Dec. 11, 2013 —
NIU and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) leveraged the strategic role of DEA as a member of the Intelligence Community by establishing the first full-time DEA Faculty Chair at NIU. A historic first for both organizations, the formal agreement solidifies a new collaborative partnership that represents the successful goals of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) by instilling critical knowledge of DEA within university curriculum.
"This agreement adds a valuable new perspective to classroom discussion — that of law enforcement intelligence to build on our education," said Dr. David Ellison, NIU president, as he and Assistant Administrator Rodney Benson, chief of intelligence for the DEA, signed a memorandum of agreement Nov. 12 assigning a chair to the university. "DEA plays an integral part in national security, homeland security, law enforcement and counterterrorism," he added.
Benson noted that this new partnership is important to national security and maintaining critical levels of support to policymakers. "DEA collaborates with the IC on a daily basis to support strategic national security goals around the world," he said. "This partnership will help to educate a broader number of leaders on what we do and how we operate and provide policymakers with all-source intelligence on drug trends and trafficking."