/news-archive/tag/department-of-homeland-security/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Fri, 08 Feb 2019 21:20:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/02/08/sports-event-risk-training/ Fri, 08 Feb 2019 21:20:07 +0000 /news/?p=73372 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Emergency Management office host sports event risk management training Feb. 12-13]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Police Department, in partnership with the City of Little Rock Office of Emergency Management, will host the Sports Event Risk Management workshop Feb. 12-13.聽 The training is free to participants and will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, and Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the Little Rock Fire Department Training Facility on 7000 Murray St., Little Rock. The course is geared toward owners and operators of large arenas and venues, event management and operations staff, athletic departments, public safety agencies, and local government representatives, as well as community response, risk management, and emergency management personnel. Taught through the University of Southern Mississippi National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security, the course is designed to build sport and special event risk management capabilities for community-wide collaboration. Through activity-based training modules, safety and security teams will learn planning, risk assessment, training, and continuous improvement practices. Participants will return to their respective sport venues with the skills needed to coordinate the development or enhancement of a sport event security management system and can earn 1.6 continuing education unit credits. The course is funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Participants can, but must create a free account to sign up. ]]> /news-archive/2018/04/23/rhode-distinguished-alumni-mass-communication/ Mon, 23 Apr 2018 16:50:50 +0000 /news/?p=70253 ... Rhode receives Distinguished Alumni Award from School of Mass Communication]]> Patrick Rhode, U.S. vice president of corporate affairs for the global infrastructure firm, Cintra, returned to his alma mater with the idea of sharing lessons learned from his career, which spans the White House and high profile senior executive roles in government and private industry.聽 He returned home to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on April 12 to serve as the keynote speaker of the School of Mass Communication Awards Ceremony, but was surprised with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Mass Communication. Arkansas state officials also recognized Rhode with a Certificate of Recognition from Gov. Asa Hutchinson and a Capitol Citation from Secretary of State Mark Martin. His notable career has included positions as special assistant to President George W. Bush, chief of staff for two FEMA administrations within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, associate administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and senior advisor to NASA. During his visit to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, members of Dr. Iveta Imre鈥檚 Multimedia Reporting Class Nick Popowitch and Kamroon Woods interviewed Rhode for a feature that will appear on LR Angle. Rhode also spoke with students in Dr. Sonny Rhodes鈥� Careers in Mass Media class and did an interview with K糖心Vlog传媒R. Rhode credits 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock as the place where he learned to take chances that led to unexpected opportunities. 鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock is very special to me, because it is the place I really learned to get out of my comfort zone,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y story is not a very conventional one. I did not have it all figured out, far from it. I think it is okay not to know exactly what you want to do.鈥� Early in his career, Rhode moved to Austin, Texas, to be with his fianc茅. Since he was unable to immediately find a position in broadcast journalism, he became a spokesman for a state agency and soon met someone who would be instrumental in his career. 鈥淲ithin weeks of my new job, public confidence in that agency would be tested,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would be introduced to members of the staff of a young Governor Bush. This is the time where I met people that I never expected to meet. This taught me to do the best in any situation that comes before you because you never know who may be there and who may be helpful to you in the future.鈥� Despite initial personal thoughts that he was too young and inexperienced to take the job, Rhode served as deputy director of National Advance Operations for Bush鈥檚 successful presidential campaign in 2000, which led to several high-profile government positions. 鈥淒on鈥檛 limit yourself by how you see your capabilities, because there are people around you who may see more for you than you see for yourself,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the lesson I learned when I was asked to help run operations for President Bush鈥檚 campaign.鈥� On Sept. 11, 2001, Rhode鈥檚 life took on another drastic change. When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, Rhode was named chief of staff for two FEMA administrations within the department responsible for more than 100 Presidential Disaster and Emergency Declarations over his years. The department assisted more than 1 million Americans during his tenure. 鈥淲e looked out the window and saw smoke coming from the direction of the Pentagon,鈥� Rhode said. 鈥淭here is no question that moment changed my life. The country was forever changed that day. The lesson for me is that planning is important, but life doesn鈥檛 care about our perfect plans. Life will change in ways we have never expected.鈥� When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Rhode learned that, sometimes, doing your job is all you can do in an impossible situation. 鈥淭he early pictures of disaster victims in New Orleans seemingly forgotten by their country were all around. As chief of staff, part of my role is to encourage everyone to do their jobs and not let the outside pressure get to us. The criticism and struggle made much of the early headlines, but that was not the whole story,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he often untold story is what happened next when the country came together, resulting in the emergency evacuation of tens of thousands of people to safety in several states, something the likes of which had not been attempted much less accomplished at that time in the modern history of the country.鈥� Throughout Rhode鈥檚 career, completing his bachelor鈥檚 degree in mass communication from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is a goal he never forgot. He left 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 1993, just three credit hours short of graduation, to pursue a career as a television reporter for the CBS affiliate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. With the help of mass communication faculty, Rhode proudly completed his degree in 2016. 聽 鈥淚 realized that so many of my stories were about 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen she asked about my education, I had to explain to my daughter that I left college three credit hours short of a college degree. I was inspired to come back, and the university welcomed me back with open arms. The lesson I learned is to remember what is important and that you are never too old to come back.鈥� ]]> /news-archive/2017/09/13/nitin-agarwal-dhs-consortium/ Wed, 13 Sep 2017 18:55:34 +0000 /news/?p=67818 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock joins new Department of Homeland Security-funded consortium]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been named a priority partner in a new Department of Homeland Security-funded national consortium.聽 The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate will award the consortium a $3.85 million grant for its first operating year in a 10-year grant period to create the Center of Excellence for (CINA). Led by George Mason University, the center鈥檚 research will focus on criminal network analysis, dynamic patterns of criminal activity, forensics, and criminal investigative processes. Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and information science professor, will lead 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 research projects with the consortium. His research group, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), will be an integral part of the research. 鈥淐INA researchers and educators will develop and actively enable the deployment of a powerful suite of innovative methods, technologies, tools, and knowledge products,” Agarwal said. “These methods will make homeland security practitioners more effective and efficient in predicting, thwarting, and prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and other homeland-security-related criminals while informing, shaping, and reinventing the future of law enforcement investigations.” As part of the consortium, Agarwal鈥檚 team will contribute to research areas designated as priorities by the Department of Homeland Security and provide training opportunities for students, researchers, and those working in cyber defense. Agarwal鈥檚 research on deviant cyber flash mobs (CFM) is one such research priority for CINA. CFMs are groups of individuals who get together in public or cyberspace, perform an unpredicted act, and quickly disperse into anonymity. Though the activities of these groups can range from dance performances to peaceful protests, numerous groups promote violent, extremist, or otherwise negatively disruptive behavior. 鈥淐yber flash mobs are recently becoming a widespread phenomenon that are not only of interest from a scientific standpoint, but also a concern for public safety and national security, as they may not always be amusing or docile in nature,鈥� Agarwal said. 鈥淢ore recently, an increasing number of deviant CFMs are found responsible for thefts and robberies. Such deviant cyber flash mobs are categorized as the new face of transnational crime organizations that could pose significant risks to social, political, and economic stability.鈥� Agarwal鈥檚 research transition efforts will support the consortium鈥檚 vision to develop tools that can be used to combat threats. In the past, Agarwal鈥檚 research on the blogosphere was transitioned into programs that help NATO public affairs officers and Department of Defense analysts access the information operations space and examine cyber warfare strategies and tactics in blogs and social media platforms. 鈥淚mproved capabilities for law enforcement professionals demonstrate the significant impact of the social media research of Dr. Agarwal and his students,鈥� said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. 鈥淲e appreciate his work and all he does for our world, our community, and our college.鈥� The consortium will be made up of academic, industry, government, and laboratory partners throughout the country who will work closely with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement organizations to establish a long-term productive relationship. CINA will work with DHS components and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to develop strategies and solutions for on-the-ground use by agents and officers to predict, thwart, and prosecute crimes. CINA will also contribute to the education and development of both university students and professionals working in the realms of prevention, prediction, investigation, and prosecution. 鈥淏y partnering with George Mason University and other institutions, our agents will be able to work with cutting-edge tools and research that will shape how we combat the growing threat of transnational crime,鈥� Derek N. Benner, acting executive associate director for Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a press release. The Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence were established by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to be a 鈥渃oordinated, university-based system to enhance the Nation鈥檚 homeland security.鈥� They are a well-integrated network of researchers and educators focused on specific high-priority Department of Homeland Security challenges. ]]>