2014 Digital Yearbook of Homeland Security Awards

GSN 2014 Digital Yearbook of Homeland Security Awards Recipients
Government Agency Awards
Center for Homeland Defense &
Securit y – 2014 Platinum Winner
Awards Category:
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Most Notable Federal Government Security Program/
Project or Initiative
Name of Nominated Product, Service,
or Program:
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Center for Homeland Defense & Security (CHDS)
Reason this entry deserves to win:
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The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS)
is located at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in
Monterey, California. Since 2002, CHDS has conducted
a wide range of graduate-level educational programs focused
on assisting homeland security leaders to address
current and emerging threats to the nation’s security.
The programs are developed in partnership with and
are sponsored by the National Preparedness Directorate,
FEMA.
CHDS consistently develops critical thinkers who
implement their education within their agencies. Unlike
other graduate institutions, CHDS only accepts applicants
who are in a position to impart change and are
capable of forming new partnerships and reevaluating
their organization’s strategies and policies. The success
of CHDS is realized through the student, alumni, and
program involvement in national events such as the
Oso, Washington, landslide, the Washington, D.C., Navy
Yard shooting, and the Boston Marathon bombing. The
CHDS fingerprint is seen in the response to these types
of events through critical thinking, cross-disciplinary
knowledge, and multi-agency relationships cultivated by
CHDS.
The CHDS Master’s degree program is the first of its
kind, having been established as the first accredited
homeland security degree program in the U.S. Students
are selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates
representing a diversified group of homeland security
disciplines. Courses are taught by faculty and SMEs who
administer a constantly evolving curriculum in the form
of classroom discussions, projects, and network-based
learning. Students develop theses that are directly applicable
to the problems and challenges of their respective
organizations.
As the definition of homeland security has expanded, so
too has CHDS course offerings. The Executive Leaders
Program (ELP) connects senior local, state, tribal,
territorial, federal, and private sector leaders to create
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