Richmond – Virginia’s Community Colleges are beginning a thorough review of emergency preparedness procedures. Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges, announced today that a statewide task force, consisting of officials from inside and outside the system, will conduct the review and report its findings to the Virginia Community College State Board at the board’s January 2008 meeting.

“The apparent randomness of the Virginia Tech tragedy is among its most troubling aspects,” said DuBois. “Through our 23 colleges, we serve more than 230,000 people. It is only prudent that we examine our emergency response capabilities and ensure that our campuses are as safe as they can be.”

Neil Matkin, vice chancellor & chief information officer of Virginia’s Community Colleges will lead the review panel.

The task force will review emergency preparedness, communication technologies, policies, and the current response plans for each of the 40 campus locations of Virginia's 23 community colleges. The current state of readiness will be reviewed in light of nationally recognized best practices as well as findings of Governor Tim Kaine’s Virginia Tech Review Panel. The task force will hold meetings with various stakeholder groups including students, faculty, staff, administration, and others.

Task Force Members

Chair

· Dr. Neil Matkin, Vice Chancellor & Chief Information Officer, Virginia Community College System

Co-Chairs

· Dr. David Sam, President, Germanna Community College

· Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy, President, Eastern Shore Community College

Committee Members*

· Ms. Jennifer Allman, Director of Student Services, Virginia Community College System

· Dr. Sam Hill, Provost, Northern Virginia Community College, Woodbridge Campus

· Mr. James Kalletta, Chief of Police, Northern Virginia Community College

· Dr. Chris Lee, Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources, Virginia Community College System

· Mr. Louis L. McGinty, Vice President, Community College Workforce Alliance

· Mr. Pete Parker, Vice President of Financial and Administrative Services, Paul D. Camp Community College

· Dr. Michael Summers, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, Tidewater Community College

· Ms. Catherine Szpindor, Vice President for Information Technology, Thomas Nelson Community College

· Ms. Mary Wayland, Dean, Academic Support Services, Blue Ridge Community College

· Ms. Marcia Webb, Director, Application Services, Information Technology Services, Virginia Community College System

Staff

· Ms. Sally Love, Executive Administrative Assistant, Information Technology Services, Virginia Community College System

* The Chancellor may add additional members as needed to ensure expertise in particular areas.

About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, the VCCS is comprised of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the commonwealth. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than a quarter-million credit students each year. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.