James Birge, Campus Compact; Helen Speziale, Misericordia University, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Mike MacDowell, Misericordia University president discuss the importance of Ready Campus.

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Ready Campus is a partnership among Pennsylvania's colleges and universities and communities designed to strengthen preparation for and response to regional or national emergencies through the use of campus facilities, training campus volunteers and providing college students with service learning opportunities to prepare them to be crisis-ready civic leaders of the future.

Funding stems from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) via the federal government's Urban Area Security Initiative-Discretionary Grant Program.

Responding to a July 2003 survey by the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security, college and university presidents in the state expressed strong interest in having their institutions serve as a resource for communities during emergencies, and in having their staffs attend training meetings to develop and refine campus emergency response plans.

Ready Campus has been designed so that all sectors of Pennsylvania higher educationŠthe State System of Higher Education, the state-related universities, the independent colleges and universities, and the community colleges-are active participants.


www.readycampus.org