Our Global Community Security Institute, in partnership with the School of Criminal Justice and MSU Global Online Connection, grew out of the need to provide continuing educational opportunities for first responders after September 11, 2001. This unique program brings together our strengths in face-to-face training with online opportunities to enhance America’s homeland security.

Figuring out how to contain a chemical fire, evacuate employees, and decrease a terrorist threat, the nation’s first responders rush into harm’s way each and every day to save lives. The Global Community Security Institute (GCSI) at MSU helps to prepare police, fire, emergency, and corporate responders for the changing and evolving threats America faces. From biological agents such as smallpox and ricin to dirty bombs and natural disasters, GCSI brings experts together to protect our communities, families, and workplaces.

“What’s unique about this initiative is that it brings emergency planners, food safety experts, packaging engineers, crisis managers, water quality experts, hazmat teams, fire fighters, police, social workers, community leaders, educators, and corporate security managers together under one mandate,” said Ed McGarrell director of the School of Criminal Justice and executive co-director of the MSU Global Community Security Institute.

GCSI also helps meet both state and local needs. For example, GCSI facilitated a statewide videoconference to educate doctors, nurses, and emergency medical technicians about smallpox vaccinations in the State of Michigan.

“Working with the Michigan Department of Community Health and WKAR, we were able to combine our strengths in multimedia programming with health expertise, to deliver training modules to public health and medical professionals across the state,” said McGarrell. “We also used our expertise to transform school safety by working with teams from every county in the State of Michigan and applying our skills in emergency management.”

The Internet wraps around the training and conferences GCSI provides.

“Our conferences on fire fighter survival training and critical incident protocols are enhanced over the internet with chat groups and a database of experts,” said Christine Geith, director of product and business development, MSU Global Online Connection. “The internet is a great way to keep the group together and expand on the relationships formed.”

GCSI also works with communities to facilitate emergency planning and preparedness with leaders from both the public and private sectors.

“We’ve worked one-on-one with many communities such as Sterling Heights, Michigan; Redmond, Washington; Richmond, Virginia; Evansville, Indiana; and others to help the community as a whole work together to prepare better joint risk assessments,” said Phillip Schertzing, director of MSU Global Community Security Institute, and an adjunct professor in the School of Criminal Justice. “We take our knowledge where the rubber meets the road, literally.”

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University today announced the formation of the Global Community Security Institute (GCSI), an online education and training program that will prepare and certify security officials and public service professionals in Michigan, across the nation and around the globe to ensure higher levels of security and emergency management in their individual communities.

The new GCSI, a joint initiative of MSU’s School of Criminal Justice and MSU Global Online Connection, draws upon the strengths of MSU’s criminal justice program and other security and emergency management curricula in agriculture, food and water safety, hazardous materials management and more.

The GCSI will provide online competency-based education and training programs and customized support services leading to individual and community accreditation. It also will serve as a national clearinghouse of information resources, decision models and research data to meet the ongoing problem-solving needs of individuals and organizations responsible for community security.

Phillip Schertzing, former assistant director of the Office of Emergency Management and inspector for the Michigan State Police, has been appointed director of the GCSI. Schertzing brings to the GCSI years of public service and a keen understanding of community security and emergency management issues. He has been and will continue to be engaged in undergraduate and graduate education.

As GCSI director, Schertzing is responsible for all day-to-day activities, including developing relations with Michigan officials and federal agencies throughout the country, providing MSU’s perspective on national security issues and educating prospective clients about GCSI offerings.

“Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, government officials and individuals in the private sector have sharpened their focus on homeland security,” said MSU Provost Lou Anna K. Simon. “For many years, Michigan State has been a leader in developing programs in areas such as agriculture security, emergency planning and preparedness, food safety and food law, and water and watershed security.

“Dr. Schertzing and our highly skilled faculty in these and other relevant fields will work collaboratively to put the GCSI at the forefront of advancing state-of-the-art knowledge and applying it to address the critical needs of community and national security professionals worldwide,” Simon said. “The work of the GCSI will be part of the overall collaboration between MSU and the University of Michigan on biosecurity.”

To this content expertise, MSU will add the technology expertise of its award-winning online course developers, who will produce courses, specialized information resources and other customized support services for the virtual institute.

Among traditional universities, MSU is a leader in online education, with MSU Global Online Connection offering 15 online degree and certificate programs each year.

Plans call for the GCSI to open its virtual doors and begin offering courses in September upon establishment of its new Web-based learning, research and performance support environment.