Editorial Columns

Safety in Academe

Education is the business of colleges and universities, but for many administrators, security is becoming a preoccupation. You need not think long to recall a string of recent tragedies: the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, the flooding at the University of Iowa, the wildfires at Western colleges and universities, among others.

Institutions of higher education must provide for personal safety, prevent identity theft, control sometimes unruly crowds and protect high-profile visitors, especially those who might attract protests. Plus, there are new 21st-century threats --"cyber vandalism, terrorism, online espionage--"that require an increased level of vigilance by university personnel and the mobilization of resources to protect the university community.

The magnitude and multitude of potential catastrophes have made it necessary for colleges and universities to rethink security, which in some cases means building relationships with government officials responsible for national security.
This development might draw skeptical if not hostile reactions from many Americans, including university faculty, staff and students.

Some might be guided by Ronald Reagan’s quip: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’ ” Others recall the unfortunate history of inappropriate U.S. government surveillance of lawful activism. Americans tend to be wary of government in the first place, especially on college and university campuses.

The question, then, is to what extent should universities consider themselves partners of the government in protecting our nation at home and abroad. To what extent should universities work with governments to ensure security for our students, faculty and surrounding communities?

As president of Penn State University and chair of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, I have seen substantial progress during the last several years on a number of security issues that involve institutions of higher education.

Consider cyber security. In the time it takes you to read this article, there may be hundreds of thousands of attempts to break into my computer and others at Penn State. In any given month, as many as 350 million probes attempt to infiltrate Penn State’s information systems. A security breach could have catastrophic consequences.

University hospital computers contain confidential medical and financial records. Our admissions and student-aid office systems contain personal and financial information. We do some classified research. Faculty computers can contain a lifetime of intellectual property. It’s little wonder that higher education’s leading IT organization has ranked data security as the top technology issue for colleges and universities.

It’s also a top priority for the U.S. government. FBI Director Robert Mueller III, in a lecture at Penn State last year, spoke about the importance of battling cyberterrorism. Government agencies often turn to higher education for the research expertise to develop defenses against such threats.

One such effort is Penn State’s new security and risk analysis major, which was launched to help ensure society’s information safety, to combat cyberterrorism and to respond effectively to emergencies and disasters. In December, the first students enrolled in the program will receive their degrees.

Another point of intersection between higher education and national security is in disaster preparation. Each year, we spend more and more time at universities preparing for the worst that man or nature might throw our way. At Penn State, we have a Foodborne Illness Committee, an Avian Flu Committee, a committee that plans for emergencies at our huge football stadium and a group that plans for emergencies at the local airport, which is located on university land.

We also have an Emergency Management Group that prepares for scenarios such as a prolonged power outage in the dead of winter or a major international flu outbreak, which could require the university to feed and care for tens of thousands of students, faculty, staff and local residents.

At Penn State, we serve as the backup 911 center for our county and a backup site for state government in the event of an emergency. University officials must think about everything from how to convert the ice hockey rink into a quarantine site in a deadly flu outbreak to whether essential staff would leave their families to provide services in the event of an emergency.

Our history of collaboration stems from the research of our scholars and the funding that supports it, our role in educating generations of workers who go on to careers related to national security and the fact that universities are occasional targets of foreign governments wanting to exploit relationships, compromise information networks or access intellectual property.

When higher education and government agencies engage in mutually supportive discussions on these issues and others, the nation stands to gain and the security of our campuses is enhanced. This type of cooperation has led to changes in government policy and practice, greater understanding on the part of government officials of the values and traditions of higher education and the development of greater sensitivities about the domains in which we all operate.

This is only a starting point for making our university communities more secure, but it’s one that may help parents sleep a little better at night--and allow our students to focus on what they are here to do: learn.