In the Aftermath of the Virginia Tech Tragedy

A Message from Dr. Brian K. Johnson
President, Montgomery College

April 17, 2007

I am sure I speak for the entire Montgomery College community when I say how deeply saddened we all are by the tragic events that unfolded this week at Virginia Tech. On behalf of our faculty, staff, students and alumni, we extend deepest condolences to the entire Virginia Tech community. As members of the overall higher education community, we are particularly grieved by the sense of loss and sorrow that the university community must be feeling at this time.

As a college president, I am particularly touched by the ramifications of an event such as this and will continue to keep the Virginia Tech community in my personal thoughts and prayers. Our Montgomery College community shares an especially close bond with the many colleges and universities to which our students transfer, all across the country. Each year, some 4,000 of our students transfer to other institutions to continue their pursuit of higher education. This includes many who have transferred in recent years to Virginia Tech. So in many ways, we feel that our communities are closely linked and must stand together in times such as these.

In the aftermath of this horrific tragedy, we understand that people everywhere are extremely troubled by these events and certainly that includes the thousands of students, faculty and staff that are part of the Montgomery College community. I know that each of our campuses are planning for remembrances for the victims of this tragedy and that more information will be forthcoming directly from campus officials at Germantown, Rockville and Takoma Park/Silver Spring.

Regarding security on our own campuses, we have taken steps to increase the visibility and number of security officers that will be on duty. As always, we would urge members of our college community who may observe any suspicious activity on our premises at any time to contact our Campus Security Offices at the following numbers:

In the event that you are ever aware of an emergency situation, please call 9-1-1. Montgomery College’s Office of Safety and Security always works in close partnership with our Montgomery County and municipal police departments, as appropriate, as well as with the Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue Services and other public safety agencies.

Please also note that the College’s emergency preparedness plan and emergency procedures are posted on the College’s web page and available online at: www.montgomerycollege.edu/emergency.

I want to assure you that the safety and well-being of our students and our entire college community is of paramount importance to us at Montgomery College. Thank you for your attention.