Emergency response training: UAF's Homeland Security and Emergency Management program.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: OIL & GAS

The Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is directed by Cameron Carlson, who also directs the Center for the Study of Security, Hazards, Response, and Preparedness at UAF, both of which are part of the UAF School of Management.

Carlson says that the HSEM program can be beneficial at any point in a career, whether students are gaining education before starting a career, are looking for supplemental instruction and skills, or are looking for a way to advance within their field.

Technical Skills and Capabilities

The program combines the technical skills and capabilities necessary for one to work in the public safety sector with other corporate and business acumen. "Everybody that's going to move up into management type jobs, they're going to be managing human beings which requires some HR capability; they're going to be managing budgets and need some kind of background so they can take a look at a financial balance sheet and understand it. We also build that capacity so that they understand how technologies continue to move forward," Carlson says.

Sean McGee is an HSEM instructor and is the outreach coordinator for the program. He emphasizes that the program can be catered to any student's learning schedule or situation. The program currently has between 250 and 275 students, and approximately two thirds of them are long-distance students--many currently employed. McGee says the program is designed as a "blended learning environment."

While he conducts class in a traditional way, cameras are set up in the classroom to capture the instructor, students, and their interactions. "You could be in Newark, New Jersey, watching the live class from Fairbanks," McGee says.

The program also benefits nontraditional students. "For the student who happens to be on-shift at that particular time and can't be a part of the live class, I want to offer them the opportunity to watch the recording, and--in order for them to participate in a meaningful manner--afford them the opportunity to answer some questions that we covered as a result of our discussion in the room," he says.

HSEM offers both an undergraduate and graduate degrees, and students can earn either in-class, online, or through a combination of both.

Carlson says there are three categories of emergency response the program covers: manmade disasters, such as a terrorist event; natural disasters such as a hurricane or earthquake; and...