UM President Royce Engstrom Reappointed to Homeland Security Council [YouTube]

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has appointed University of Montana President Royce Engstrom to another two-year term on the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council.

Engstrom said he and other council members meet twice a year in Washington, D.C, and in other locations every few months.

"We meet several times throughout the year and talk about various security issues that either have the possibility of having an impact on university campuses, or that our universities can contribute to solutions for," Engstrom said. "For example, we talk about topics such as international students, both in terms of students coming to our campuses to ensure their safety, but also to be aware of who's coming to our campuses."

Engstrom said he has been able to share specific information with his council members.

"One of the areas we talk about quite a bit is disaster preparedness, and so partly based on the work of this council, we at the University of Montana have rewritten our emergency manual and have gone through some training here on campus that we expect will help prepare us better in the event of an emergency," he said. "That's a big part of our conversation with our Homeland Security Council, and I've benefited very directly from the experience of being on the council."

This council, composed of prominent university presidents and academic leaders, is charged with advising the secretary and senior leadership at the department on several key issues. Former secretary Janet Napolitano first appointed Engstrom to the newly created council in 2012.