The Crisis & Disaster Management program is consistently ranked highest in the nation by numerous organizations, including the Emergency Management Degree Program Guide, Best Value Colleges, Bestcolleges.com, and others. The outstanding faculty and rigorous but employment-focused curriculum, combined with UCM's affordability, make the CDM program an exceptional value.
Martin Chavez is an Assistant Chief Patrol Agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Headquarters in Washington, DC. He entered on duty with the U.S. Border Patrol on June 2000 at the Weslaco, TX Station. On May 2013, he accepted an assignment at the Rio Grande Valley Sector, Office of Incident Management. While there he received the CBP Commissioner’s Award for Special Recognition for his work during the 2014 Unaccompanied Alien Children Influx. Martin led the efforts to develop the first CBP-specific All-Hazards Incident Management Team and full-time Emergency Operations Center. In his current role at CBP-HQ, he is part of a team that facilitates and coordinates, with other Federal agencies, the CBP response to natural and man-made disasters (floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, COVID-19), and also to incidents of national significance, such as the State of the Union Address, Presidential Inaugurations, Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and the Super Bowl. He is certified by FEMA as a Master Exercise Practitioner and is in the process to get recognized by the International Association of Emergency Managers as a Certified Emergency Manager
The Crisis & Disaster Management courses are taught by two full time and 16 part-time faculty members. The full-time faculty provide on-campus support for students and teach core and select focus areas face to face. Our full time faculty are experts in the field - watch the video with Dr. Dianna Bryant!
The part-time faculty, often referred to as adjunct faculty, are immersed in the real world issues facing emergency management professionals and represent a wide range of academic disciplines and professional affiliations.
Whether at the Rural Emergency Management Summit at the Warrensburg campus, the Clean Waterways Conference in Cincinnati, or the FEMA Higher Education Conference near Washington, DC, you will get the opportunity to meet professionals working in the field.
The Institute for Rural Emergency Management provides training, service learning, and networking opportunities, as well.
With three Independent Study courses geared towards practical training, you will graduate with not only a degree but the skills you need to be successful in the workplace. Technology Application Study, Field Exercise Project, and the Practicum all provide you the opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned in the classroom as you collaborate with an agency, organization, business, or government entity.
