Bellevue University has been named to the Great Plains National Security Education Consortium (GP NSEC). The consortium is part of the Intelligence Community Center Academic Excellence program which provides academic, research, cultural immersion and other outreach activities focused on national security-related topics. The goal of the program is to develop students with the knowledge of international and cultural issues, foreign languages, analysis, and critical thinking skills required to serve the 16 federal agencies that make up the intelligence community.

Consortium members will develop courses and activities that play to their institution’s unique strengths. Bellevue University brings several strengths to the partnership including online learning expertise and long-standing military associations. The University will offer three new curriculum programs including two Certificates of Completion and one master’s degree program. Under development is an online program known the U.S. Intelligence Structures, Systems, and Roles Certificate. The program will introduce undergraduate students to the intelligence community and its role in national security. In addition, a Strategic Deterrence Certificate is under development and will be offered to graduate students online. The University will also develop a 36-hour online master’s degree program that expands on the themes of the undergraduate World Security and Strategic Studies program.

“These 16 federal agencies are looking to better identify talent by broadening the pool of student candidates who have an awareness of the emerging cultures of the world,” said Dr. Therese Michels, Ph.D. and Dean of College of Arts and Sciences. “Our programs will provide students an excellent foundation to address real world intelligence community issues.”

The GP-NSEC is one of several consortium programs already in place. The program was established in 2005 to meet the nation’s increasing need for a diverse workforce of intelligence community professionals who are educated and trained to address national security objectives.

“These new programs support our guiding principle to positively impact the lives of our students,” said Dr. Mary Hawkins, Ph.D., president, Bellevue University. “The collaboration among the four partner universities will play a key role in the success of this initiative. In addition, the new programs compliment the University’s active-learning approach and provide our students an exciting avenue for new career choices.”

On September 11, Bellevue University will host a forum to explore national security issues with an inside look at the threats facing America today.

Anthony (Tony) Campanella, Vice President for Intelligence Programs at CMX Technologies, will deliver the keynote address at “The State of Security in the Heartland and Beyond: Assessing the Homeland Threat,” a free event open to the public that runs from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. inside the University’s Hitchcock Humanities Center. Following his keynote address, Campanella will take part in a round table discussion moderated by Bellevue University Associate Professor Greg Allen.

Prior to joining CMX, Campanella provided consulting support to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Department of Defense Counter Intelligence Field Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). At DHS, Campanella provided support to the Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

Prior to entering the private sector, Campanella served as an Intelligence Officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Campanella served in numerous crisis and contingency support roles at DIA, coordinating national intelligence support to deployed military units. At DIA, Campanella was selected to represent the Agency at the White House, serving as a Senior Duty Officer at the White House Situation Room.

A former Marine, Campanella served six years based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., with the 2nd Marine Regiment and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). While in the Marines, Campanella completed three NATO deployments to northern Norway and two six month Mediterranean “cruises” aboard U.S. Navy ships.

Although the event is free, space is limited. Attendees are encouraged to reserve their spot by going to www.bellevue.edu/9-11.

The remarkable story of one Bellevue University student and employee showcases the perseverance that allowed him to serve our University, his educational goals, and first and foremost, our country.

After a one year deployment in Iraq, Mike Damato has returned to his position as Safety Administrator at Bellevue University. The deployment was Damato’s second during his nearly five years with the University. Damato’s relationship with the University began as a student in the Security Management bachelor’s degree completion program.

Following the events of 9/11, Damato learned from instructor Greg Allen that the University had created a new position dedicated to protecting the University, its students, and employees.

In 2003, Damato joined the Navy Reserves after a 17-year break in service (he was active duty Navy from 1976-85). “It was a call to do something,” he said. “If I was in the reserves, it would free someone else to go fight the war.” He was shocked when called to action, not just once, but twice. Damato is grateful that he works for an organization where he can also do his part serving his country. “The University has been extremely supportive,” he said. “My wife was able to complete her master’s degree during my first deployment, and I was able to complete mine during this last deployment.”

While already successful in his career and service, Damato began the online master’s program in Security Management before learning he would be deployed a second time. After a short break while preparing for the deployment, he was able to complete the degree while in Iraq utilizing the University’s exceptional online learning platform.

The University is proud of its commitment to those serving in the Armed Forces and their families,  here in Bellevue and worldwide.  Bellevue University was recently named a Top 10 Military-Friendly College/University, and was selected as a participating school in the MyCAA program.

The Bellevue University Student Veterans Organization on Thursday, May 21 will host a forum about the military education system and the benefits available to the military community, including the new post-9/11 GI Bill. This “Military Education & Information Forum” begins at 7 p.m., inside the Hitchcock Humanities Center, 1000 Galvin Road South.

This event, free and open to the public, will feature a keynote address by State Treasurer – and veteran – Shane Osborn. He also will participate in a panel discussion with State Director of Veteran Affairs John Hilgert and two VA Regional Education Officers. They will take questions from the audience at that time, as well.

The University’s Student Veterans Organization, founded this year, is the first in the state of Nebraska. It also is one of the country’s largest chapters, with more than 160 members. Active military personnel make up nearly 20 percent of Bellevue University’s student population.

The U.S. Department of Defense has chosen four recent Bellevue University alumni to participate in its PALACE Acquire Internship Program. This year, the DoD chose only 10 interns from schools nationwide.

The Bellevue University representatives chosen were Dusti Grady, Kim McGlade, Casey Aden and Dave Stubbendeck. All are recent graduates of the Master of Science in Security Management program and applied for the internship while students at Bellevue University.

The DoD chose Bellevue University as one of eight schools to participate in the internship program based on the strength of its undergraduate and graduate Security Management programs. Bellevue University has the largest combined undergraduate-graduate Security Management program in the country.

As part of the PALACE Acquire Internship Program, participants work for three years inside the DoD, rotating among more than 20 different positions. Interns start at an annual salary of about $40,000, with the ability to earn full-time employment at the end of the program.

Profiles in Diversity Journal has named U.S. Air Force Retired Maj. Gen. Roosevelt “Ted” Mercer Jr., a member of Bellevue University’s Military Advisory Board, one of the 25 most influential African Americans in business.

Mercer is vice president and director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for ITT’s Space Systems Division in Rochester, N.Y. Prior to joining ITT Space Systems, Mercer was director of plans and policy for U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base. He is a charter member of the University’s Military Advisory Board, which was established last year.

Mercer also was keynote speaker at Bellevue University’s winter 2009 commencement ceremony.

Bellevue University has started a chapter of the Student Veterans of America, a national organization founded in 2008 to act as an advocate on behalf of student  veterans at the local, state and national levels.

The Bellevue University chapter, like the national organization, provides peer-to-peer networks for veteran students, including campus activities and pre-professional networking. The university’s chapter held its first meeting Feb. 3.

Bellevue University was founded in 1966 to, in large part, serve the military personnel at nearby Offutt Air Force Base. More than 40 years later, the school’s committment remains the same, with more than 1,800 activity military personnel enrolled as students.

Bellevue University will host a farewell ceremony Saturday, Nov. 15, for the 540th Military Police Detachment, an Army Reserve unit based in Omaha. The 12-soldier unit is scheduled to deploy soon to Iraq.

The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, inside the Hitchcock Humanities Center, 1000 Galvin Road South.

While uncertain of its exact schedule, the 540th will soon be headed overseas after additional training stateside. In Iraq, the unit will be conducting Military Police sustainment operations.

Staff Sgt. Megan Machmuller of the 540th is a Bellevue University graduate. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management in 2008.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel says the country will "greatly benefit" from Bellevue University's new certificate in Strategic Deterrence

While the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency may mean some mission changes for U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), at least one of the command’s current activities is guaranteed to receive increased emphasis. STRATCOM is leading a U.S. Department of Defense effort to increase the integration of “soft power” – diplomacy, development and reconstruction, foreign assistance, strategic communications, civic action – with the traditional element of military “hard power.”

As current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has stated:”We must focus our energies beyond the guns and steel of the military…Over the long term, we cannot kill or capture our way to victory.” President-elect Obama also has declared, “…instead of pushing the entire burden of foreign policy on the brave men and women of our military, I want to use all elements of American power to keep us safe and prosperous and free.”

With this in mind, Bellevue University will now offer a graduate-level certificate program in Strategic Deterrence. This 9-credit-hour series of courses will assist STRATCOM employees as they grapple with the challenge of understanding how America’s values and institutions can be used to advance our country’s strategic goals. The first course in this certificate series will be offered during the school’s spring semester.

The Strategic Deterrence course content will focus on how nations seek to influence their allies and adversaries, beginning with an in-depth review of America’s nuclear deterrence activities. The program will utilize case studies, simulations, group projects and a variety of guest speakers from both the government and the private sector. This certificate program is believed to be the only program of its kind in the country.

“Our students will learn to manage actions that assure friendly or neutral states, while at the same time deterring hostile states or non-state actors such as al Qaeda,” said Bellevue University Provost Mary Hawkins. “These students will have to understand how non-military strengths – including our education system, our entrepreneurial economy and our diverse media – can be used to win hearts and minds.”

The idea for the Strategic Deterrence program came from June Edwards, Bellevue University’s government strategist, and was refined and endorsed by the school’s Offutt Community Advisory Board, which includes retired generals and admirals with STRATCOM-relevant experience. The board’s current chairman is Roosevelt Mercer, a retired Air Force major general and current vice president and director of intelligence , surveillence and reconnaissance for ITT Corp.

“Events over the last decade have made it abundantly clear that we are in an era of extraordinary geopolitical change,” Mercer said. “If we are to maintain our position on the world stage, we must evolve with what is happening around the globe. We must change the way we think about America’s ability to influence world events and how to influence and/or deter aggressors. That is what makes this revolutionary program so valuable to STRATCOM and our nation.”

The initiative also received strong support from U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), a Bellevue University Board member since 1993, a long-time member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a participant in a recent bipartisan study on the topic, titled “Smart Power.” That study concluded that, “America must revitalize its ability to inspire and persuade rather than merely rely upon its military might. Despite the predominance of U.S. hard power, there are limits to its effectiveness in addressing the main foreign policy challenges facing America today.”

Our country will benefit greatly from Bellevue University’s initiative to support STRATCOM’s deterrence mission,” Hagel said. “We are living through one of the most transformational times in the history of our country and the world, and it is critical that our next generation of leaders understand the importance of America’s ’soft power.’ We will need to draw from all our strengths – diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military – to address the challenges of the 21st century.”

According to Jim Biernesser, Bellevue University’s director of military programs, the school expects the Strategic Deterrence program to be of particular interest to STRATCOM employees – uniformed and civilian – and the contractors who support their work.

“Beyond those students in the Omaha area, Bellevue University also will leverage its nationally recognized expertise in online learning to make the courses available to learners in STRATCOM’s component and supporting commands located throughout the world,” he said.

On this Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Bellevue University joins the rest of the country in honoring those men and women who have served our country so bravely.

Bellevue University has a proud history of honoring and educating our country’s military personnel, both active duty and retired. In fact, the university was founded in 1966 to, in large part, serve the military personnel located at nearby Offutt Air Force Base.

More than 40 years later, the university’s commitment remains the same. The school now serves more than 1,800 active military personnel, from every branch, with numerous offerings and resources, including: a full-time VA representative on campus;a full-time Military Program Director; a military advisory board that includes retired generals and admirals; the awarding of credit for military training; and degree programs designed specifically for military personnel.

This commitment was recently recognized by Military Advanced Education magazine, which named Bellevue University one of the country’s “Top Military Friendly Colleges and Universities” for 2008.