When the organizers of the annual Nicholas J. Halias Safety Symposium discussed their 2025 milestone event, the question on their minds was, “what next”? After 10 years of highly successful annual events designed to help law enforcement and campus safety professionals deepen their ability to respond to the growing mental health needs in their communities, the ongoing need for their work was clear.
The goal of the annual symposium is to provide training on mental health topics that arise in first response situations and on college campuses. The event was named in honor of Nick Halias who served on the NH State Police as Chief of Police at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), as a trustee of the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH), and as an educator before his death in 2014.
CCSNH participates each year in planning the symposium, and this year CCSNH Chancellor Mark Rubinstein was honored with the Nicholas J. Halias award.
“Shifting the model from executing one highly-impactful annual event, to envisioning a future where we embed more learning opportunities in every community across the full year seemed a natural goal,” said John Stevens, Statewide Interoperability Coordinator with the New Hampshire Department of Safety and a CCSNH Trustee. Stevens has been integral in planning the annual safety symposium since its inception in 2015.
As a first step, the group used the event to announce a new scholarship for students in NH’s community colleges who transfer to one of the institutions in the University System of New Hampshire to pursue law enforcement or mental health support careers. Future efforts are now focused on expanding the Critical Incident Training (CIT) opportunities available to law enforcement and campus safety professionals in their local communities, potentially delivered at the state’s network of community colleges.
“The view of public safety has changed dramatically in the past decade; appropriate mental health resources are a critical component of the ability to provide a stigma free and inclusive environment for learning,” said Russ Conte, Mental Health Wellness Coordinator for the NH Department of Safety. “All communities benefit from the partnerships our campuses foster with mental health professionals and first responders. The progression of the Halias Symposium supporting crisis intervention training efforts will help sustain the ever-increasing need for services.” “I am honored to have been the Co-Chairman of the Halias Symposium. Mental Health touches all of society,” said Paul Dean, Director of Constituent Services for Gov. Kelly Ayotte and former UNH Chief of Police. “The symposium’s 10-year focus has been dedicated to a wide range of mental health topics and provided real-world information from leading experts. I am most proud of the partnerships built between educators, treatment professionals and public safety and law enforcement. Our collective work makes a difference.”
