Empowering campus safety

Protecting the public from hazards is in Susan McCallister’s blood.

“My father was a pioneer in industrial waste remediation, so I got my start managing environmental, health and safety tasks at hazardous waste cleanup sites,” said McCallister.

McCallister, who today serves as Auburn University’s director of Campus Safety and Compliance, vividly recalls being taught the key foundations of safety by her parents, Bill and Nancy Webster.

“Robust safety practices are built on science. From an early age, my dad taught us to approach everything scientifically,” McCallister shared, adding that her father was named on multiple waste stabilization patents, consulted on hazardous waste cleanup across the globe and helped establish international standards. “In his home lab, he showed us how to design experiments, test samples and analyze results, emphasizing how to do every step safely.”

On the nurturing side of safety, McCallister’s mother has dedicated her life to helping others through her nursing career and volunteerism, and both parents have been recognized for their outstanding volunteer work with hospice.

Responding to the call

These days, McCallister follows in those footsteps on the frontlines of response when it comes to safety and emergency management on Auburn’s campus. She’s so good at what she does, she recently received a top honor for her profession — the National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals’ 2023 Clery Compliance Officer of the Year award.

The main purpose of the federal Clery Act is to provide critical information about safety and crime to current and prospective students and employees so they can make informed decisions and contribute to the safety of Auburn’s campus. McCallister’s colleagues say that’s exactly what she accomplishes day-in and day-out.

“This award demonstrates Susan’s peers across the country recognize her expertise on Clery compliance, which is one of the more complex regulatory requirements we face in higher education and impacts the safety of every member of the university community,” said Kevin Robinson, vice president for Auburn’s Audit, Compliance and Privacy Services. “This is a compliment to Susan, her staff and the multiple areas she interacts with such as Student Affairs, Title IX and others in navigating this requirement. Susan’s commitment to the safety of our faculty, staff and students is unsurpassed.”

McCallister is a nationally certified Clery compliance officer, holding a graduate certificate in emergency management from Auburn University and is a graduate of the Alabama Public Safety Leadership Academy and member of the Alabama Coalition Against Rape Board of Directors. On any given week, it’s common to see McCallister out in the campus community giving safety presentations to various groups or handing out helpful information, whether it be in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library or the Melton Student Center. McCallister also is looked to in times when quick action is needed in getting emergent information out to campus. Her career at Auburn began 20 years ago this past July, but her journey to the Plains started when she was just a teenager.

The Auburn connection

“I was first introduced to Auburn at 19 years old, when my parents moved to Auburn while I was on a study abroad trip to Australia. I’ve been in the Southeast ever since,” said McCallister, a native of Norristown, Pennsylvania.

McCallister is a two-time graduate of Auburn, having earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Through the years, she said, her passion for all things Auburn has only grown.

“What I love most about Auburn is the collaborative relationships and the fascinating range of people and projects that I am exposed to as part of my job,” she said. “I am constantly challenged, learning something new and amazed at all the people and areas that Auburn touches.”

Before starting work at Auburn, McCallister was employed at several waste management and environmental companies, handling various compliance and safety roles. She started her work at Auburn in 2003 in the Department of Risk Management and Safety, working as a radiation safety specialist, acting radiation safety officer, occupational health and safety manager and associate director for safety and health. She oversaw such areas as lab safety, fire safety, occupational safety and emergency management.

Five years later, she moved over to Campus Safety and Security as the associate director for education and outreach. She moved into Clery compliance in 2014 and was promoted to her current role in 2017.

“My career has been organic, constantly evolving into something new,” she said. “I love a lot of things about my job, but my favorite is helping people solve problems of any kind.”

A diverse team of professionals

The main thing McCallister would like people to know about Campus Safety is the diverse set of talent and expertise on the team.

“Many of our employees are in their second career and choose this work because of the impact they can make on the lives of others,” she said. “Campus Safety works hand-in-hand 24/7 with Auburn Public Safety (police and fire departments) and other partners to provide safety, security and emergency management services to the campus.”

Those partners sing the praises of Auburn’s Campus Safety office and, more specifically, McCallister.

"Director Susan McCallister has been an outstanding beacon of integrity and tenacity, fully dedicated to strengthening the Clery compliance program here at Auburn University,” said Clarence J.C. Stewart, assistant chief of Auburn Police Department. “Her tireless efforts have not only brought increased transparency, but also encouraged a culture of responsibility and collaboration across our campus community. It's been an honor working with her, and it's gratifying to see her recognized by NACCOP with the Clery Compliance Officer of the Year Award. It's a well-deserved honor for a truly remarkable professional.”

When asked what her greatest accomplishment has been while at Auburn, McCallister points to “establishing trusting and collaborative working relationships with internal and external partners who are critical to our compliance efforts.”

If referring to her time as an Auburn student, she’s quick to note another greatest accomplishment: “working with an awesome team of women engineers to build and race a vehicle as co-captain of the 2000 Lady Tigers Mini-Baja Team. War Eagle!”

Resources for a safe campus

These days, her focus remains on the safety of students, faculty, staff and the Auburn Family as a whole with anything involving campus. Her aim is to make all aware of the safety resources available to them, including the free Auburn Safety app, Auburn’s AU Alert notification system, the university crime log —which is updated daily — a variety of training to include CPR, First Aid, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), Stop the Bleed (new), emergency preparedness, active shooter response, preventing targeted violence (new), the Campus Community Emergency Response Team (Campus CERT), Campus Security Authority (CSA) and RAD Self-Defense for Women.

McCallister also hopes all on campus are aware of the security shuttle that provides safe, door-to-door on-campus transportation from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week while classes are in session. Rides can be requested through the free Auburn Safety app or by calling 334-844-7400.

There also is the Threat Assessment Team, which is a multidisciplinary team that works to prevent targeted violence and advises on incidents involving individuals who may reasonably pose a threat to the safety or well-being of members of the university community.

McCallister said such offerings are all centered on the overall goal of Campus Safety — which is the safety of all students, employees and visitors.

“Our team works hard every day to support this mission, and we continue to seek out ways to make the Auburn University campus as safe as possible,” she said.

To learn more about Campus Safety and resources available to the Auburn Family, visit the website, follow @AuburnSafety on social media and explore the free Auburn Safety app.