For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson today participated in the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council meeting in Washington, D.C. to highlight the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to working with the academic community on a wide range of homeland security-related issues. The Council, comprised of prominent university presidents and academic leaders, advises DHS on issues including campus resilience, cybersecurity, homeland security academic programs, academic research and faculty exchange, student and recent graduate recruitment, and international students.
“The Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council has been invaluable to the Department and our efforts to engage with the academic community,” said Secretary Johnson. “Under my leadership as Secretary, I will do everything possible to ensure the Department remains committed to the work of the HSAAC and to building on its progress.”
Chaired by University of Missouri Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, HSAAC has delivered more than 100 recommendations to DHS, resulting in key accomplishments. This includes increased cybersecurity engagement with U.S. colleges and universities and the identification of 34 key DHS research priorities; increased transparency and engagement on international student issues; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program allowing greater public input into its policy-making process by publishing 14 draft international student policies for public comment since 2013.
The Council’s focus on building more resilient campus communities has improved current campus emergency planning efforts. Acting on a Council recommendation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and DHS Office of Academic Engagement will sponsor the Oct. 23 National Seminar and Tabletop Exercise for Institutions of Higher Education. The event will bring together 21 institutions of higher education in the six-state New England region to provide insight into common planning, preparedness, and resilience best practices and challenges of the academic community.
For more information on the Council and its work, visit http://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-academic-advisory-council-hsaac on www.dhs.gov.
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