Wolfpack Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Grant
Provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, this grant aims to empower individuals to recognize and report concerning behaviors to prevent violence.
NC State University has launched the Wolf Pack Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) – Targeted Violence Prevention and Response initiative, a two-year federally funded project dedicated to strengthening campus and community safety. This initiative empowers students, faculty, staff and community partners to recognize concerning behaviors, report potential threats and engage in prevention strategies that reduce risks of targeted violence and extremism. With over 38,000 students, 10,000 faculty and staff and statewide partnerships through NC State Extension offices, this program has a far-reaching impact across North Carolina.
Acts of targeted violence and terrorism are often preventable occurrences. American communities continue to be vulnerable to these threats – forms of violence that impact our collective sense of security and freedom as Americans.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention, Programs and Partnerships (CP3) strengthens our country’s ability to prevent targeted violence and terrorism nationwide, through funding, training, increased public awareness, and partnerships across every level of government, the private sector, and in local communities. Leveraging an approach informed by public health research, CP3 brings together mental health providers, educators, faith leaders, public health and safety officials, social services, nonprofits, and others in communities across the country to help people who are on a pathway to violence before harm occurs.
The Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program provides financial assistance, training, and resources to eligible applicants. These grants enable recipients to develop sustainable, multidisciplinary TVTP capabilities in local communities, pilot innovative prevention approaches, and identify prevention best practices that can be replicated in communities across the country.
Grant Goals
- Civic Engagement: Safety is a shared responsibility. NC State will strengthen collaboration across students, faculty, staff, mental health professionals and community partners by forming an advisory working group that represents this population. Together, we’ll participate in community events, share strategies and create solutions that address the unique challenges faced across our campus and statewide Extension offices.
- Societal Awareness: Knowledge saves lives. Through trainings, digital campaigns and media outreach, we aim to educate the NC State community on recognizing the signs of potential violence or extremist threats. By October 2025, video and social media campaigns will expand awareness, and we expect a 20% increase in training participation. By the end of the grant, awareness of early warning signs is projected to grow by at least 50%.
- Bystander Awareness and Training:
- Every member of the Wolf Pack should feel empowered to take action. This goal focuses on equipping students, faculty, and staff with the tools to understand risk and protective factors for violence, and—most importantly—how to report concerns safely. Through training sessions, awareness campaigns, and easier access to reporting pathways, we anticipate a 35% increase in knowledge and confidence in reporting behaviors of concern.
- Specialized training is essential to support bystanders effectively. NC State University Police officers will complete advanced Threat Evaluation and Reporting Course (TERC) training, ensuring that law enforcement is prepared to respond appropriately while respecting individual rights. In parallel, mental health providers across NC State and the UNC System will receive training on targeted violence, violent extremism, and the online dynamics of radicalization, helping them better support students and clients.
- Enhancing BTAM Expertise: Our Behavior Assessment Team (BAT) will strengthen its capacity to identify and manage threats. Members will undergo specialized training on structured judgment tools like the WAVR-21, as well as topics including lone-offender terrorism, extremist threats, and grievance-fueled violence. By 2026, NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill will co-host a statewide two-day symposium for 200+ threat assessment professionals, advancing best practices across higher education.
- Building Sustainable Systems: Safety requires long-term commitment. To ensure sustainability, NC State will enhance coordination between law enforcement and behavioral teams and develop new resources such as a glossary of terms and case studies for training. By reviewing and refining our protocols against national best practices, we aim to institutionalize these improvements and maintain resilience against future threats.
Key Initiatives
- Launching digital campaigns, videos, and training sessions to increase awareness of behavioral warning signs.
- Hosting community engagement events to foster dialogue and prevention strategies.
- Training NC State Police officers and mental health providers on targeted violence, extremism and online threats.
- Enhancing behavioral threat assessment practices with cutting-edge tools and statewide collaboration.
- Organizing a two-day symposium (2026) bringing together 200+ professionals to advance threat assessment practices across educational settings.
- Hiring a dedicated Behavioral Threat Assessment Officer to strengthen campus safety operations and protocols.
Accomplishments
- Quarter 1 (October-December 2024)
- Created the of the Wolfpack Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Advisory committee. This committee has ten representatives from multidisciplinary backgrounds and will assist the Office of Violence Prevention and Threat Management in hosting three community events annually. Committee members come from the following departments and offices across the university:
- Risk Assessment / Violence Prevention and Threat Management
- Prevention Services
- Resilience and Community Support
- Student Success Operations
- Wellness Committee
- University Communications
- Faculty Senate
- Staff Senate
- Employee Relations
- Counseling Center
- Student Body President / Student Senate President
- Student Mental Health Ambassador
- Created the of the Wolfpack Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Advisory committee. This committee has ten representatives from multidisciplinary backgrounds and will assist the Office of Violence Prevention and Threat Management in hosting three community events annually. Committee members come from the following departments and offices across the university:
- Quarter 2 (January-March 2025)
- Reviewed current processes and protocols with the intention of implementing at least two new protocols and resources, including a glossary of terms and sample case studies for tabletop and training purposes.
- Completed review of university websites that linked to the Concerning Behavior Referral (CBR) form and identified additional sites and university apps to include access to the CBR link.
- Quarter 3 (April-June 2025)
- Hired a marketing manager for the Department of Risk Assessment. The marketing manager’s role is to promote bystander awareness and market the department to NC State students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community.
- Began presenting the Department of Homeland Security Basic Threat Evaluation & Reporting Course (B-TERC) and the Department of Homeland Security Threat Evaluation and Reporting Overview (TERO) trainings to NC state employees and non-affiliated individuals.
- Presented a training on targeted violence, violent extremism and online aspects related to those topics to mental health providers at NC State and providers at other system schools.
- Creation of social media channels for the department and rebranding of existing ones. The Facebook page and YouTube channel already existed prior to this quarter, while the Instagram and LinkedIn pages were launched at the end of May. We began tracking engagement metrics at the end of May. From May-June 2025, the department social media platforms received a total of 9,094 impressions. Impressions represent the total number of times our content was displayed on users’ screens and reflects the overall visibility of our posts across platforms.
- Instagram: @ncstateriskassessment
- Instagram generated the highest number of impressions this quarter with 3,420 (37.6% of the total). During May and June, seven posts were published on the platform: one photo, three infographic galleries and three short-form videos (Reels).
- By the end of June 2025, Instagram had 43 followers (17.1% of the total number of followers across all platforms). This platform came second in follower growth compared to the other platforms.
- Facebook: NC State Department of Risk Assessment
- Facebook generated 490 impressions (5.4%), based on six posts — three infographic galleries and three short-form videos (Reels).
- By the end of June 2025, Facebook accounted for the largest share of total social media followers, with 118 followers (47%).
- LinkedIn: Department of Risk Assessment at NC State University
- LinkedIn accounted for 1,977 impressions (21.7%) across six posts, which included four infographics, one photo and one text-only, research-based post.
- By the end of June 2025, LinkedIn amassed 84 followers (33.5%). LinkedIn saw the most significant follower growth across all platforms this quarter.
- YouTube: @ncstateriskassessment
- YouTube generated 3,207 impressions (35.3%). Content consisted of three short-form videos (Shorts), which contributed significantly to overall reach despite a low posting volume.
- By the end of June 2025, YouTube had 6 followers (2.4%).
- Instagram: @ncstateriskassessment
- Quarter 4 (July-September 2025)
- Rebranded the department website and updated the Concerning Behavior Referral form.
- Behavior Assessment Team members completed the required WAVR-21 training provided by Specialized Training Services as well as the Advanced Threat Assessment and Extremism training.
- Hosted Decorate Your Defense, an event where NC State students were provided personal safety alarms and branded stickers and gems to customize them. This event had nearly 100 participants.
- Quarter 5 (October-December 2025)
- Collaborated with the NC State Women’s Center on a social media campaign in October in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was a success and amassed a total of 10,576 impressions across 18 posts.
- Collaborated with Pack Essentials on a two-week-long social media campaign in November in honor of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The campaign featured 4 posts across all platforms, earning a total of 4,583 impressions.
- Total training completions increased by 31% (Oct. 2024-Sept. 2025 compared to Oct. 2023-Sept. 24). Does not include new officer orientation, Quickstart, new student orientation, or workplace violence for managers and leaders.
- Began filming and editing an educational video about violence prevention and behavioral threat assessment at NC State with a local video production company. The team visited campus and met with multiple faculty, staff and student volunteers to gather footage. The video is slated to be completed by January 2026 and be published on social media and online by February 2026.
- Quarter 5 (January-March 2026)
- Finalized and published the introductory video for the Office of Violence Prevention and Threat Management. The video was published to YouTube and was promoted via the department’s official social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.