The 2025 Campus Safety Conference (CSC 2025), held July 21-23 in Austin, Texas, brought together nearly 500 professionals in campus safety and security from across the globe. Hosted at the Hilton Austin, the conference proved to be a pivotal event for addressing critical school and university safety challenges and showcasing innovative solutions.
“Our team is incredibly proud and excited by the turnout and initial feedback from our event,” said Campus Safety Conference Show Director Dana McClay. “We brought together some amazing schools, colleges and districts for fantastic education and networking.”
CSC Educational Sessions and Workshops Covered Vital Topics and Trends
The conference offered a robust lineup of learning opportunities, addressing a wide variety of pressing issues.
“Protecting Schools, Securing Funds” presented by Marc Smithers and Sam Rawdon of Grants Office LLC focused on leveraging grant funding to bolster campus safety initiatives.
The opening day of the Campus Safety Conference included roundtable discussion groups where attendees talked about critical issues they are facing on campus.
Smithers told session attendees that “school safety and security grants aren’t going anywhere,” despite the current economic uncertainty. He advised schools and colleges to search for grant opportunities at Grants.gov, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
Smithers also recommended campuses look beyond federal programs for funding because states and foundations award billions of dollars annually. Some state funders he recommended include State Education Agencies, State Emergency Management Agencies, State Departments of Justice, and State Departments of Public Safety.
In “Meeting the Moment: Intentional Response When Global Conflict Hits Home,” Duncan Miller, head of security and facilities for the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital discussed how the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel impacted security planning at his school.
He talked about the technology pivots his campus made and the communications strategies that transformed panic into trust. For example, his team monitored protests, actions and groups engaging in concerning behavior to adjust or cancel field trips and routes.
On the final day of the conference, Jennifer Griffin, Chief of Police and Vice President for Public Safety, Temple University; Adam Reid, Director of Public Safety, Health, and Emergency Management, Montgomery College; and Brandon Ingram, Director of Security at Covenant Health were named this year’s Campus Safety Directors of the year. (For complete coverage of the awards ceremony, click here.)
CSC 2025 Scholars Program Participants
The ceremony was immediately followed by a panel discussion on developing buy-in for safety programs. Led by Campus Safety Editor-in-Chief Robin Hattersley, the panel featured Jennifer Hippie, Associate Professor, Indiana University School of Social Work; Kelli Lotito, Director of Safety, Regis Jesuit High School; and Mohammed Shehzad, Managing Director, Atriade.
All three panelists highlighted the importance of data when advocating for their initiatives.
“My leadership wants to see data,” said Lotito. “I have to show them how [my proposed solution] helps almost every minute of the day, versus, let’s just say, a piece of equipment on the wall.”
Hippie agreed, highlighting the need to include key decision makers in the process.
“Having as many people as possible at the table and then again presenting and going back to [the data], I think that the better that you can show how this is going to benefit everybody, most importantly, the students and the campus, the more successful you will be,” she said.
All three panelists endorsed a slow-but-steady approach to garnering support. They highlighted the importance of providing stakeholders with the information they need, being flexible and the value of persistence when attempting to overcome objections to safety and security initiatives.
“We have come into places where we were initially told no, and three months later, we came back and presented the same program with a different language, and it was adopted because it was understood,” said Shezhad.
Sponsor Showcase Focused on Trending Technologies and Solutions
In addition to CSC 2025’s many educational sessions was the sold-out sponsor showcase, featuring over 70 leading solutions providers and technology experts. Some of the most in-demand safety solutions were on display, including access control, AI, incident management, emergency notification, video surveillance and more.
The event also featured the CSC Scholars Program, a specialized initiative designed for qualified security directors, campus police chiefs, and administrators responsible for purchasing safety and security services or products.
This program provided an unparalleled experience with complimentary access to exclusive networking events, product showcases, private educational content, as well as the chance to take a private tour of the University of Texas at Austin football stadium.
Looking Ahead to Campus Safety Conference 2026
The conference concluded with a commitment to continued collaboration and innovation in school and university security, public safety, facilities management, and emergency management. Mark your calendars for the 2026 Campus Safety Conference, set to take place in National Harbor, Maryland, from July 13–15. More information can be found at CampusSafetyConference.com.
For those responsible for protecting campuses, events like the CSC serve as essential platforms to exchange critical insights, explore innovative technologies, and strengthen strategies that ensure safe learning environments.
