Lessons from the Virginia Tech Tragedy

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has published a new report, by Lawrence K. Pettit, that is a distillation of lessons-learned for campus leaders in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy. It is available on line here. It is organized under six headings:

• The Importance of University Linkages; The Need to Upgrade and Institutionalize Internal and External Communication; The Importance of Early Detection and Warnings; The Need to Respond Quickly to Incidents; The Need to Centralize and Control Media and Public Relations; and
• The Necessity of Well Operated Family and Victim Services.

It makes a good companion piece for SCUP's concise presidential guide about responding to disasters Lessons From the Front: The Presidential Role in Disaster Planning and Response (PDF) by current president-elect Sal Rinella of STRATUS.

Both pieces should find permanent homes in the briefcases of campus leaders.