Wilmes tapped for Missouri Homeland Security panel

wilmes med

Dr. Jerry Wilmes

Dr. Jerry Wilmes, Northwest’s medical director and director of health services, has been appointed to serve on the newly formed higher education subcommittee of the Missouri Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).

Wilmes, who also acts as emergency coordinator for the University, was selected for the panel by Mark James, director of the state Department of Public Safety.

The subcommittee, which is scheduled to meet for the first time in early February, is headed by Dr. Robert B. Stein, Missouri’s commissioner of higher education and a member of HSAC. Both groups are outgrowths of a task force report ordered last year by Gov. Matt Blunt and titled, “Securing Our Future: Making Colleges and Universities Safe Places to Learn and Grow.”

According to a letter from James informing Wilmes of his appointment, the subcommittee is to explore a number of issues and administrative processes associated with keeping Missouri’s college and university campuses safe and secure. These include:

A needs analysis and fiscal impact study of campus security improvements.
Resources and training opportunities related to campus security.
Health and mental health initiatives meant to improve campus security.
Funding sources.
A needs analysis regarding Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) for officers working on private campuses.
Possible legislation designed to improve campus security.
Proposed curricula for homeland security professionals.

A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, Wilmes became health services director at Northwest in 1990. Since then, he has also served as a wellness consultant and adjunct faculty member.

In summer 2006, Wilmes was named Northwest’s vice president for student affairs following the resignation of Dr. Kent Porterfield. He remained the University’s chief health officer during his tenure as vice president and returned full time to his medical role on Jan. 2.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone: 660.562.1704
Fax: 660.562.1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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