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Higher Education Academician Caucus

IAEM-USA Higher Education Academician Caucus

Caucus Co-Chair
Dr. Stacy Willett
higheredacademician@iaem.com

Caucus Co-Chair
Open

Executive Secretary
Joshua Shanley

Publicist
Sara Ruch

Board Liaison
Drew Pearson, CEM, IAEM-USA Region 4 President
USARegion4President@iaem.com

Staff Liaison:

Chelsea Steadmen, chelsea@iaem.com

Liaisons

Government Affairs Committee Liaison: Suzy Spurgeon

Join the Caucus

IAEM-USA members interested in participating in this caucus should email the caucus staff liaison and tell them how you can contribute to or learn from this caucus's important work.

Group Policy

Policy Guidelines

Mission & Purpose Statement

To create a space for researchers and professors of emergency management to coordinate with FEMA’s Higher Education Program to share and contribute to the betterment of the profession of emergency management.  Initial tasks: 1) providing enhanced coordination between IAEM and FEMA’s Higher Education Program, 2) increasing networking opportunities for IAEM member researchers and professors, 3) conducting a campaign to increase new IAEM members who will join the Caucus, 4) enhancing IAEM’s efforts to professionalize emergency management through discussions on a Code of Ethics and other contemporary issues, 5)  providing a voice within IAEM for the researchers and professors that are teaching future emergency managers, and 6) provide advice to IAEM leadership on matters relating to higher education for emergency managers.

Learn about the history of this caucus.

Meeting Schedule

General Membership: General Membership meets via Teams online with a conference call option every second Thursday of the month from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET. 
Members OnlyMeeting Schedule

Membership Policy

To be an official member of the IAEM-USA HEA Caucus, as reported to the IAEM-USA Board, an individual must:

  • Be a member of IAEM in good standing.
  • Have attended at least one caucus meeting within the last year.

General Membership

All members of this caucus shall be designated as a higher education emergency management practitioner or academic or have a majority interest in higher education in emergency management.
A “higher education emergency management practitioner” or “academic” is defined as an individual who is working or volunteering in the higher education or academic arena and whose primary duties include the addressing the four phases of emergency management within that arena.
It is strongly encouraged, although not required, that caucus members possess CEM/AEM certification.

Associate Members

The designation of “Associate Member” may be granted to any current IAEM-USA member who serves in a tangential but related role to higher education emergency management. It is only a form of recognition. It does not reflect any special role, responsibility, position, status, or privilege with respect to the Caucus.

Partnerships

  • FEMA Emergency Management Institute:

Higher Education Program

Training

  • National Preparedness Directorate National Training and Education
    The National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) online Course Catalog describes courses provided or managed by FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), Emergency Management Institute (EMI), and National Training and Education Division (NTED).
  • Emergency Management Higher Education Program
    The Higher Education Program works to encourage and support the propagation of disaster and emergency management related information in colleges and universities throughout the nation.
  • Competencies for Emergency Management
    Competencies for Emergency Management were established by the U.S. FEMA Emergency Management Institute, including levels for foundations, specialized, executive managerial, and strategic leadership.

Events of Interest

IAEM Annual Conference Caucus Posters

Resources

  • Disaster Resilient Universities (DRU) Listserv is a peer-to-peer network intended for university and/or college emergency management professionals to share information and engage in discussions and dialogues related to the profession and emerging issues around campus emergency management. The DRU Listserv is hosted by the University of Oregon Emergency Management Program. Subscribe online here.
  • The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center provides resources from the U.S. Department of Education for schools, including higher education. Visit the REMS Technical Assistance Center here.

Standing OKR’s (Objectives & Key Results)

In addition to the annual goals and priorities established at the IAEM-USA Annual Conference, the Caucus will always address the following standing goals:

  • Goal #1: Assess the value of IAEM credentialing higher education programs.
  • Goal #2: Form a professionalization subgroup that meets monthly.
  • Goal #3: Work with the IAEM Board to provide the academic perspective on the EMI rebranding to the “Emergency Management College.”

New Initiatives

See OKR’s above for 2024.

IAEM Annual Conference Posters