In April of 1973, a small group of Higher Education professionals met to discuss forming a statewide organization to promote interest in the proper administration, operation and development of college and university public safety and police organizations. As the group continued to meet each year, the number of members continued to increase, and the group was officially named the New Jersey College and University Public Safety Association (NJ CUPSA). Today, this association has grown to include many police, public safety and security professionals that represent their colleges and universities throughout New Jersey.

It is our CUPSA partnerships throughout the state that enable us all to do the best jobs that we can to grow personally, to learn best practices from other members and to best serve our campus communities. We continue to strengthen and grow with the addition of our local, state, and federal officers that regularly attend our meetings and events and I look forward to continuing to strengthen this valuable relationship.

NJ CUPSA membership is also opened to institutions of higher education in outside states. We welcome these members to attend the monthly meetings and the annual conference.

Our close partnership with IACLEA that continues to grow stronger takes this same relationship to an international level to ensure that we are training and preparing our agencies and schools to meet the ever-changing demands and challenges that we continue to face and best practices and policies can be adapted into our organizations.

Several years ago, we could have never imagined what we would have all had to endure to get to where we are today and face the latest concerns. New policies and procedures continue to come in through the NJ Attorney General’s Office, federal agencies, and our respective schools that as leaders we must learn to process and understand so that we can best serve our department members and our officers can best be prepared to safely serve our communities.

What’s next? This is a question that we should all be asking ourselves…followed by what do we each have to do to be prepared.

Please use this organization and its vast amount of college policing and public safety experience as a resource to stay informed, ask questions and be prepared for the “what if”, although more likely we will be asking questions, looking for copies of policies and best practices. The more mundane and routine aspects of our jobs, but equally important.

I urge all of our 1,800+ police and security professionals from nearly 40 Institutions of Higher Education to be community caretakers who focus on service and assistance over enforcement while at the same time being trained and ready to act when called upon to handle any emergency and all public safety matters. A tall order, but one that the State of New Jersey has led the way in with reforms and forward thinking to train and prepare our police and public safety officers to handle. This formula and working collaboratively with our partner agencies will help us to best serve and protect the more than 400,000 students who have made New Jersey the home for their higher education.

I encourage our public safety leadership and staff who are not members to join CUPSA and those who are members to continue to be involved in attending our meetings, trainings and conference and continue to share your valuable experience and insights with each other and your respective staffs. I’m confident that many members can share their story about how a fellow CUPSA member provided them with some valuable information that made their job a little easier and your department a little better.

Our business meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month and run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM from September to March at different colleges throughout the state. The meeting locations and dates are posted on the website. Please consider inviting your command staff and other CUPSA department members when a meeting is held in your area. For the minimal associate member fee of $15 additional members of your department can be part of this organization and receive the benefits firsthand. As the voice of public safety for colleges and universities in the State of New Jersey these monthly meetings serve to foster the discussion of emerging trends, current legislation and compliance, best practices and to enhance training for our public safety professionals. NJ CUPSA is leading the cause for safe campuses throughout the State.

This past April we had our first in-person conference in two years with over 130 people in attendance from five different states, and nationally renowned speakers. We have already begun to host in-person trainings again this summer and plan to continue through the next school year. We also plan to resume our regular in-person monthly meetings. Try to make it a point to attend as often as possible and bring along another member or two. As important as the training and our business meetings are it is the value of our in-person networking that is critical to our success.

Next years conference will mark the 50-year anniversary of NJ CUPSA and with your help we hope to make it the most informative and best attended to date. When the time comes, I encourage you all to pass along the conference information to your colleagues in local, state, and federal law enforcement to attend, especially our one-day training that’s geared to that audience.

This past June we held our first in-person Annual Awards Ceremony at Jumping Brook Country Club. The ceremony was well attended, and departments were able to recognize the hard work, performance, and valor by members of their respective departments over the past several years. I encourage the leadership of your agencies to take the time to recognize and acknowledge your officers. A pat on the back and an “atta boy/girl” is meaningful, but to have a moment to be formally recognized in front of one’s peers and the CUPSA organization always goes a long way.

Don’t wait until the last minute to write up or submit an award. Take a few moments shortly after an incident to ensure your folks can be recognized before our busy lives take over and it’s too late. Award submissions can be sent to members of our Awards Committee at any time up to the deadline before the ceremony.

As I take over the ‘reins’, I must first acknowledge and express my gratitude to Deputy Chief / Past President Mike Rein, and those Presidents who have served this organization before him, who have all worked tirelessly to build the organization and its influence around the state/country.

As Past President Rein said in his message last year it is the dedication to the association and the professionalism of the former Presidents that makes CUPSA what it is. It is my honor and privilege to serve as your CUPSA President for the upcoming school year and to continue moving the organization forward. Along with our experienced Executive Board members, VP Andrew Eaton (Director of Public Safety at Rowan College at Burlington County), Secretary Robert Kimler (Chief, Brookdale Community College) and Treasurer Neil Brosnan (Chief, Middlesex County College), I am pleased to announce the addition of Trustees for 2022 – 2023: Paul Giardino (Capt., Montclair State University),  Mike Kantner (Assistant Vice President Department of Public Safety and Office of Emergency Management, Rowan University) and Joshua Sanders (Lt., New Jersey Institute of Technology). It is this executive board and board of trustees, along with each of you who will continue to bring value to CUPSA during my tenure as President.

I would like to extend my gratitude for the support I have received from the leadership of Stevens Institute of Technology, especially President Nariman Farvardin, VP Bob Maffia and Chief Tim Griffin. Without their support and that of my wife, Susan, I would not be able to fulfill the responsibilities that lie ahead.

Respectfully,

Bob DiGenova

President, NJ CUPSA

Deputy Chief of Police

Stevens Institute of Technology

August 2022