Safety: A Message from the President

Donald L. Beggs

Wichita State University has had a crisis management plan in place since 1999. We have recently taken steps, in coordination with the Kansas Board of Regents, to revise and update WSU's plan to provide a comprehensive blueprint and foundation for our crisis management planning and preparedness efforts.

We have also taken deliberate steps to enhance and improve our ability to communicate with WSU faculty, staff, students and guests. Students and their parents have recently been advised of the following steps we have taken:

• Using our existing capabilities to provide information advisories through "e-mail blasts."
• Offering text messaging services to those who register their cellular phones.
• Installing a digital communication system in all university buildings.

Another important facet of WSU's crisis management plan is the ongoing development of this Web page devoted to emergency and crisis management. It is our belief that this page can serve as a vital and important resource for the WSU community before, during and after a crisis situation.

The safety and well-being of our campus community is crucially important. That's why WSU is engaged in a multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted effort to engage, plan, prepare and equip the university and its leadership team with the resources necessary to respond to a crisis, whether a natural disaster or man-made. Crisis preparedness is an ongoing responsibility and is of the highest priority for WSU. We will continue to plan, prepare and work with our constituencies on a continuing basis.

Your assistance and cooperation are important. I welcome your comments and suggestions on how to make this Web page more useful.

Donald L. Beggs
President,
Wichita State University