Florida International University is the first institution to roll out a new statewide emergency management education initiative, though much of what the initiative calls for is already in place at FIU. Gov. Ron DeSantis first announced the Coalition for Operational Readiness in Education, or CORE, i n June. The initiative had its first official rollout at FIU Aug. 26. The initiative aims to connect higher education, workforce development and hands-on training to prepare students for careers in emergency management. Eleven Florida institutions have committed to participating in CORE, according to the Governor’s Office. FIU President Jeanette Nuñez said the university already has much of what CORE is intended to encourage at colleges and universities around the state. “CORE is sort of like the statewide coordinating hub, if you will, the initiative that brings together the academic partners because the degrees will be earned by the respective universities, right?” President Nuñez said. At FIU, the initiative builds on the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness within the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. Senior Director Robert M. Jorge leads the academy. Ms. Nuñez said FIU already offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in disaster management and has awarded more than 800 degrees to emergency management personnel, first responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters and others. “We’ve trained and we’ve provided over 800 degrees to emergency management personnel, first responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters, etc.,” she said. “And so, CORE is already kind of part of who we are. And so, this just brings that enhanced focus, and then now we’ll be sort of the repository for expertise along the state.” As other colleges and universities incorporate CORE into their programs, President Nuñez said they will be able to look to FIU’s existing programming as a model. FIU doesn’t expect to hire additional faculty, construct facilities or create new degree programs as a result of CORE and doesn’t anticipate additional costs at the outset, according to Ms. Nuñez. “I don’t think there’ll be any cost incurred because we’ve already been doing this,” she said. The university’s Bachelor of Arts in Disaster Management is offered exclusively online. Its Master of Arts in Disaster Management can be completed online or in person. Online master’s students complete their coursework remotely but are required to participate in an in-person field course that serves as their capstone. The in-person master’s program meets Saturdays and is designed to be completed in one year. The field course allows students to apply what they have learned through emergency management exercises. Ms. Nuñez said it brings together participants including the National Guard, law enforcement, first responders, emergency management personnel and firefighters. CORE is intended to reach beyond students specifically studying disaster management. The Governor’s Office said students in fields including finance and communications, as well as those in trade schools and military programs, could have specialized pathways into emergency management. President Nuñez said FIU’s approach already extends across disciplines including public health, communications, nursing and law, and she would like that reach to grow as CORE expands. “I think I’d like for some of our other students to be a little bit more open to thinking about: How does their particular major interface with the concept of emergency management?” she said. Ms. Nuñez, who served as Florida’s lieutenant governor for more than six years before becoming FIU president, said she was not involved in developing CORE specifically while in state government. “No, he and I didn’t discuss CORE specifically when I was lieutenant governor,” she said, referring to Gov. DeSantis. She said emergency management and ensuring Florida had a trained workforce were frequent subjects during her time in the administration. CORE was developed through a partnership among the Florida Division of Emergency Management, FloridaCommerce and the Florida Department of Education. The state says the initiative is to provide customized learning pathways, credentials, internships and apprenticeships and eventually reach colleges, universities, technical schools and trade schools across Florida. The post FIU set to enact state emergency management initiative appeared first on Miami Today. ...read more read less