Understanding & Mitigating Extremist Recruitment on College Campuses
A research and program-development initiative examining recruitment practices affecting institutions of higher education and translating collected information into sustainable awareness, training, curriculum, and mitigation resources.
Research designed to move from awareness to practical mitigation
The proposal describes an Innovation Track project intended to expand collective awareness of extremist and terrorist recruitment practices on college campuses. The proposed research uses surveys and focus groups to collect information that can inform mitigation materials and lesson plans for training curricula intended for dissemination to institutions of higher education.
Understand
Increase understanding of the extent of recruitment by extremist and terrorist organizations on IHE campuses.
Develop
Create shareable strategies and materials intended to help mitigate recruitment efforts on IHE campuses.
Train
Design and pilot sustainable, replicable training focused on awareness and countering recruitment.
Why examine recruitment on IHE campuses?
The proposal identifies a need to better understand the extent to which college and university campuses may be utilized for extremist and terrorist recruitment. It argues that recruitment tactics continually change and that understanding those tactics can support development of prevention and mitigation measures.
College and university students
The proposal identifies university and college students ages 18–24 who are or were enrolled in an institution of higher education as the primary target population.
Higher Education
The project focuses specifically on the environments, activities, and relationships found within institutions of higher education.
Student Experience
The proposal considers classrooms and co-curricular campus activities as important environments for understanding recruitment and prevention.
Inclusive Participation
The proposal highlights the importance of including historically marginalized populations and leveraging HBCU/MSI networks.
Research → information → mitigation → training
The proposed project combines information gathering with curriculum and training development so that research findings can be translated into resources for institutions.
Collect
Use surveys and focus groups to gather information about recruitment practices.
Analyze
Increase understanding of recruitment efforts and identify relevant mitigation opportunities.
Develop
Create mitigation materials, lesson plans, best practices, and campaign resources.
Pilot
Design and pilot sustainable, replicable training for awareness and counter-recruitment.
Five areas identified in the proposal
Use anti-recruitment campaigns on campuses, including campuses serving small and mid-sized communities.
Implement recruitment identification and mitigation techniques involving HBCU/MSI campuses and communities.
Teach campus leadership to recognize recruitment efforts conducted through electronic as well as physical methods.
Focus on early identification and mitigation of recruitment by extremist and terrorist groups on IHE campuses.
Develop a proposed self-reporting system for campus recruitment examples that could support referrals and future prevention research.
Building sustainable campus resources
The proposal envisions a set of practical products that can be shared beyond the originating institution and adapted by other institutions of higher education.
Best Practices
Research-informed approaches for recognizing and mitigating recruitment efforts.
Training Curriculum
Lesson plans and training materials designed for awareness and counter-recruitment education.
Awareness Campaign
Media and anti-recruitment campaign materials intended for dissemination across campuses.
Reporting Concept
A proposed mechanism for campuses to report examples of recruitment for appropriate referral and future research.
Replication
A sustainable training model designed to be used beyond the initial project environment.
Partnerships
Engagement with campus and community stakeholders to share resources and build trusted prevention partnerships.
Elizabeth City State University
The proposal identifies ECSU’s Emergency Management program as the originating research environment and describes its prior work in recognizing, understanding, and mitigating hazards to college students and local communities.
HBCU / MSI Network
The proposal identifies HBCU/MSI relationships and the HBCU EM Workforce Consortium as important networks for reaching diverse populations.
Community Engagement
The proposal emphasizes broad stakeholder engagement, resource sharing, trusted partnerships, and community awareness.
Emergency Management
The project connects higher-education prevention work with threat assessment, management, emergency management, and homeland security practice.
A two-year Innovation Track effort
Gather information through the proposed survey and focus-group activities.
Develop a stronger understanding of recruitment practices and campus conditions.
Create mitigation materials, lesson plans, best practices, and awareness campaign resources.
Design and pilot sustainable and replicable awareness and counter-recruitment training.
Share applicable resources with institutions of higher education and relevant stakeholders.
Understanding recruitment is the first step toward informed mitigation.
This website is a public-facing presentation of the project as described in its proposal. Future versions can incorporate verified research results, publications, survey findings, focus-group findings, training products, project investigators, and final recommendations as those materials become available.
Explore the Project