Following several months abroad as deputy manager of security staff at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, Ray Thrower will return to campus Monday, June 15 and officially resume his former position as Gustavus director of campus safety on July 1, 2009.
“We are delighted to welcome Ray back to campus,” said Gustavus President Jack R. Ohle. “We are also very proud of his important service to KAUST. He helped establish the institution’s security infrastructure at a critical time in its early development.”
Thrower led a 250-person staff at the sprawling, international, new graduate university located near the Red Sea in the city of Thuwal. “The experience was fascinating and educational. I am glad I was able to get a lot of things up and running there before coming back to St. Peter,” Thrower said. “I am excited to be coming back to the Gustavus campus family, and I look forward to continued growth and achievement together with our local public safety and community partners.”
Thrower began his Gustavus tenure in 1998, just 29 days before the March 29 tornado that swept through the College and city of St. Peter, causing millions of dollars in damage and forcing the College to close for three weeks. Over the past 11 years, he has improved coordination with public safety agencies through numerous initiatives including full-scale public safety exercises and drills with local and regional first responders.
Thrower is the immediate past president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), a membership organization with more than 1,200 college and university members in 20 countries. He co-authored the IACLEA Blueprint for Safer Campuses, which provides recommendations for campus safety along with a summary of successes and failures in response to the active shooter tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2007.
Leave a Reply