Newspaper: The Sunday Times
Date: July 25, 2005

Ready Campus Heralds an Era Of Service

The recent dedication of the World War II Memorial reminded today's college students that their grandparents lived through the Depression, fought the greatest war, led one of the most robust economic expansions and improved dramatically the American quality of life. Few generations can match their accomplishments.

The Greatest Generation enjoyed a universal sense of mission. Winning a war against tyranny and hatred, and fighting to regain national economic stability created a kindred spirit and common goals.

Today's college students long to serve others in a way that emulates this sense of service to community and country. especially since Sept. 11.

Such an opportunity is right in front of us.

Recently College Misericordia, the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Pennsylvania Campus Compact announced an effort to help communities in times of regional or national disasters.

"Ready Campus" is based on the role that College Misericordia played 32 years ago during the Agnes Flood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the path of the rampaging Susquehanna River and lived at the college for up to two months. Residence halls were pressed into action. Dining halls became the community's mess hall. The college's main dormitory became a hospital where 52 babies were born the summer of 1972.

Other colleges close to hurricane or tornado-prone areas have played similar roles.

Many campuses today have disaster plans and many can assist their communities communities in times of crisis. Ready Campus will give all colleges and universities pause to review those plans, address how they can effectively serve their neighbors during an emergency and educate tomorrow's leaders to be mindful of disaster preparedness.

The program will seek to enlist the use of campus housing, medical facilities, food services, communication centers and counseling services during a crisis. It will provide training for volunteer faculty and staff in nursing, chemistry, psychology, communications, information technology and other fields. Finally, it will inculcate service to community into college courses so that the next generation of volunteers will be ready to help when needed.

Service learning - the idea of experiencing service as part of a college class - will be an important part of Ready Campus. Students in dozens of fields will be the most effective part of Ready Campus, because they will become the leaders of tomorrow, readying their own communities to help others in times of need.

Pennsylvania will be the nation's test site for Ready Campus. This coming academic year, more than 400 campus leaders, most of them not from security departments, will be trained at workshops around the state. They, in turn, will work with their local emergency agencies to train others in the Ready Campus concept.

Three years ago the Ready Campus program may not have worked. The sense of urgency and the willingness to rally and plan how to serve during times of need didn't exist the way it does today. Sept. 11 changed all of that.

At no time since Pearl Harbor have Americans felt more vulnerable than we do today. The call to service repeated by our parents and grandparents - that Greatest Generation - now has more meaning than it has had in half a century. Ready Campus is one way in which Pennsylvania's, and ultimately the nation's, colleges and universities can serve their communities and inspire the next generations to do so.

DR. MICHAEL MacDOWELL is president of College Misericordia. Dallas.