Disaster Resilient Universities® Network
DRU Library | DRU Platform | DRU Resources | Network Events | About Us | Advisory Committee
The Disaster Resilient Universities® (DRU) Network provides risk and safety administrators and practitioners with peer-to-peer opportunities to cultivate a multidisciplinary approach to organizational resilience at our universities.
Upcoming Events
Serious Games for Emergency Management: Preparing Teams for Complex Incidents
Date: September 16, 2026
Time:11:30AM (PDT)
Location: Online
Traditional tabletop exercises often fall short of replicating the complexity, urgency, and uncertainty of real emergency responses. The DRU, in partnership with Dr. Micael Sousa, Chief Game Designer for Center for Advanced Preparedness and Threat Response Simulation (CAPTRS), will share how institutions of higher education can bridge that gap with simulation games that immerse participants in realistic decision-making environments.
DRU Cybersecurity Virtual Panel
Date: TBA
Location: Online
Experts in the field will discuss cybersecurity at IHEs, and participants will get a first look at the results of the DRU’s 2026 cybersecurity roundtable and survey. Details coming soon.
Membership
Membership in the DRU is currently free.
An institution can have multiple DRU members. Memberships is tied to an individual, university-provided email (.edu).
Member benefits include:
- Use of the DRU Network Platform which enables information sharing with members across the country.
- Peer-to-peer networking and collaboration opportunities.
- Access to a range of risk, resilience, and safety resources.
- Access to DRU events. These are great places to connect with other safety and risk administrators, learn about resilience topics, and generate ideas for making your campus more resilient.
The DRU is a professional, peer-to-peer network that fills a critical need for practitioners charged with ensuring the safety, resilience, and emergency preparedness of institutions for higher education (IHEs) across the country by offering simple yet essential resources to share information on best practices across the professional disciplines at no cost to colleges and universities.
To become a DRU member, fill out the Membership Request Form.
DRU Network Platform
Launched in 2025, the DRU Platform is an update and expansion of the original DRU Listserve. Members can use the platform to share resources, communicate, and collaborate across universities worldwide.
You must have a university-provided email (.edu) to subscribe. The platform is monitored for inappropriate posting: personal attacks, equipment or product advertising, or spam. Offenders will be removed and banned.
The DRU Platform is available to members. To request membership, please fill out all required fields in the membership request form.
DRU Library
A core component of the DRU is sharing disaster resilience information with members. The DRU Library is a digital collection of resources covering a wide range of resilience topics. The DRU Resource Library builds upon the work of the former National Center for Campus Public Safety’s (NCCPS) resource library.
Building Disaster Resilience
Cultivating a disaster resilient university or college campus is a complex challenge that requires a focused effort by the entire university community. The DRU network's interdisciplinary approach leverages members' knowledge and expertise to provide technical assistance and resources.
To become a more resilient university, we strive for proficiency in three areas:
- Strong leadership and culture. This stimulates the ability to stay aware, stay engaged, adapt, and make good decisions.
- Well-developed networks. This helps us use partnerships to leverage assets efficiently.
- Change readiness. This requires active planning, proactive thinking, and innovative problem-solving.
By creating links with campus partners to assess and address vulnerabilities, our campuses can continue to innovate and excel.
A disaster resilient university is able to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity and uncertainty.
News
Catch up with the latest news and updates from the DRU.
Celebrating 20 Years of DRU
The DRU began in 2005, when the University of Oregon and several other universities' learned that a federal grant, which funded disaster mitigation planning projects for higher education, was being canceled. The loss was painful, but it became an important catalyst.
We knew campuses still needed a practical, common-sense approach to disaster resilience. Our small group set up a listserve so we could try to learn from each other and share information. We called it the Disaster Resilient Universities (DRU) Network.
This is a exciting time for the DRU, and our mission is more important than ever.
