BOSTON- Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas today announced that Middlesex Community College will receive a $189,504 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The funding will allow Middlesex Community College to develop and implement emergency management plans for preventing and responding to campus violence and natural disasters in order to ensure the safety of the entire campus community.

"This funding will allow Middlesex Community College to properly prepare for any unanticipated emergency situations and ensure the safety of its staff, faculty and students," Senator Kerry said. "I commend the Department of Education for helping Middlesex Community College undertake this critical planning process."

“The safety of our college students is vital to any educational environment, and Senator Kennedy commends Middlesex Community College for its leadership on this critical issue. The grant will enable the college to be as fully prepared as possible for such sudden and potentially devastating emergencies,” said Melissa Wagoner, a spokesperson for Senator Kennedy.

"While we never expect emergencies and other potential crises to occur on our college campuses, we must ensure that schools have the resources and training to respond appropriately should such an event occur," said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. "I applaud President Cowan for working to ensure that Middlesex Community College is prepared to respond to any emergency situation, and I am pleased that the Department of Education is working as a federal partner in support of this goal."

MCC President Cowan said she was honored and excited that MCC was able to secure funding in this first-time program, as it will allow the college to quickly enact some critical training plans for its two campuses, in Lowell and Bedford. "Across the nation, we're seeing more and more trends within higher education to focus on internal systems and more effective ways of dealing with a crisis on our campuses," said Cowan. "This funding will allow Middlesex to implement critical training for a significant number of our management and administration personnel to help ensure a safer campus community for our students, faculty and staff."

Cowan said the training relies on the critical law enforcement partnerships that the college currently experiences, such as collaborations with the Lowell and Bedford Police Departments, the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC), the Massachusetts State Police and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. Middlesex currently has a two-tiered Emergency Management Team, consisting of 68 members of the college community, all of whom will be undergoing a series of trainings in incident command, active shooter on campus response systems, and emergency preparedness. Additionally, MCC will use the grant opportunity to refine its existing emergency management plans.

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