As of this fall, Endicott now offers a Security Studies minor, which covers issues related to homeland and national security at the undergraduate level. It also opens the door for additional graduate studies of this relevant topic that is rapidly gaining popularity in higher education.

Choosing from courses including Strategic Risk Management, Contemporary U.S. Security Studies, Terrorism Studies, Cyber Threats and Security, International Conflicts, and Human Rights, students study elements of international relations, U.S. foreign policy, U.S. national security policy, and national security strategy. They are also able to choose regional concentrations through elective courses including the History of Modern China, Middle East History, and Russia in the 20th Century, and can also include a foreign language study to strengthen their curriculum.

To kick off the start of this minor and also commemorate the approaching 10-year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Endicott is hosting an expert panel. “The State of Security: The Department of Homeland Security Ten Years After 9/11” will take place on September 14, 2011, at 7:30pm at the Endicott Auditorium in the Wax Academic Center. The event is free and open to the public, so please share this information with those that might be interested.

A distinguished panel of experts, including Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Deputy Administrator Richard Serino, former Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Juliette Kayyem and retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Assistant Director Barry Mawn, will discuss the evolution of homeland security policy and practice in the decade since the formation of the Department of Homeland Security in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The panel members will speak to the coordination and planning between the various agencies of the federal government and state and local partners on issues as varied as natural and manmade disasters, terrorism investigations, intelligence sharing, and pandemic flu.

Assisting Endicott in creating and managing the Security Studies program, among others related to criminal justice and security, is former Essex County District Attorney and Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and Security, Kevin Burke. Mr. Burke’s involvement in public safety includes supervision of state homeland security, developing legislation and legal policy for the state, management of agencies including State Police, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Department of Corrections, and National Guard, and service in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Mr. Burke will moderate the Sept. 14 panel and currently holds visiting professor status at Endicott.

For more information on this event or the Security Studies minor, contact Kevin Burke at 978-232-2380 or kburke [at] endicott [dot] edu.