The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Academic Engagement (OAE) supports the DHS mission by building, improving and leveraging relationships with the academic community.
 
Through this ongoing series, read how OAE actively engages with the academic community in the United States and leads initiatives related to international students, among other key focus areas. 

In the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council’s (HSAAC) third year, it welcomed six new members and played a critical role in strengthening DHS’s engagement with the academic community.

Comprised of college and university presidents, association leaders and interagency partners, the Council provides recommendations to the Secretary of Homeland Security and DHS senior leaders on a range of issues, including how the department can improve its international student processes and outreach efforts.

Based on recommendations from the HSAAC, the department implemented the following actions this year that directly support Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) stakeholders:

• In May, SEVP amended its regulations and now SEVP-certified schools have greater flexibility in determining how many designated school officials to nominate.
• In September, OAE co-hosted a webinar specifically for Minority Serving Institutions that provided information to help them recruit, advise and manage international students.
•  In October, DHS — in coordination with the FBI — hosted the second National Seminar and Tabletop Exercise for Institutions of Higher Education and launched new campus resilience and emergency planning resource pages on Study in the States.

In total, DHS adopted 14 of the Council’s recommendations in 2015. To date, 77 percent of the Council’s 120 recommendations have been either fully or partially implemented by the department.

For more information on the department’s efforts to engage with students and the academic community, visit the Academic Engagement Overview page.