The University of Virginia’s College at Wise has been recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia as one of the state’s top performers on the annual Institutions of Higher Education Preparedness Assessment.

UVa-Wise received one of the highest scores of any college or university in Virginia. The IHEPA is a tool Virginia uses to gauge the overall level of preparedness across state colleges and universities. The assessment documents how prepared Virginia colleges and universities are in areas of physical security, continuity of operations planning, information technology security, document protection human resources preparedness, training and IHE emergency preparedness.

“UVa-Wise is proactive when it comes to campus safety,” Chancellor Donna P. Henry said. “It is gratifying that our College has been recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia for the hard work our staff, faculty and students do to prepare for emergency situations.”

The Office of the Secretary of Veteran Affairs and Homeland Security administers the Governor’s Preparedness Certificate program, an award for agencies scoring 90 percent or higher on the IHEPA.

“Your institution has been a leader in helping to foster a culture of preparedness across state campuses,” agency Secretary Terrie Suit writes in a letter to UVa-Wise.