2011 Higher Education Emergency Management Survey

Over the last year, colleges and universities have continued to be impacted by disasters and emergencies that required implementation of various emergency management tools. All over North America colleges and universities are implementing new emergency programs and positions or sustaining the programs they already have in place. The data on trends is sketchy at best. In order to develop data to compare previous surveys, a survey was conducted in early 2011 to gather information from institutions of higher education.Areas that were included in the surveys include general program information, emergency management staff, emergency plans, resources and university support and emergency notification.This article will look at the information that has been provided through this effort and the analysis of the data and the trends over the last few years. The survey has identified a number of areas where emergency management programs are not being addressed due to inadequate resources and other areas that are making significant advances.This information is not intended to be “Best Practices,” but simply a look at the current status of emergency management in higher education and present efforts that have been reported and future developments.