Increasing access and support for emergency management higher education programs

Authors

  • Carol L. Cwiak, JD, PhD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2014.0201

Keywords:

emergency management higher education, academic challenges, FEMA Higher Education Program, partnerships

Abstract

The number of emergency management higher education programs has grown dramatically since 1994 when the FEMA Higher Education Program was created to propagate and support such growth. Data collected annually since 2007 from emergency management higher education programs shows that these programs face some consistent challenges. These challenges were coupled with annual data on program access and support indicators via dimensional analysis to answer the questions: To what extent are the challenges linked to a lack of access or support? If there is linkage, what can be gleaned from these linkages that can help address the challenges through improving access and support? The analysis showed that lack of access to funding and resources, and lack of support from partner organizations, has an impact on emergency management higher education. Discussion of that impact is followed with detailed recommendations that are focused on strengthening both internal and external access and support relationships for emergency management higher education programs.

Author Biography

Carol L. Cwiak, JD, PhD

Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota

References

Cwiak CL: The pivotal role of FEMA's higher education program in the emergency management professionalization process. PERIScope. June 2011. Available at http://www.riskinstitute.org/peri/component/option,com_deeppockets/task,catContShow/cat,90/id,1140/Itemid,84/. Accessed February 14, 2014.

Blanchard BW: FEMA emergency management higher education program description: Background, mission, current status, and future planning. FEMA Higher Education Program 2008. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2008.

Cwiak CL: The face of emergency management education: 2007 FEMA emergency management higher education report. FEMA Higher Education Program 2007. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2007.

Cwiak CL: Emergency management higher education: A status report; 2008 FEMA emergency management higher education report. FEMA Higher Education Program 2008. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2008.

Cwiak, CL: Emergency management higher education: A snapshot of the community; 2009 FEMA emergency management higher education report. FEMA Higher Education Program 2009. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2009.

Cwiak CL: Emergency management higher education: A status report; 2010 FEMA emergency management higher education report. FEMA Higher Education Program 2010. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2010.

Cwiak CL: Emergency management higher education: A status report; 2011 FEMA emergency management higher education report. FEMA Higher Education Program 2011. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2011.

Cwiak CL: Shaping the future: A status report on emergency management higher education; 2012 FEMA higher education report. FEMA Higher Education Program 2012. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2012.

Fischer HW: FEMA higher education project survey. FEMA Higher Education Program 2004. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2004.

Phillips BD: Disasters by discipline: Necessary dialogue for emergency management education. Paper presented at the Creating Educational Opportunities for the Hazards Manager of the 21st Century Workshop. Denver, CO, 2003. Available at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/highpapers.asp. Accessed February 14, 2014.

Neal DM: Developing degree programs in disaster management: Some reflections and observations. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2000; 18(3): 417-437.

Darlington JD: The profession of emergency management: Educational opportunities and gaps. Available at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/highpapers.asp. Accessed February 14, 2014.

Blanchard BW, Canton LG, Cwiak CL, et al.: Principles of emergency management. FEMA Higher Education Program 2007. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency. Available at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/emprinciples.asp. Accessed February 14, 2014.

Cwiak CL: Framing the future: What should emergency management graduates know? J Homeland Security Emerg Manage. 2011; 8(2): Article 14.

Jensen JA: The argument for a disciplinary approach to emergency management higher education. 2010. Available at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/highpapers.asp. Accessed February 14, 2014.

Jensen JA, Bissell R, Carter S, et al.: Report of the 2013 disciplinary purview focus group: Scholarship and research to ground the emerging discipline of emergency management. FEMA Higher Education Program 2013. Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency. Available at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/emTheoryResearch.asp. Accessed February 14, 2014.

FEMA Higher Education Program. Available at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/. Accessed February 14, 2014.

International Association of Emergency Managers. Available at http://www.iaem.com/home.cfm. Accessed February 14, 2014.

National Emergency Management Association. Available at http://www.nemaweb.org/. Accessed February 14, 2014.

Emergency Management Professional Organization for Women's Enrichment: Available at http://www.empower-women.com/. Accessed February 14, 2014.

Published

09/01/2014

How to Cite

Cwiak, JD, PhD, C. L. “Increasing Access and Support for Emergency Management Higher Education Programs”. Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 12, no. 5, Sept. 2014, pp. 367-7, doi:10.5055/jem.2014.0201.