Mercy partners with Putnam County leaders

Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry will provide educational programs for leaders in Putnam County government, municipal departments, school districts and private business through a newly launched partnership.

Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell and Mercy College School of Business Dean Ed Weis will host a reception and press conference today to celebrate the Leadership Alliance partnership. The event will be held at the Putnam County Golf Course on 187 Hill St. from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Leadership Alliance will run two programs for county leaders, both taught by Mercy College professors who worked in the private and public sectors before teaching. The first is a 12-month program starting in October, where students can earn a master’s degree in organizational leadership with a focus on emergency management and security. Mercy professors will help Putnam leaders develop the county’s Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan seeks to identify risks, find strategies to mitigate the risks and prepare response plans in the face of emergencies.

In January, Mercy College will offer a Certificate Program in Corporate and Homeland Security to county leaders. The program, which will be integrated with the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, offers 15 undergraduate credits toward a bachelor’s degree and will run simultaneously with the master’s degree program.

This is the first public-private partnership the county has had with Mercy College, Odell said.

“We are excited about the high level of interest expressed so far in these programs,” Odell said. “In this day and age, disaster preparedness skills are essential. The training being offered will insure we have a critically trained team of first responders in place.”

Courses will begin Oct. 2 at the Putnam County Emergency Services Training and Operations Center in Carmel.

Mercy College is a private education institution that offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs within five departments: business, education, health and natural sciences, liberal arts, and social and behavioral sciences.