The safety of our students, faculty and members of the surrounding community is of critical concern. Prompted by events at other campuses in the recent past, the University tested and implemented a text-message emergency alert system that won praise from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and is serving as a model for other institutions. As a nationally recognized leader in student safety, St. John’s last year hosted a two-day Emergency Preparedness Conference in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that attracted more than 200 local, state and federal security professionals.