NEW YORK, NY, March 1, 2005 -- Putting into action key recommendations by Congress and The 9/11 Commission to protect the safety of America's citizens at work and the businesses that represent the country's economic backbone, New York University (NYU) has created the International Center for Enterprise Preparedness, or InterCEP (www.nyu.edu/intercep), the nation's first academic center focused on private-sector crisis management and business continuity.

With initial funding provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the new Center is charged with advancing an "all-hazards strategy" for businesses and other private sector organizations. The Center's staff will direct research and public education programs focusing on the best practices and means of preparing America's private sector to protect its employees and minimize the impact of crises, whether natural or manmade. Prominent among these efforts will be promoting ways to implement voluntary national preparedness guidelines from leading trade and professional associations including the NFPA 1600 "Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity" which has been designated an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and acknowledged by Congress, DHS and the 9/11 Commission.

InterCEP's executive director is Bill Raisch, an expert in emergency management training and research, and an advisor to The 9/11 Commission. He was recently appointed a member of the national technical committee on the NFPA 1600 National Preparedness Standard.

"While attention in recent months necessarily has been directed towards reforming our nation's intelligence and counterterrorism capabilities, the launch of the International Center for Enterprise Preparedness at New York University recognizes the critical role our private sector plays in protecting the well-being of our nation," said NYU President John Sexton.

"This importance cannot be understated. Private sector entities own 85 percent of America's critical infrastructure, including energy, transportation, and communications; provide most of our healthcare; and employ the vast majority of the country's citizens. Thus, NYU and the Department of Homeland Security created InterCEP to study preparedness issues develop vitally needed education and provide an information resource to business and industry leaders. This effort is vital whether the threat is a hurricane, earthquake, tornado or major fire, black-out or act of terrorism."

The Center's programs build upon key initiatives of DHS and the recommendations presented to and later incorporated in the final report of The 9/11 Commission (officially, The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States) and The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act passed by Congress in December 2004. The core of these private sector recommendations were developed by The Working Group on Private Sector Preparedness and involved input from scores of businesses large and small. The chairman of the Working Group was Bill Raisch, InterCEP's director.

InterCEP will draw upon the diverse resources of New York University--including the School of Medicine, the School of Law, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Stern School of Business, among others--as well as leading professional and trade associations, and Working Group businesses to develop targeted education campaigns on private sector preparedness and the implementation of NFPA 1600 aimed at business leaders, industry groups and the media.

Additionally, InterCEP is collaborating with NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies, a national leader in continuing education for adult students, to develop programming. This includes the launch on February 28th of a series of workshops on crisis management and NFPA 1600 led by Raisch offered across 21 U.S. cities beginning in Las Vegas, Nevada. Full details with dates, cities and curriculum may be found at InterCEP's website (www.nyu.edu/intercep).

The initial topics of research for the Center include: identifying and evolving business incentives in the areas of legal liability safeguards, insurance benefits and investment ratings that would reward voluntary compliance with the National Preparedness Standard; developing implementation resources including best practices and guidelines to assist private entities in their efforts to develop crisis management programs; and investigating how to promote better integration of emergency management communications between the private and public sectors.

According to Raisch, "Recent statistics show that every major corporation has a 20 percent likelihood of suffering a significant crisis over the course of any five-year period, one that will result in the loss of 30 percent or more of its market value." How an organization manages a crisis can make the difference between keeping the doors open after an event or closing them forever. Preparedness can be a lifeline for employees and determine the bottom line for the business, he said.

New York University, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, was established in 1831 and is one of America's leading research universities. It is the largest private university in the US, and a member of the Association of American Universities; it attracts and recruits one of the largest groups of international students among US colleges and universities. Through its 14 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and dramatic arts, music, public administration, social work, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas.

New York University
Ken Brown, 212-998-9119
ken.brown@nyu.edu
or
Christopher James, 212-998-6876
christopher.james@nyu.edu