PORTLAND, Maine — The University of Southern Maine has received federal funding to identify and help counteract potential threats to its campuses, the school said in a news release.
USM applied for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant following the impact the mass shootings in Lewiston had on the school's campuses in Lewiston, Portland, and Gorham. Dr. Gráinne Perkins, chief of campus police and vice president of public safety, was the one who applied spearheaded the application effort.
“By training everyone to recognize warning signs and act early, we can create a safer, more proactive campus community where different teams—like mental health professionals, administrators, and law enforcement—work together effectively,” Perkins said in the news release.
In a release, university officials said USM is the first entity in Maine to receive funding from this grant program which launched in 2020.
The $403,501 grant will help fund training education, workshops for students, staff, and community members, and it will help launch a master's level course in online threat detection, the release stated.
Those training efforts are expected to begin as early as next month.
The federal funding will also be used to create a Behavioral Threat Assessment Management Model for the university to provide the school with a "new layer of protection against similar events" like the tragedy in Lewiston.
USM and community partners will also host workshops for minority or vulnerable groups "that often experience threats of violence," according to the release.
In total, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded $18 million in grant funding to 35 schools, hospitals, public health systems, or organizations during this round of funding.