ESTABLISHING AND SUSTAINING DEGREE PROGRAMS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT David M. Neal, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Political Science & Fire and Emergency Management Program

PURPOSE & BACKGROUND Trajectory –Where we have been –Where we are going First Higher Education Meeting 1998 –Topics addressed –Topics missed Topics for Discussion This Afternoon

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEGREE PROGRAMS Continued Professionalization –IAEMs Efforts –Support via FEMA Higher Education Project –Support through Public, Private & Volunteer Sectors Continued Disasters –More –Worse –Different Jobs Jobs Jobs!

POSSIBLE BARRIERS: Noted in 1998 Legitimacy –Internal –External Curriculum Textbooks –Help!!!!!!! Faculty –Trained Ph.D. Faculty Needed –Recruitment Difficult Administrative Location of Program –Varied Accreditation – One Solution –Could Arise under Certain Circumstances

STATUS TODAY Legitimacy –Degree Programs Increase –True Academic Body of Knowledge Curriculum –Still Defining – but solidifying –Life Cycle or Vulnerability Format Textbooks –Rapid Needed Expansion –Must Be Research Based This is college, after all –Future Needs

STATUS TODAY, con’t Faculty –Recruitment Issue Still Looms –Need for TRAINED Ph.D.s Administrative Location of Program –Undergraduate Scattered Impact on Recruitment? –Master’s (Public Health) Accreditation –Big Issue, But for Wrong Reasons?????

OTHER ISSUES Missed Last Time –Diversity Issues Gender Ethnicity –Development of Graduate Programs Growth in Master’s and Ph.D. Emerged Since 1998 –Terrorism –Catastrophic Events

NEW CENTURY Widening Needs –9/11 & Other Terrorism Issues –2000 Florida Election Results –Shuttle Response Use of Disaster Management to Coordinate –Katrina Catastrophic Events Waiting in the Wings –Pandemics Beware of Substantive !

NEW CENTURY, con’t Continue to Dog Us –Administrative Location Undergraduate Programs Graduate Programs –Accreditation –Curriculum Issues What do we teach? –Four Phases, or other? –Undergraduate –Master’s –Ph.D. Use of Scientific Literature

COMMENTS ON HIGHER ED Meeting Place Resources Exchange of Ideas Place of Support Note Teaching & Substantive Issues New – Conference with a Theme!!!!!! Some Ideas for Next Year –Undergraduate Issues –Graduate Issues –Faculty Recruitment Issues

SUMMARY Much Headway Continued Challenges Higher Education Conference –Where would we be without it?!