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Wiley joins FBI advisory panel

To foster outreach and collaborate efforts to protect the nation's intelligence, University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley has joined representatives from several prominent universities as part of a new advisory board under the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Dubbed the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, the committee aims to bring academia and law enforcement together to address a multitude of issues ranging from international-student concerns to the preserving of university-derived information.

"I hope that my participation in this group will help the academic community build trust with our law enforcement community," Wiley said in a press release Monday. "I strongly believe that the best way to have input on these critical matters is to be actively engaged in the process."

University communications representative John Lucas said because of the greater threats facing the nation and the growing need for security, universities and law enforcement must come together to help protect the nation.

"Academia and law enforcement have been forced to work more closely together," he said. "It might lead to more cooperation, but it might lead to a better outcome also."

Last week, FBI Director Robert Mueller announced the creation of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board in a released statement, explaining the bureau seeks to better collaborate with academia to protect national interests and harness its ability to train law enforcement.

"As we do our work, we wish to be sensitive to university concerns about international students, visas, technology export policy and the special culture of colleges and universities," he said. "We also want to foster exchanges between academia and the FBI in order to develop curricula which will aid in attracting the best and brightest students to careers in the law enforcement and intelligence communities."

Chair of the Board, Penn State University President Graham Spanier, said universities need to play a role in national security and protect their assets.

"Higher education is one of our nation's greatest assets and it is critical that those entrusted with our national security better understand the valuable contributions our universities make," he said in a FBI press release. "We are mindful that higher education can play an increasingly prominent role in national priorities through our research, advanced degree programs and educational outreach."

Among other universities, faculty from the University of California-Los Angeles, Texas A&M and John Hopkins University will serve on the board.