Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Louis Marcoccia today announced the formation of a new Division of Campus Safety and Emergency Services to achieve increased collaboration and coordination of safety and emergency-related functions.
Consistent with best practices in higher education and campus security, the new division draws together all functional areas of the University that have a primary focus on community safety, crisis and emergency response, risk management, compliance with safety and security regulations, investigations and campus law enforcement.
The reorganization will better align student safety, security and emergency services, and better focus on student interests related to safe transportation, proactive response to campus and off campus personal safety issues, crime prevention, and emergency preparedness, response and communication.
Tony Callisto
Department of Public Safety Chief Tony Callisto will lead the new division and will serve as the University’s Senior Vice President for Safety and Chief Law Enforcement Officer. Callisto will report directly to Marcoccia. The appointment is effective immediately.
“These changes will result in better communication, more efficient and improved safety-related services for the University community and enhanced coordination with local first responder agencies,” says Marcoccia. “This new structure allows us to serve the entire University with improved consistency, agility and internal accountability.”
Units and/or functions that will be included within the new Division of Campus Safety and Emergency Services are:
In his new role, Callisto will provide leadership to each area of the division to ensure a unified, student-centered approach to protecting the campus community and providing exceptional service. He will also lead all campus safety and emergency services collaboration efforts with other University divisions, departments and units, as well as external partners.
“I look forward to working together with all members of the new division to continue to enhance the overall safety and emergency preparedness of the campus community,” Callisto says. “Our work also involves collaboration with divisions across campus to increase communications and ensure regulatory compliance to help maintain the best campus environment in which to study and work.”
President of the Graduate Student Organization Patrick Neary says by bringing these offices closer together administratively, students will have a central point to discuss better coordination of services. “I hope to see more coordinated communication and education on safety issues now that these groups are part of a coherent group,” he adds. “The University’s realignment of safety services into one division will help everyone make campus safer.”
Boris Gresely, president of the Student Association, says, “I am very happy to hear that SU will be centralizing all of its public safety services into one division and appointing Chief Callisto as the director of this new division. I’m sure under his guidance the University will continue to strive for public safety.”
Callisto has served the University as Chief of Public Safety since 2006 after 25 years with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, the last 10 years as chief deputy. Callisto is a regional and national public safety, criminal justice and law enforcement expert and leader, both in government and higher education. He has served for the past 13 years as an adjunct professor of criminal justice, developing and teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses at Columbia College and Keuka College. Callisto holds a master of arts in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and has 15 years of experience as a national consultant in organizational development, conflict resolution, interest-based negotiations and labor relations.
Jill Lentz
“Tony is a trusted and valued member of the University community,” says Marcoccia. “His leadership of the new division will improve the quality of life and the student experience on campus.”
Department of Public Safety Associate Chief Jill Lentz, a 16-year veteran of the department, has been appointed as Interim Chief of Public Safety while a national search for the position of chief is initiated. Lentz holds a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from Columbia College and is a 2013 graduate of the FBI National Law Enforcement Leadership Academy.
