A new University of Central Florida study found that some U.S. colleges and universities might not be as well prepared for emergencies or disaster situations as school leaders would like.
Of more than 100 campus safety leaders surveyed, UCF Associate Professor Naim Kapucu found that only 13 percent of respondents – a mix of emergency management, public safety and police officials – said they were “very confident” that their campuses would be disaster resilient.
Campus security is an issue of primary concern for colleges and universities, especially since the tragic 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech and other high-profile incidents of campus violence across the nation.
Both the UCF Office of Emergency Management and UCF’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Management are involved with improving and researching emergency preparedness. UCF received a grant last year from the U.S. Department of Education to improve its disaster and emergency management plans.