Homeland security educationState lawmakers question Cuomo proposal for a homeland security college

Governor Andrew Cuomo last month earmarked $15 million in his state budget proposal for what he called “the nation’s first college dedicated solely to emergency preparedness and homeland security.” Cuomo announced plan during a presentation for Vice President Joe Biden in January, saying there would be “a need” for it. In his state of the state address, Cuomo said that Raymond Kelly, the former New York Police Department commissioner, would be a “special adviser” to the school (see “New York mulling first U.S. college dedicated to homeland security studies,” HSNW, 22 January 2014).

The governor’s office said later that Kelly would be an unpaid advisor to the proposed college.

Matt Wing, a spokesman for Cuomo, said New York has had nine federally declared disasters in three years and that it is a potential target for man-made threats.

“New York must have a world-class emergency response network, and the new college will help train aspiring professionals, policy leaders, emergency managers and first responders,” he said.

Wing added that Cuomo’s office briefed legislative staff about the college and said the administration is “in constant contact with legislative leaders on this issue.”

The announcement was welcomed in some quarters, but received with skepticism by others.

The Wall Street Journal reports that higher-education advocates say the governor has not offered enough information about it.

“We don’t know what the $15 million is there for,” said Assemblyman Albert Stirpe, a central New York Democrat who is a member of the higher-education committee. “Is it to build a building? To put a program together?” he said, adding: “I don’t know that we have to create a university” for security and preparedness.

Lawmakers are generally in support of investing more money in preparing the state for natural and man-made disasters, but some question whether a new college for homeland security is the answer.

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, a member of the Assembly’s higher-education committee, said she needs “to see some rationale for this — the sooner the better. Fifteen million dollars is not chump change.”

Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, the chairwoman of the Assembly’s higher-education committee, said that among her concerns is that there are already schools with related programs.

Glick noted that other New York-based schools offer homeland security-related programs, among them John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Long Island University, and Adelphi University.

Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal, chair of the Assembly’s Commission on Science and Technology, wrote a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver advising Silver to reject Cuomo’s plan. “I cannot support this initiative until I have a better understanding of the proposal, its long-term cost and impact on existing programs,” she wrote.

Rosenthal, echoing Glick’s concerns, noted in her letter that she was worried that the college would be competing with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a school in her district. “I am concerned about how this college will be integrated with existing related programs at campuses around the State,” she wrote.

“For example, John Jay College of Criminal Justice … in my district offers a range of courses in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security.”

The Journal notes that the proposed school also has its champions. Michael Chertoff, former DHS secretary, said demand for expertise in homeland security and emergency preparedness increased over the past decade.

“It isn’t something where you want someone who just takes a course and thinks they’re an emergency manager,” he said.

State Senator Greg Ball, chairman of the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee, said he “applauds” the proposal. He told the Journal that details will be fleshed out over time and he is hoping to see “an initial campus, and satellite campuses across the state.”

A spokesman for the state’s university system, SUNY, said Chancellor Nancy Zimpher supports Cuomo’s proposal.