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Return to Article: Homeland Security launches graduate academy

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  Will this improve morale? As ICE SA said, "What a waste of government money."

  American Taxpayer Posted June 19, 2007 10:57 AM
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  I just graduated from UCONN earning a master's degree in NPS Professional Studies in Homeland Security. I was one of the first to apply, accepted, graduate and paid for it, myself. Homeland Security was/is one of the most important and worthwhile graduate degrees to achieve.

  ICE SA would benefit greatly from an education starting by understanding the difference between 'waist' and 'waste'. Spell check can't save you from ignorance.

  Deborah Bramhall Posted June 13, 2007 11:22 AM
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  While it is great that there is a Masters program for Homeland Security, there needs to be Associates and Bachelors degree programs for Homeland Security as well, for those who either don't have the experience and a degree in a computer science or information systems management, or those with some experience and a degree in a different field. All levels of education should be pushing degrees and certificates for Homeland Security

  Kevin Posted June 13, 2007 9:21 AM
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  For years we emergency planners have been seeking specific, direct, and meaningful training in COOP. Why are emergency planners within the Federal Sector being overlooked? It is our responsibility to plan, train, and enable our administrators, managers, supervisors, and fellow employees in implementing the COOP directives and plans issued by the President, Whitehouse, DHS, and FEMA. Why are we not being provide access to this academy?

  Odis W. Kenton, Sr. Posted June 12, 2007 1:57 PM
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  What a waist of government money.

  ICE SA Posted June 12, 2007 11:17 AM
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  This academy is an excellent example of how the DHS is trying to educate leaders across the many disciplines and agencies who are stakeholders in protecting our country from devastation due to terrorist attacks or natural disasters. There are only two students in the new class from Washington DHS Headquarters. The rest come from all over the country and from different agencies. The military has had a vast array of US Government courses open to them for ages. I have participated in them. Being a relatively new agency, DHS has offered limited training and this is a really good effort to start developing a real body of knowledge for Homeland Security. The students are not political appointees, by the way.

  Amanda Sprenger Posted June 12, 2007 10:19 AM
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  For once I must say admit that I do not have much to say on an article, other than the fact that I continue to be amaze on the number of higher learning academies that seem to proliferate in the DC area while TRADOC struggles to provide decent training to our "high tech" warriors.

  I can not help but think that if congress spent a fraction of the monies it is allocating for these graduate academies for its political appointees (such as this and the academy for government workers) on technical and security training for the Army's first echelon supervisors, the NCOs, instead of cutting back perhaps we would be doing better in the sandbox where data files on cooperative locals can be found in chip memory sticks and can be bought in the open market places.

  Priorities, people, priorities!

  Tip off Posted June 12, 2007 9:41 AM
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  After reviewing the course descriptions on the NPS web site, I was disappointed to find almost no emphasis on the functions of homeland security agencies at the border (CBP, ICE, Coast Guard, TSA). The description of WMDs, for example, does not mention identification and detection of such devices. There is no mention of hazardous materials control. In short, the academy apparently thinks that it can prepare leaders without teaching them what it is the agencies actually do on the frontlines from day-to-day. Students may know what their own agencies do, but they need to know how that fits--in very practical ways--with what other agencies do, including those not under the "homeland security" umbrella. Theory alone won't protect the homeland or anything else.

  Ted Bean Posted June 12, 2007 9:29 AM
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  Once again, our employing federal agency, the Department of Homeland Security, creates an higher educational opportunity fit only for its Washington and Arlington, Virginia headquarters, or management officials. In contrast, since DHS was first created...not one agency head out of twenty four possible ones, cared bothering to create one higher education avenue for we officers serving on the front lines. This disparity, is especially true at the Transportation Security Administration. The one federal agency where the word "officer" doesn't mean a real law enforcement officer. Five years into the life of TSA, and not one succeeding agency head has implimented a mission and career progression policy inclusive of agency-supported university tuition re-imbursement to any degree. Even more tragic, is that none of our Online agency courses nor any of our work related training courses are Department of Education approved as creditible towards any type of Homeland Security, Anti-Terrorism or Law Enforcement degree at any U.S. university, college, or Online educational entity of the same vein.

  AJ Castilla Posted June 11, 2007 10:28 PM