Seven years after the events of 9/11, and more recently horrific incidents of violence on college and high school campuses elsewhere in the nation, the New Jersey higher education community continues to strengthen and expand safety and security at campuses throughout the state and is working collaboratively to better insure the safety of students, faculty and staff workers.
This effort to make campuses safer has involved the Governor, the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, the New Jersey Presidents’ Council and its Campus Safety and Security Committee, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the New Jersey Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force, the New Jersey College and University Public Safety Association, the New Jersey College Health and Environmental Safety Society, and, course, the colleges and universities themselves.
New Jersey campuses are safer today because of collaborative efforts such as the “Homeland Security Best Practices Guidelines for Higher Education Sector,” now in the hands of all colleges and universities in the state. These guidelines were developed through the efforts of the New Jersey Presidents’ Council and the Commission on Higher Education, and approved by Acting Governor Richard Codey in December 2005, who authorized that the guidelines be followed by all New Jersey colleges and universities.
Robert Altenkirch, president of New Jersey Institute of Technology, and chair of the Presidents’ Council Campus Safety and Security Committee, said that security remains a front burner issue for all presidents.
“We’re working hard to make our campuses safe,” he said. “We continually and aggressively review our campus procedures, evaluating the effectiveness of current policies and new technologies, while balancing these against privacy issues and our desire for open campus environments.”
Sister Rosemary Jeffries, president of Georgian Court University, and chair of the NJPC, said that the best practices guidelines are making campuses safer.
“New Jersey colleges and universities have made strong progress in making their campuses safer,” she said. “There is much to be proud of, but there is still much more to do and presidents are committed to the task.”
The best practices for campus safety and security incorporated and expanded best practices previously adopted by the New Jersey Domestic Security Task Force covering sectors such as research laboratories, healthcare, sports and entertainment, and commercial building.
More than 90 percent of New Jersey higher education institutions have completed self-assessments, covering 98 percent of the higher education student, faculty, and staff populations in the state. Going forward, semi-annual reports will be provided to the Governor and the Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force. The Commission on Higher Education will continue to work with the Presidents’ Council Campus Safety and Security Committee to encourage and facilitate implementation of the best practices as applicable to each college and university.