Emergency Management Policy

Effective:ÌýMarch 29, 2026

Approved by: Justin Schwartz, ChancellorÌý

Policy Owner: Vice Chancellor for Public SafetyÌý

Policy Contact: Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Safety OperationsÌý

Applies to: Staff, faculty, studentsÌý

I. Introduction

The Emergency Management Policy provides guidance to the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ (ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ) for the mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities activated in response to or in preparation for an emergency.Ìý

II. Definitions

Emergency: Conditions which harm or threaten to harm the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ community, as determined by the chancellor or designee, including, but not limited to, a significant concern or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ community.ÌýÌý

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): A physical or virtual location from which ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ officials and other experts, as necessary, coordinate the exchange of information and resources for the mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities for an emergency or planned event. The ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ EOC is managed by the Division of Public Safety and may be staffed by the Incident Management Team (IMT), other public safety personnel, and/or the Executive Management Policy-level Group.Ìý

Emergency Operations Plan (EOP): An all-hazards plan that outlines ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ’s comprehensive approach to responding to emergencies that impact or have the potential to impact ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ. The EOP is to be reviewed and updated every three years by the Division of Public Safety and approved by the chancellor. The EOP:Ìý

  1. Assigns roles and responsibilities of ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ entities during emergencies;Ìý

  2. Describes lines of authority and organizational relationships;Ìý

  3. Dictates how all actions will be coordinated;Ìý

  4. Details the purpose and scope of emergency management planning and processes;Ìý

  5. Outlines Clery Act responsibilities; andÌý

  6. Includes hazard- and function-specific supplements.Ìý

Policy-level decisions: Decisions that are solely within the purview of the chancellor (e.g., campus closure or the resolution of conflicting or ambiguous policies implicated by the emergency).Ìý

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III. Policy Statement

In an emergency, the EOP will be activated to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ community and the protection of ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ’s operations, facilities, resources and reputation.ÌýÌý

In response to or in anticipation of an emergency or planned event, EOC personnel may convene to coordinate and support incident preparedness and response, initiate communication protocols, and propose recommendations to the Executive Management Policy-level Group (EMPG), as necessary.ÌýÌý

The chancellor and EMPG chair have the full discretion to convene the EMPG, which will request or propose recommendations for policy-level decisions to the chancellor. If the EMPG cannot convene in a timely manner relative to an emergency, the chancellor will make policy-level decisions based on their best judgement.ÌýÌý

  1. Devolution of AuthorityÌý

    1. If the chancellor is not available or unable to make a policy-level decision, devolution of authority will proceed as follows:Ìý

      1. ChancellorÌý

      2. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic AffairsÌý

      3. Senior Vice Chancellor for OperationsÌý

      4. Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic InitiativesÌý

IV. Roles and ResponsibilitiesÌý

Chancellor: As the chief executive officer, the chancellor is responsible for the academic mission and fiscal and administrative affairs of ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ. This responsibility includes oversight of the health, safety and welfare of the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ community and protection of ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ operations, facilities, resources and reputation. The chancellor makes all policy-level decisions regarding emergency management.Ìý

Executive Management Policy-level Group: EMPG members are responsible for understanding and conveying the scope of the impact of any emergency on their units and areas of responsibility to the chancellor for the chancellor to make informed decisions. EMPG members are responsible for providing directions to their units and areas of responsibility and supporting the emergency management operations outlined in the EOP. The members of this group include senior campus leaders, who serve as an advisory board for the chancellor in the event of an emergency. With input and direction from the senior vice chancellor for operations and the executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, the EMPG chair proposes the membership of this group for the chancellor’s review and approval.ÌýÌý

EMPG Chair: The vice chancellor for public safety (or designee) serves as the EMPG chair. The EMPG chair and the chancellor are responsible for convening the EMPG and providing them with situational awareness of an emergency. The EMPG chair drafts and implements best practices regarding emergency management through procedures and periodic training to ensure that ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ is prepared for an emergency. The EMPG chair will work closely with the Incident Management Team (IMT) staffing the Emergency Operations Center to monitor any major campus emergency.Ìý

Incident Management Team: Members of IMT serve as subject matter experts on campus emergency management issues. The members of this group are from organizations directly involved in managing campus incidents and communicating to the campus community when the Emergency Operations Center is activated. The IMT is focused primarily on supporting emergency incident response but may also be convened to discuss plans and readiness, emergent issues and emergency management strategies; conduct trainings and exercises; and provide recommendations for the EMPG’s consideration.Ìý

V. Related Policies, Forms, Guidelines and Other ResourcesÌý

  1. Ìý

  2. Clery Act Compliance Policy

  3. Annual Security and Fire Safety ReportÌý

  4. Ìý

  5. ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)Ìý

  6. Ìý

  8. Ìý

  10. Ìý

  11. Ìý

  12. Ìý

  13. Ìý

  14. Ìý

VI. History

  1. Adopted: April 2, 2000Ìý

  2. Revised: March 29, 2026, November 16, 2016Ìý

  3. Last Reviewed:ÌýMarch 29, 2026Ìý