UT Austin Turns Tragedy into Triumph Through Campus Safety

Actions taken by CS Higher Education Director of the Year James Johnson after two tragedies rocked UT Austin are nothing short of remarkable.
Published: November 4, 2019

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” 

The University of Texas at Austin took philosopher Edmund Burke’s above notion and ensured evil would not triumph by making monumental security changes after two students were killed on campus within 13 months. 

While these tragedies have forever changed the school’s perspective on campus safety, what UT leaders have done to ensure similar incidents do not happen again deserves recognition. 

One such leader is Campus Safety Director of the Year winner James Johnson, UT Austin’s assistant vice president for campus safety. Johnson touts a 30-year career in the U.S. military, law enforcement and private-sector security, which helped him develop an all-encompassing viewpoint on campus safety and security.

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Higher Education Director of the Year James Johnson

  • Name: James H. Johnson, Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety
  • Campus: University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is a 400-acre campus located in Austin, Texas. It enrolls approximately 51,000 students and employs 3,000 teaching faculty.
  • Department: Campus Safety is executed through three divisions: The Office of Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Health & Safety Office and Fire Prevention Services

Johnson began his career at UT in 2008 within the office of emergency preparedness. In 2013, he was chosen to serve as the director-fire marshal for the fire prevention services. Then, in December 2017, he was appointed as the interim associate vice president for campus safety and security before being promoted to assistant vice president in April 2018. 

Although Johnson’s long list of accolades are notable, his most praised accomplishments came in the weeks and months after a female student was killed by a transient as she returned to her on-campus residence in April 2016. 

Following the incident, an audit performed by the Texas Department of Public Safety identified several potential campus vulnerabilities and issues.  

Johnson and his team hit the ground running to address these concerns and implement the necessary recommended changes. 

Safety Hubs Amplify Dedication to Student Safety 

Johnson is credited with developing a comprehensive plan of action for all non-public safety staffing programming in the wake of the tragedy. He also identified and obtained $13 million in state and local funding to support the program guidelines and implemented 36 safety-related projects spanning the central and satellite Austin campuses. 

One such project included substantial improvements to all celebrated entrances. These entrances are designed to provide an identifiable sole entry point to buildings after hours, enhanced lighting, video capture technology and electronic building access control. 

Safety hubs” were installed within these entrances and include an emergency call box with direct connection to university law enforcement resources, building information to assist first responders in locating the entrance, a public access automated external defibrillator (AED) and bleed control kits. More than 80 safety hubs have been installed across the campus. 

“This seemed unachievable but with [Johnson’s] continued leadership and oversite, we were able to accomplish this project before the deadline,” says Jonathan Robb, director of UT’s office of emergency preparedness. 

The idea to include bystander intervention equipment in these hubs was born through collaboration between campus safety and the university’s Student Government Association (SGA) leadership team after a student went on a stabbing spree in May 2017, killing one student and injuring three others.  

Although campus police responded to the scene within two minutes and apprehended the assailant, students voiced concerns about not being able to assist the victims during the attack. 

Johnson and the SGA joined forces with the university’s Dell Medical School to establish a Stop the Bleed program and training for students, faculty and staff.  

In 2018, more than 3,000 campus constituents received the free training with a target goal of 10,000 receiving training over the next five years. 

Additionally, the inclusion of AEDs in all 83 safety hubs has provided the foundation for the university’s AED program, which currently consists of more than 200 AEDs both on the main campus and the Pickle Research campus, UT’s largest satellite campus located in northwest Austin.  

As more AEDs continue to be installed, UT’s office of emergency preparedness is creating an AED map for the community to reference and will increase training and awareness of these important life-saving devices.  

All-Hazards Approach Proves Effective During Water Crisis 

Following the two student homicides, Johnson evaluated feedback from campus constituents and discovered that a simple, comprehensive approach to all-hazard management was needed.  

In late 2017, he developed a system that enabled the university president’s core crisis management team to make timely decisions during a crisis. 

The new system supported the emergency operation center’s approach to information gathering and sharing, providing throughput to university leaders so that senior leadership could follow a comprehensive plan addressing vital decisions and actions. 

Extensive training began in early 2018, uniting the operational and executive leadership teams.  

This first-ever partnership between decisionmakers and operation support proved timely and effective when, on October 22, 2018, the City of Austin alerted Johnson that the city’s water supply had been impacted by severe weather and a citywide boil notice was in effect. 

“This boil notice and water ban would have significant impact to the university’s operations and ability to provide drinkable water to the campus community, which swells to 75,000 daily,” says Melissa Moore, Johnson’s executive assistant. “Of significance was providing water to 7,000 on-campus residents who did not have the capability of boiling their daily use amounts.” 

Following a quick evaluation and execution of the all-hazard action plan, Johnson briefed the university executive team on conditions and outcomes, garnered support for operationalizing the plan and secured 450,000 bottles of water for campus distribution. Multiple distribution centers were set up and staffed on both the main campus and the Pickle Research campus. 

“This was no small challenge at a time when every agency in the city was trying to acquire water,” says UT Austin Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Darrel Bazzell. 

Due to Johnson’s quick action, the newly created comprehensive communications plan was able to support campus actions while providing continuous updates for students, faculty and parents on information pertinent to the crisis. 

The successful execution of this plan was also supported by a recent upgrade of the emergency operations center (EOC). In his role, Johnson is responsible for the oversight and viability of the EOC. Based on best practices and technology, Johnson implemented a $375,000 upgrade of the EOC, gutting the existing facility and replacing outdated equipment. 

The newly designed facility provides equipment and space for an onsite comprehensive incident management approach. It is used for crisis management, in addition to planned events, such as Longhorn football games, which attract more than 100,000 spectators. 

While Johnson’s transformational achievements and crisis management skills make him stand out from the pack, he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. 

“Leadership does not occur in a vacuum. Leadership does not live alone at the top. Leadership drives initiative, collaboration and ingenuity,” adds Moore. “Johnson has always encouraged his team, whether departmental leaders or first line employees, to make a difference.” 

James Johnson’s Additional Accomplishments  

  • Partnered with the university’s incident meteorologist to enhance early warning and detection systems by incorporating real-time data collection of weather conditions on campus through the installation of an integrated weather monitoring system. 
  • Collaborated with AT&T First Net Responder Network resources and the City of Austin Wireless Communications Division to conduct a comprehensive test of the public safety band usability during a live event setting. 
  • Increased Title IX awareness four-fold over normal annual numbers by providing training to the campus safety department and encouraging the campus safety and security committee — made up of more than 50 various organization representatives on campus — to complete similar training. 
  • Partnered with UT’s health services to spearhead a media effort using campus mascots to increase awareness around flu shot clinics around campus. 
  • Sits on the Greater Austin Travis County Regional Radio System (GATRRS) governing board, serving in a leadership role in support of a comprehensive APCO P25 compliant radio system. 
  • Part of the search committee for the City of Austin Fire Chief. 
  • Emergency Preparedness Office recognized nationally as the recipient of the Everbridge “Critical Event Management Impact Award.” 

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