When Virginia Commonwealth University late last fall added William Parrish to the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government faculty, some faculty and administrators already were preparing for Parish’s arrival to help create an undergraduate degree in homeland security and emergency prepareness.
“William Parrish brings both leadership and many years of experience in this field to help create this program,” said Robert Holsworth, interim dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. “I think that this is going to be a powerful program in the Wilder School of Government.”
Parrish will be working closely with two VCU associate professors William Newmann and Judyth Twigg, experts in national and international relations, who Holsworth said, laid the groundwork for starting the homeland security major.
Parrish, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security senior official, brings 30 years of experience in anti-terrorism training and emergency operations planning to the school.
“I am excited about the opportunity to help train young men and woman to better understand homeland security and emergency prepareness and help prepare them for their futures after VCU,” Parrish said.
Students graduating with this degree, he said, will have the credentials to explore career opportunities in local, state or federal government as well as the Justice Department and the FBI.
“William Parrish brings both leadership and many years of experience in this field to help create this program,” said Robert Holsworth, interim dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. “I think that this is going to be a powerful program in the Wilder School of Government.”
Parrish will be working closely with two VCU associate professors William Newmann and Judyth Twigg, experts in national and international security, who Holsworth said, laid the groundwork for starting the homeland security major.
Newman said Parrish is going to be one of the primary teachers in this degree. “He is phenomenal and he has done just about everything, so we are really excited about having him,” Newman said.
Parrish, a retired U.S. Marine colonel, spent 28 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. After retiring in 1999, he went to Washington for training in weapons of mass destruction overseas. He then joined the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, which was reorganized under the Department of Homeland Security.
Parrish earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg and his master’s degree in international strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. While stationed at Newport, he completed his master’s degree in management from Salve Regina University, a Catholic university.