Des Moines Area Community College is working with Iowa’s congressional delegation to try to revive an online course that had nationwide reach.
In 2011 the federal government contracted with the college to provide a “Homeland Security” certification program for the Transportation Safety Administration screeners at the Des Moines Airport. In 2014, DMACC began offering the training online. “In 2017, the head of TSA flies in from D.C., summons us to the airport, tells us they’ve got 80 colleges and universities doing this training around the country for their particular airports, but they were so happy with DMACC’s program that they terminated 78 of the contracts and gave DMACC 36 states, 220 airports and 24,000 agents to train,” DMACC President Rob Denson said.
In 2019, the federal government gave DMACC the contract for training in all 50 states. Denson says it made 44,000 TSA agents at 440 U.S. airports eligible for the training. “TSA (paid) their way through the certificate,” Denson said. “If they don’t have a two-year degree, TSA has been paying their way through DMACC online. We have about 500 TSA employees a term working in our online program.”
Students who voluntarily enrolled in the certification course review national security issues, safety concerns and how the TSA interacts with other federal agencies, like the U.S. Border Patrol. Earlier this year, federal officials notified DMACC it was temporarily pausing its support of the program. “We had six faculty that we had to reassign, but we just don’t have any money and Senators Ernst and Grassley and Representative Nunn are all trying to help us get over this hump because this was a great program,” Denson said. “Clearly good for us, but good for these screeners because we should want them to have Homeland Security expertise as they’re working with the individuals that pass through the airports.”
Denson made his comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight on Iowa PBS.