By Kevin C. Miller, Strohl Systems
For Ed Leachman, a visiting
assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Administration and Management at Arkansas Tech University (TECH),
it seemed a logical extension to their emergency management program – add
business continuity planning (BCP) to the mix.
Having been with the university
for a year, Leachman saw a need to expand their curriculum in 2005. Working with other faculty and staff, he
created two courses devoted to BCP, one at the undergraduate level and the
other for graduate students at the university, located in Russellville, Arkansas. TECH is one of a handful of institutions in
the country, which offer students a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Emergency Administration and Management in addition to a
Master of Science Degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security (see
sidebar for BCP class descriptions).
The school also has four additional courses that discuss BCP during a
semester.
The courses guide students
through the entire business continuity process beginning with project
initiation, risk assessment, business impact analysis (BIA), continuity
strategy selection and development of the business continuity plan.
“The demand was growing among our
students,” said Leachman. “We had a
business and industry course (that discussed BCP) and we were teaching
information from FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency). Many of our business advisors and sponsors
asked us to start using the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1600
(standard) as the basis for the course, so we developed this course dedicated
to business continuity planning. Our
industry advisors had been pushing us to have more and more business continuity
planning content.”
The university, a part of the
state of Arkansas’ higher education system, has access to business continuity
plan building software, LDRPS from Strohl Systems, through the state’s license.
Leachman realized it would be a great
opportunity for students to have access to the same tool.
“We use LDRPS in two ways,” he
said. “We have two donated copies in
which students can build plans. In
addition, we are a part of the statewide planning initiative. In the first two-thirds of the class they
learn about BCP concepts. Students build
business continuity plans in LDRPS for the final third of the class. They build fictitious plans for simulated
enterprises, but we are also a user of the state’s system and students build
operational plans for the university on the state system.”
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TECH Business Continuity
Class Descriptions
Business and Industry Crisis Management
(Undergraduate course)
The course covers the management processes involved in
preparing for and responding to crisis and disaster situations. It provides an analysis of the players
involved; coordination with governmental emergency management; legal
requirements; employee disaster awareness and preparedness; disaster mitigation
and response; business resumption considerations and public policy
considerations and community outreach.
Risk and Vulnerability Assessment for
Business and Industry
(Graduate course)
This course covers the hazards and threats that businesses
and industry face to their security, safety, and business continuity. The scope of threats and businesses studied
ranges from local to international.
Students will research methods business and industry use to assess their
risk and vulnerability and best practices disaster recovery and business
continuity plans. A student project will
include identifying threats faced by a specific business and developing a risk
and vulnerability assessment that addresses the business continuity needs of
the business.
-Courtesy of Arkansas Tech University
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Strohl Systems donated a copy of LDRPS to the university in
order for the students to take advantage of the practical business continuity
planning advice and methodology included in the product. LDRPS provides TECH with the opportunity to
educate future business continuity planners.
Leachman, who previously held the
position of Director of the Office of Electronic Services for the State of
Louisiana (another Strohl customer), was quite familiar with LDRPS and feels it
has added valuable insight to the students.
“The thing about LDRPS is it has a
real nice methodology for creating plans,” he said. “The structure makes sure the user has all of
the information necessary to build complete business continuity plans. It has excellent templates and provides a
foundation for these students. The
structure of LDRPS itself has a message in it for the students.”
So far, approximately 40 students
have taken the two courses, which are offered during alternating semesters,
according to Leachman. The university
has also set up an internship program with the Arkansas Continuity of Operations Program (ACOOP). ACOOP is an initiative of the Arkansas Office
of Information Technology (OIT) and aims to promote continuity of operations to
state agencies and assist them with their planning efforts.
“The program fits as piece of an
emergency management system,” said Leachman of TECH’s
classes. “I had some students last
semester build (actual) technology plans through the state’s license. They built technology plans for the emergency
operations center and the health and wellness center at the school. They came up with some innovative stuff.”
In fact, due to their
participation in the course and their use of LDRPS, Leachman said several
students have gotten jobs in BCP right out of school.
“People are talking with and
interviewing these students because they know BCP and LDRPS,” he said. “As a result of our academic emphasis on
continuity which has been facilitated by Strohl and the internships with OIT in
Little Rock we are making positive contributions to the business continuity
profession. Our student interest in the
field is growing rapidly.”
More information about the
TECH program can be found at http://commed.atu.edu/EAM/default.php
