On October 15th, the College put out advertisements for a new Director of Safety and Security. According to President Patrick White, the position will work closely with the Wabash Safety Committee to “help organize our response to safety issues on campus, such as emergency preparedness, building security, overseeing the nightly patrols and lock-ups.” The position will replace the position of Director of Security, which has been vacant since Dick Webber retired last spring, and will be more comprehensive.
In the past, the safety of the campus has been divided into two branches – the Director of Security, who oversaw the nightly patrols and the lockdown of the buildings on campus, and the Safety Committee, who have been creating plans for possible emergencies.
“They don’t create specific plans for every scenario, of course,” White said. “What they do is create an infrastructure to guide us in the event that something along ‘these’ lines should happen. They also plan how the College can notify students and others, should something happen.”
The position is designed to consolidate these two branches of campus security into one person. The director’s duties would include advising the Safety Committee on the College’s Emergency Preparedness Plan and helping to develop the plan, managing the security staff, analyzing what we might do in the event of an emergency. White noted that the school would want the Director to “help take the planning and thinking to another level.”
The creation of the position has been inspired by a number of things, including the potential for natural disasters to occur, as when Kansas State University was hit by a devastating tornado this past summer, or the human emergency that occurred at Virginia Tech in 2007. White noted that According to Dean Julie Olsen, the College “contracted for a limited security audit over the summer. Coming from that audit was a recommendation to set up and Office of Safety and Security…” The audit also recommended that the Office oversee several different areas, all of which are named in the advertisement.
The ad requests someone with at least five years experience in emergency response activities, like “Fire and Rescue, Law Enforcement, or Emergency Management.” The ad lists the Director’s duties as “assessing, recommending, implementing, and managing any needed changes to campus security, shaping this office and its operations within the College’s student-centered culture.”
According to White, the College wants the Director of Safety and Security to fit in seamlessly with the “student-centered culture” of Wabash. When asked about promoting from within the existing school security service, White said that anyone is welcome to apply.
“That of course means people who are already Wabash employees,” White said. However, I don’t believe we have exactly the kind of experience we are looking for already on staff.”
According to Olsen, the College has been receiving applications from across the country as well as from local individuals. The school is accepting applications through the 28th of November, and wishes to fill the position by mid-February.
“Of course, we are willing to be flexible in the filling of the position, “ White said. “Should we find someone who can’t make it by the date we want, we’ll work to find someone to be an interim director. If we find someone who fits and can start work before the desired date, we’re definitely willing to start the job sooner than expected.”