Health, safety, and security updates enhance the welfare of Notre Dame community worldwide
When it comes to safety, there’s no such thing as being over-prepared. That’s why over the past year, teams from Notre Dame Global (NDG) and University Operations, Events, and Safety (UOES) have been actively working towards enhancing support for the Notre Dame community worldwide. This summer, several changes went into place to meet the growing needs of Notre Dame travelers and those at our global locations.
One of these changes involved partnering with a new integrated risk management provider. As of July 1, Notre Dame transitioned from their partnership with International SOS (ISOS) to Crisis24. Crisis24 provides Notre Dame with experienced and global-reaching health, safety, and security awareness and crisis support. Backed by Global Operation Centers and always-on intelligence from a team of experts, Crisis24 combines global monitoring, risk and emergency alerting, and on-the-ground support services to ensure Notre Dame’s efforts to advise and protect our people and assets. Via both web-based and mobile application platforms Notre Dame students, faculty, and staff can access a number of features—including alerts of threats, risk ratings for 200+ countries and 400+ cities, awareness of threat zones (i.e. high-crime neighborhoods), advice sheets to mitigate safety and security issues, and a 24/7 hotline and crisis signal. On top of these readily available tools, Crisis24 provides virtual mental health and emotional support services—which means users can get connected to a counselor while traveling anywhere in the world.
This change underscores the University's proactive commitment to enhancing the safety and security of the Notre Dame community worldwide. By equipping community members with valuable resources and the support of a leading integrated risk management service, the University ensures that each individual is well-prepared and supported. Whether you’re traveling or studying abroad, working from one of Notre Dame’s 12 global locations on a full-time basis, or conducting research at an international site, everyone will have consistent access to comprehensive safety resources, reflecting the University's dedication to their well-being.
Another significant change involved growing and restructuring the Global Safety & Security staff at the University. In 2023, Chris Ray joined Notre Dame as the director for global safety & security. Chris came to the University with a background in international security operations and over 25 years of experience in corporate security, counterterrorism, law enforcement, and intelligence. Already Chris has worked with a number of University teams, elements, and programs in helping students depart Israel at the onset of the current Israel/Palestine conflict, arranging secure departure for students, faculty, and staff during localized unrest in Honduras, and advising on safety and security risk mitigation during turmoil in Kenya, Bangladesh, and Bolivia, to name a few examples. In July, Global Safety & Security added another member to the team—Program Manager for International Travel Safety, Sarah Sakaguchi. Sarah comes with experience in international education, law enforcement, and intelligence. In her role as program manager, Sarah helps provide the highest level of health, safety, and security support to all of Notre Dame’s international travelers and global programs across the University.
In addition to adding these roles, the Global Safety & Security program has reinforced support for Notre Dame’s global network by aligning with Emergency Management under UOES. This collaborative approach promises to enhance the health, safety, and security of our international operations.
“We look forward to this exciting journey together, enhancing our safety measures and achieving the same high standards of security as our campus operations,” Tracy Skibins, senior director of emergency management and global safety & security, recently shared.
"We believe bringing our safety and security professionals all under the same umbrella will help increase alignment and strengthen support for our students, faculty, and staff abroad,” Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety and Chief of Police Keri Kei Shibata adds. “The Global Safety & Security team will remain embedded with NDG to ensure continuity of services and strong relationships. The only difference the Notre Dame community abroad and those who support them should see is that Campus Safety professionals and resources will be better poised to quickly respond to any need because of the enhanced relationship and increased awareness of Notre Dame's work around the world."
The recent hire of Care and Wellness Consultant Kelly Burke Berry marks another step forward in enhancing the overall health and wellness of the Notre Dame community. Kelly comes to the University with a background in social work, clinical care, and student support. In her role as an embedded care and wellness consultant for Notre Dame Global, she will help students prepare for their study abroad experience, provide assistance while they are abroad, and connect them with campus resources once they return.
The University is working to ensure that its worldwide community stays informed, protected, and healthy—whether they are on campus in South Bend or abroad. These changes are another notable step forward in those efforts, which could not have been done without the steadfast support and herculean efforts of partners who assisted daily in building and maintaining the foundation for the Global Safety & Security program—most notably, Dyann Mawhorr, associate director of systems and communications, and Mark Schult, IT solutions consultant. Chris Ray mentions both NDG team members saying, “Dyann and Mark were integral in maintaining systems, assisting in the design of more efficient workflows and change management processes, and preserving continuity to ensure the health, safety, and security needs of the Notre Dame global community throughout the past year.”
Learn more about Notre Dame Global’s Safety & Security team and the services it provides at global.nd.edu/travel-safety.