New Jersey’s Higher Education Peer Review Program
Institutions of higher education in New Jersey are required to participate in a peer review program. The process, which is the only one of its kind in the nation, gives colleges and universities a way to review the laws that impact them and assess how or if they are meeting the requirements of those laws. It also provides them a baseline for campus safety and security.
The program involves three steps.
- The first involves the completion of an annual 140-question self-assessment survey. Information is entered into a secure Web server that is used for analysis and sharing of information.
- The second stage includes an onsite visit of each institution to validate proper completion of the survey as well as to verify the existence of required documents and emergency plans. The onsite visit is conducted once every five years by trained peer reviewers.
- The final step is completed at the end of the annual cycle when all responses are collated and reviewed. The review is designed to identify security gaps. The concerns are then addressed via training.
Click here to review the scope of the program.
Click here to view the self-assessment tool. It should be noted that the following three questions will be added to the self-assessment as of July 1:
- Is your institution aware of its responsibilities under Federal Title IX with regard to sexual violence?
- Has your emergency operations plan been coordinated with authorities as required by Law P.L. 2011, Chapter 214?
- Does the institution have a cyber-security plan or framework in the emergency operations plan that promotes the capability to perform essential functions during an emergency that disrupts normal operations?
Click here to view the Peer Reviewer Report.
Related Articles:
- Getting a Little Help From Your Friends
- Timely Warning vs. Emergency Notification: What’s the Big Difference?
- Clery Reporting: Whose Job Is It Anyway?
- Florida State Aims for ‘Easy Button’ Solution to Mass Notification
- Emergency Managers Can Be Invaluable Resources
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
