Recognizing their roles as social, cultural and economic assets, universities have a heightened awareness of the importance of all-hazards mitigation and business continuity planning. George Mason University (GMU) retained Witt Associates to perform a Business Impact Analysis, conduct a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment and create a Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Witt Associates has worked with the University's three main campuses to examine critical functions and disaster vulnerabilities. From this initial assessment, Witt Associates developed strategies to minimize risks to the university, as well as recommended business continuity activities designed to maintain critical business operations and improve recovery times after a large-scale disaster.

Specifically, Witt Associates provided GMU with the following:

• Interviews with key university executives to discuss concerns, vulnerabilities, risks and existing mitigation efforts
• Integration and coordination with other University planning efforts
• Assessment to identify characteristics and potential consequences of hazards and losses, including: All hazards, both natural and man-made, profile of hazard events, assessment of vulnerabilities and risks, identification and analysis of mitigation strategies, and evaluation, selection and prioritization of mitigation goals.