Order of the Sword & Shield
The Academic and Professional Honor Society
for all Homeland Security Disciplines
Contact Information
The Society was created for two reasons. First, over the past several years, a few honor organizations have expanded their scope to include “homeland security” as a secondary discipline (included in some other primary academic field of study). They recognized a gap in "coverage" and sought to fit our growing discipline into their existing model. Although this is an admirable gesture, the fact remains that these organizations were not formed with a focus on homeland security as a dedicated discipline, and as a result, were not properly representing our cause. The Order of the Sword & Shield was created with our specific and unique interests in mind, and remains dedicated to the homeland security, intelligence, emergency management, cyber and information security, and all protective security disciplines, solely (the entire homeland security mission).
Second, we wanted to create a mechanism to allow our best and brightest students to unite, not only from an "academic achievement" standpoint, but from a "service" perspective as well. Giving back to our communities remains a key driver in our operational model. All of our members, chapters, and employees (our entire extended family) are encouraged to volunteer in some form of service-related activity. Again, these ideals did not fit well within other honor organizations. We place a high value on service. Service from a homeland security perspective. We felt then, and still do today, that our academic discipline requires a specific and dedicated honor society. After all, a dedicated honor society is an important part of the formula which makes our discipline a true profession and legitimate academic field of study.
Please read our By-Laws for a more complete organizational description.
Our Privacy Policy can be found here.
These are our Terms and Conditions.
The Order of the Sword and Shield is the first and only academic and professional honor society dedicated exclusively to homeland security, intelligence, emergency management, cyber and information security, and all protective security disciplines. The mission of the Society shall be to promote critical thinking, high scholarship and professional development; to further enhance the ethical standards of the protective security professions; and to cultivate a high order of personal living. In addition to its academic purpose, the Society is strongly committed to helping communities prepare for safety and emergency conditions and sponsors many types of informational events throughout the year.
The Honor Society was established in 2010 on the campuses of St. John's University in New York. It inducted its first members in 2011 and has had an induction class every year since then. The Founding Director, Associate Professor Jeffrey P. Grossmann, serves as the current Executive National Director, and oversees the primary operations of the Society. In an open letter to the industry, Professor Grossmann stated that "together with your support, we will position the Society as the leading resource in academic achievement recognition in the fields of homeland security, intelligence, emergency management, cyber and information security, and all protective studies".
The Core Values of the Society are excellence, knowledge, ethics, and peace.
Our motto is ex scientia pax which means "out of knowledge comes peace". As an association which represents homeland security, intelligence, and protective security academic disciplines, this has special meaning. With an ultimate goal of peace and safety for all, the protective security profession must utilize knowledge as a primary tool for the accomplishment of this objective. The Society recognizes this commitment and the dedication of those individuals achieving academic and professional excellence.
Omicron Sigma Sigma is our Greek name.
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Chapter Honors Fallen Hero
Members of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Chapter of the Society will be planting a tree in honor of the memory of fallen police officer Ashley Guindon, an alumna of ERAU. Officer Guindon was killed one day after being sworn into law enforcement. This memorial will join a scholarship created by ERAU in the name of Officer Guindon, which will be awarded to a sophomore or junior pursuing a degree in homeland security or global conflict studies.
For all inquires:
jgrossmann@ossnhs.com
Mailing address:
Prof. Jeffrey P. Grossmann, JD
Order of the Sword & Shield
P.O. Box 972
Coram, NY 11727
Chapters Unite to Teach Young Children About Safety
Members of the St. John’s University, Adelphi University, and the National Chapter held a “safety and emergency” day event at the St. William the Abbot Elementary School in Seaford, NY. “Presenting safety and emergency information to 1-3 grade students was an amazing experience” said Rosemary Hartofilis, an Ambassador of the Society and current doctoral student at St. John’s University. Rosemary added, “The team worked really hard in preparing for this event”. Former St. John's Chapter President and current Ambassador to the Society Willy Gomez added, “The kids were fantastic, they were really into the discussion and understood the importance of the topics”. Joining Rosemary and Willy were Society Intern Patrick Knab, and inducted members Samuel Geffen, Felicia Jaffe-Alleyne, and Raymond Hughes.
We Are More Than an Honor Society...
Chapter Holds Moving 9/11 Memorial Service
Members of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Chapter of the Society recently held a 9/11 memorial service event. Despite the inclement weather, the service was well attended. Chapter members created a beautiful visual tribute that was appreciated by all who attended.
Chapter Visits Newly Opened 9/11 Museum in NYC
Members of the St. John’s University Chapter represented the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society at the 9/11 Tribute Center and Memorial Museum in New York City recently. After a moving and informative tour of the 9/11 Tribute Center, members received a special presentation from one of the survivors of the 9/11 attacks. After this special presentation, members of the Society visited the newly established 9/11 Memorial Museum, adjacent to the memorial fountains.
About the Order of the Sword & Shield...
We Are Omicron Sigma Sigma...
Chapter Holds Black Tie Induction Gala
Members of the Point Park University Chapter held their annual "The Gathering" awards ceremony in the prestigious Harvard Yale Princeton Club of downtown Pittsburgh, PA. Professor Jeffrey P. Grossmann, JD, Executive National Director was on hand as the keynote speaker for the event. "What an impressive ceremony. Just a lovely evening honoring the top students of Point Park University". Professor Gregory T. Rogers, JD, Director of the Intelligence and National Security Program at Point Park and Master of Ceremonies for the evening provided his perspective on the importance of education in our field of study. "Your academic achievements here at Point Park are only the beginning of a lifelong learning process that will take you to the far reaches of the world". True words indeed...
Coming Soon!
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