Identifying which active shooter training method, the students prefer to receive was the central focus of the research. Active shooter situations are on the rise and do occur on college and university campuses. Having a trained campus population, primarily a trained student body, can help save lives from such an active shooter event. However,…

Crime and the fear of crime are severe problems on college campuses. The perception of campus safety has changed, especially after several large-scale attacks have killed and injured numerous students, such as the Virginia Tech and Grambling University shootings. Improving the current perception of a safe campus is crucial for colleges. The…

When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, public safety departments at four-year institutions of higher education in the U.S. were vulnerable. This vulnerability was because of the limited time they had to initiate their pandemic response to help protect their campus communities, and the need to create or revise institutional emergency response…

Colleges are charged with providing safe and secure campus environments, which are conducive to learning for all students. It is the duty of the college leadership to ensure that their campuses are not only visually appealing, but also that they ensure the safety of all. Recent events have shown that efforts to protect our campuses and…

Sexual assault is a deeply rooted issue on American college campuses. The purpose of this study was to examine the systems that enable a culture of sexual assault and then enact an action step that strengthened the institutional strategies for preventing these incidents on campus. This qualitative action research study took place at a mid-sized…

Student success and campus safety are two key issues in higher education. Efforts to maximize both issues are the focus of campus administration. Behavioral Intervention Teams (BITs) are implemented as a dual mechanism to improve student success and campus safety. BITs increasingly are becoming best practice and an essential component in…

As the number of Black college students who have enrolled in federally designated Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) has risen, it has become necessary to examine how their sense of belonging has been fostered, particularly given the educational disparities and equity gaps in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Furthermore, the focus…

School crisis situations are increasingly prevalent, yet many educational leaders lack adequate preparation for crisis prevention and intervention upon assuming administrative roles. This gap poses severe implications for the well-being of school communities. To address this issue, a study was conducted within a university educational leadership…

This study aimed to examine LGBTQ+ students' perspectives on school safety using their own experiences and voices because most research relies on survey data that limits LGBTQ+ student voices. This qualitative study conducted a focus group interview with eight participants to better understand their perspectives on school safety. Through the…

An ultimate goal of American universities is to provide a safe and secure environment for all who attend and operate there, but what safety looks and feels like to the individual can vary to a great degree. There are many factors that campus safety departments consider when designing their campus safety policies and regulations. One way…

Trans community college students are facing increasingly hostile campus environments across the United States in the form of Transphobic language, gendered administrative forms and processes, and inaccessible restrooms (Lange et al., 2021; Rankin, 2003). Using an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) framework, the goal in this qualitative study was to engage…

This study examined faculty and staff perceptions and experiences regarding campus safety awareness, focusing on their engagement in emergency preparedness training. The aim was to assess the alignment of their perceptions, experiences, knowledge, and participation in campus safety training. It is crucial for faculty and staff to be well-informed…

Challenges in higher education continue to arise, providing administrators with insights into how prepared--or unprepared--their institutions may be for future crises. The purpose of the study is to examine how mid-level leadership, staff, and students perceived the disaster response to Hurricane Ida during the 2021-2022 academic year. Using the…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how campus police officers describe the ways they promote positive relationships with college students at selected universities in the southeastern region of the United States. The role ideal model served as the theoretical framework for the study. Two research questions were…

The research in this dissertation was conducted to measure the accessibility, presentation, and format of active shooter protocol for college faculty and staff at institutions of higher education in the state of New Jersey. The study further explores the need for availability of active shooter policy given the unfortunate growing problem of active…