From June 28 to July 1, 18 college students from across the country took part in the Community Security Service’s new Campus Academy program in New York.
The academy is open to students who have completed the nonprofit’s flagship campus program. Senior staff lead those students in an advanced leadership course, Richard Priem, CEO of the nonprofit, told JNS.
“Participants go much deeper into security concepts, complete more advanced training scenarios and build relationships with peers from campuses nationwide,” he said. “They leave prepared to support their peers, serve as security leaders on campus and remain connected to CSS for ongoing guidance and support.”
“The goal is to equip them with the skills and network to be security-oriented leaders within the Jewish community on campus and beyond, wherever they go,” he told JNS.
Speakers at the academy included Chuck Berkowitz, vice president of security at CSS, and Grant Mendenhall, the nonprofit’s senior vice president of operations and a former senior FBI executive.
The students who attended “had multiple personal anecdotes of why antisemitism is real, why they’re looking for this kind of training to help them on campus and with a real sense of camaraderie with the other students,” Priem told JNS.
“That is both, on the one hand, concerning, because it’s illustrative of the kind of environment that some of these students are dealing with and at the same time—it’s encouraging to know there are young people that are willing to step up and lead,” he said.
