Summary: | CHDS State/Local === Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === This research gathered information about the ways in which 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the U.S. are currently making decisions about which emergency preparedness activities to pursue and how those most familiar with emergency management at HEIs think that these decisions should be made. Using this information, in concert with principles from the field of decision analysis, a conceptual framework was developed to enable decision makers to evaluate proposed preparedness alternatives using a normative approach to decision making. A simplified version of the framework was then presented to demonstrate how a proposed preparedness activity could be evaluated using the model and how several proposed alternatives could be compared to one another. In addition to presenting an analytical framework for evaluating preparedness options, recommendations were offered for optimizing preparedness and preparedness decision making at HEIs. These recommendations centered on the organizational structure of an emergency management program, including roles and responsibilities; strategic planning efforts specific to emergency management; and innovative practices currently being utilized by the HEIs involved in this study.
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