in its computer room, but had to abandon it from late August to October with temperatures inside approaching 100 degrees. The Chancellor himself had to board a boat to get some backup tapes, since the campus' offsite vault was in a flooded area of New Orleans. That, Burgard said, is when the University of New Orleans, like many along the Gulf Coast, learned the value of distance in DR.
|
|
Continuity Challenges at Higher Education Institutions
As presented by Brendan McCluskey, Executive Director of Emergency Management and Occupational Health and Safety at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) at the Continuity Insights conference in New Orleans, LA April 23, 2007.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the largest independent academic institution of its kind. It has over 20,000 students, faculty, staff, and other personnel. In addition, as a university of medicine and dentistry, it has thousands of patients, vendors, and visitors each day.
Colleges and universities are in the business of education, research, special projects, and community service just to name a few. They are an open "quasi-society" of diverse beliefs, cultures, backgrounds, and outlooks. They are a repository of knowledge. They have the key challenge of trying to keep the campus safe and in meeting the unique needs of a student body in addition to planning for their own continuity of operations.
For the complete presentation link here. To see other ICOR presentations visit our Library. |
Edward Waters College - A Case Study
Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Go to College
As presented by Bernard L. Chapple Director of Information Technology & Telecommunications at Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Florida on Monday April 23, 2007 at the Continuity Insights Conference in New Orleans, LA.
"You are never as prepared as you think you are."
Located in Jacksonville, Florida, Edward Waters College faces the annual risk of hurricanes affecting their campus. Also being located in the middle of a high crime urban environment, the college faces security challenges unusual to many colleges and universities.
Bernard Chapple, director of Technology and Telecommunications shares how Edward Waters College prepares for identified risks with the constraints of a limited budget.
For the complete presentation link here. For other ICOR presentations, see our Library. |
|
C-CERT: Campus Emergency Response Team The School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University School (MSU) was awarded a grant for from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Grants & Training (DHS-G & T) to develop and deliver a Campus Community Emergency Response Team Train-the-Trainer Program for American colleges and universities nationwide.
The primary purpose of this program is to apply the established CERT model to the college and university environment. Every campus community is a virtual "city within a city," with many of the same challenges to public health and safety faced by any other community, but also some unique or special risks and vulnerabilities.
Whether located in rural, urban or metropolitan areas, colleges and universities have large, diverse and multicultural populations of faculty, staff, and students on campus in residence halls and classrooms during the school year.
Research shows that colleges and universities across the country have experienced critical incidents, emergencies and disasters from a variety of man-made and natural hazards in recent decades. The list includes major fires, hurricanes, floods, hazardous materials incidents, civil disturbances, and domestic terrorist attacks against campus research facilities by environmental or animal rights extremist groups.
|
|
Expert Talks About Virginia Tech Shootings Exclusive interview with expert Jane M. Hollis.
Desastres.org talked to an expert in Graphology and asked her to analyze the writing of Cho Seung-Hui and to give as any evidence of disturbed behavior. Also she commented about the feasibility of taking psychological tests to university applicants.
|
|
Business Continuity Planning at the University of Michigan
The University of Michigan has posted a public offering of how they approached business continuity planning at their university to face the Y2K planning initiative.
Although 7 years old, their website provides valuable information for those colleges and universities looking for examples on how to get started.
| |
The International Consortium for Organizational Resilience (ICOR) was founded to respond to the growing market need for a single avenue of access to the many offerings of education and credentialing expertise that is easily accessible and usable worldwide.
We are a not-for-profit education and credentialing organization that provides professional development, certification, thought-leadership, and the latest in research and industry trends.
ICOR provides the solution to organizational resilience - throughout the world.
|
|
Sincerely,
Lynnda Nelson, President
The International Consortium for Organizational Resilience
|
|
|
|
