Announcements

Actions to advance public safety at UW-Whitewater

Dear students, faculty and staff,

We want to acknowledge and express our appreciation for the swift response of law enforcement during the perceived threat on Sept. 2, 2026, the timely emergency alerts and subsequent updates. Furthermore, we sincerely thank each of you for the care and support demonstrated as we navigated a very challenging situation on the first day of classes.

Following the activation of our emergency operations and as part of our established protocols, university leadership conducted a thorough debrief, which included conversations with and feedback from a variety of individuals, including shared governance leaders. As a university committed to continuous improvement, we recognize that experiences such as this provide important opportunities to reflect, learn and strengthen our practices. As a result of our initial debrief, we have identified the following action items to further enhance public safety at UW-Whitewater:

Post-event assessment

• UW-Madison Emergency Management has offered to conduct a neutral-party review of multiple aspects of our crisis response. This assessment will provide an opportunity to affirm the effectiveness of our existing protocols and, where appropriate, identify opportunities to strengthen our practices moving forward.

Enhanced awareness for students, faculty and staff 

• The UW-Whitewater Police Department is responding to department, unit, and student organization requests for training, and will plan to offer in-person and virtual training options in the near future.

• Expand the training resources available through the UW-Whitewater Police website to include video and information on the “Run, Hide, Fight” guidance.

• Incorporate student safety training into programming that occurs before the first day of classes, including Welcome Week.

Updated emergency alert system

• Streamline emergency communications by integrating in-building, web and mobile notifications through an enhanced platform. Planning for implementation began over the summer, with the system expected to be operational in January 2027.

Public Safety Taskforce engagement

• Since its establishment in January 2024, the Public Safety Taskforce — which includes representation from across the university, including faculty, staff, students and shared governance leaders — has worked to help ensure UW-Whitewater remains a safe community in which to learn, live, work and play. The taskforce will reaffirm current practices and identify additional opportunities for improvement and develop solutions to further enhance public safety.

Maintaining a safe and thriving university community takes all of us. Thank you for staying informed, participating in safety training and looking out for one another as members of the Warhawk family.

Go Warhawks!