MALVERN, Pa., Aug. 17, 2012 — The National Center for Higher Education Risk Management (NCHERM) is pleased to announce the release of a new book from NCHERM consultant Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D., entitled, Ending Campus Violence: New Approaches to Prevention.
With the growth of threats and violence in higher education settings, college campuses are increasingly expected to have systems in place to identify potentially aggressive individuals and intervene to ensure the safety of the campus population.
Dr. Van Brunt's book is a vital resource for members of campus behavioral intervention and threat assessment teams, student affairs professionals, college counselors, psychologists, and social workers who are interested in the practical management of aggression and violence on college campus.
Ending Campus Violence features ten case studies from both the community and residential college settings to provide a comprehensive overview of campus violence and how to intervene to prevent it. Pertinent background information is shared as an introduction to each of the case narratives, such as the fundamentals of aggression and violence on campuses; how these behaviors can impact students, faculty, and staff; and what can be learned from past campus violence. Discussion questions are posed and national experts in student affairs, mental health, forensic risk assessment, law enforcement, and legal issues weigh in on each case study. Their perspectives offer a multi-disciplinary context and broad base of opinions on best practices to address each case.
The book also offers a detailed look at almost 100 incidents of violence, including thwarted attacks, rampage shootings, and hostage situations, offering lessons learned from each.
NCHERM Managing Partner Brett A. Sokolow, Esq. had the opportunity recently to sit down with Dr. Van Brunt to discuss his new book…
Sokolow: "Brian, congratulations on the book. We're always pleased when one of our consultants contributes to the literature of the field, and your book is both innovative in format and challenging to conventional ideas of how we view violence and act to prevent it. What was the impetus for writing Ending Campus Violence: New Approaches to Prevention?"
Van Brunt: "I think for me, writing this book was the culmination of the scholarship and study I had been working on in the areas of violence, forensic assessment, psychological crisis and prevention — rather than simple crisis intervention work. Many others have written on crisis response and how institutions of higher education come together during a violent event. The difference with this text is my focus on the importance of identifying threat and dangerousness prior to its occurrence."
Sokolow: "Is there any significance with regard to the timing of the release? Have recent acts of campus-related violence influenced your decision to publish?"
Van Brunt: "I've had the privilege over the past few years to come in contact with some amazing experts in the area of threat assessment, legal issues in higher education, college counseling, conduct administration and law enforcement. This was the time to bring together these experts to respond to the ten case studies that make up the core of this text. I also took the opportunity to survey over 100 incidents of school violence and summarized those cases to assist the field in learning more about extreme campus violence — both in attacks that were successful and those that were thwarted.
"While the book was released earlier this summer, the horrific shooting in Aurora, CO, in July only serves to underscore the need to increase campus behavioral intervention capacities. As the story develops, we'll see a public critique of the acts of the behavioral team at CU-Denver, and teams across the country will come under greater scrutiny as a result. Colleges and universities are in an excellent position to evaluate student behavior that may offer signs of leakage related to a potential attack, hopefully in ways that can prevent future attacks. Through my book's case studies and summaries of campus violence, it is my hope that schools will be better prepared and will improve their focus on what behaviors to be looking for and how best to intervene."
Ending Campus Violence: New Approaches to Prevention is available through Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Ending-Campus-Violence-Approaches-Prevention/dp/0415807441/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343077732&sr=1-2&keywords=van+brunt
For more information about NCHERM, contact Executive Director Samantha Dutill. 610.993.0229. Email. http://www.ncherm.org
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