Partnering Higher Education and

Transcription

1 Linking Boots and Books: Partnering Higher Education and Emergency Management Carol Lee Manousos Dr. Magdalena Denham

2 Session Objectives To place the field of Emergency Management in historical context To illustrate the position and the role of practitioners in the evolution of Emergency Management as an academic discipline To illustrate the position and role of academics in the evolution of Emergency Management as a maturing profession To highlight integration and synergies between practitioners and the academics To offer suggestions for a successful collaboration

3 Explanation of Terms EXPERTS Emergency Management includes many stakeholders. Among these are at least two types of experts: Practitioners Academics

4 Explanation of Terms (Cont.) PRACTITIONERS Directly responsible for implementing Emergency Management programs at all levels (Federal, State, Regional, Local, Tribal) across public and private sectors Emergency Management Coordinators/Directors Planners Trainers Exercise Specialists First Responders

5 Explanation of Terms (Cont.) ACADEMICS Focus on studying Emergency Management as a distinct discipline. Affiliated with Institutions of Higher Education National Labs Consulting Firms Specific Research Divisions in Government Think Tanks (e.g., RAND)

6 Definition of Terms (Cont.) Characteristics of an Academic Discipline (Falkow, 2013) Community of Persons Specialized Language or System of Symbols Expression of Human Imagination Projected Demand of Discipline Knowledge Syntactical Structure Mode of Inquiry Conceptual Structure Substance (origin of inquiry) Heritage of Literature Communications Network Valuable and Affective Stance (Intellectual Passions forged during the early studies of the discipline) Instructive Community Domain Tradition

7 Emergency Management in Historical Context Emergency Management (EM) has been traditionally practitioner centric In the past, you could graduate from high school and work you way up Now you are expected to have a degree or work towards it Academic EM programs in higher education have increased from 83 in 2006 to 400 in 2015 (institution self-reported) Emerging trend to select EM as a professional path Placement of EM programs in the academia displays inter-disciplinarity (based on structure, tradition, organizational culture and profile of the institution) FEMA National Education Training Center (NETC, 2014)

8 EM in Historical Context (Cont.) EM as a profession is in a state of development regarding shared set of standardized principles EM is emerging as an academic discipline Expanding programs witness growth in faculty A majority of faculty (especially at 4 year institutions) are not practitioners and only a minority combine practical experience with academic credentials - PRACADEMICS (Trainor & Subbio, 2014) they are more common in community college settings (i.e., terminal degrees not required)

9 Position and Role of Academics Building research-based knowledge that will professionalize the field NEEDS AND PRIORITIES Data Collection Publications Development of Models and Theories Underlying the Discipline and Validation of Such Models & Theories Longitudinal Studies Program Evaluations Development of Student Competencies Participation in Academic Discipline Conferences Comparative Studies at National and International Levels

10 Position and Role of Academics (Cont.) CHALLENGES Access to Data Access to Events and Population Upon Which Theories and Models Can be Tested and Validated (i.e., instrument/survey development) Access to Programs in Need of Evaluation Awareness of Student Competencies Needed in the Profession Access to and Understanding of Organization Cultures of the Field ~Cannot be accomplished without COLLABORATION with practitioners~ OR ELSE

11 Position and Role of Practitioners NEEDS AND PRIORITIES Action-oriented, Field-relevant and Consumable Research Definition of Industry Standards Access to experts (i.e., epidemiologists; psychologists; sociologists; policy analysts; agro-scientists) Human Capital Innovation Professional Development

12 Position and Role of Practitioners (Cont.) CHALLENGES Finding Diverse Human Capital Policy Creation Program Evaluation Finding Credible Research Familiarity with Research Gurus ~Cannot be accomplished without COLLABORATION with the academia~ OR ELSE

13 Impact Convergence of the Profession and the Academic Discipline of EM New eyes and talents Students choosing this discipline are passionate Graduates are better prepared Targeted research Additional resources

14 How Do We Do It? Engage (exercises, faculty, students, working groups) Start a conversation Advisory boards; career days; guest speakers; brown bags (e.g., Center for Disaster and Emergency Management, (CDEM, SHSU); editorial boards Promote each other (branding)

15 Both the practitioner and the academic are ultimately the two bookends to the same story. (Trainor, J. E., & Subbio, T. (2014). Critical issues in disaster science and management: A dialogue between researchers and practitioners.

16 References Falkow, M. D. (2013). Does Homeland Security constitute an emerging academic discipline? Master Thesis. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. Trainor, J. E., & Subbio, T. (2014). Critical issues in disaster science and management: A dialogue between researchers and practitioners. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Retrieved from FEMA National Education Training Center. (2014, January). Integrating Emergency Management into academic institutions. [Workshop].

17 Contact Information: Carol Lee Manousos Director of Emergency Management University of Houston Downtown Dr. Magdalena Denham Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice, Security Studies