Henley-Putnam University Founding Story
Henley-Putnam University’s present status as an online leader in strategic security education is the result of much thinking and planning by Nirmalya Bhowmick and Michael Corcoran. During the mid-1990s, Nirmalya called up Michael Corcoran, a retired United States Secret Service officer who was running his own protection academy, and suggested the two combine forces to create a University dedicated to teaching both academic and tradecraft expertise to students and professionals in the field of Strategic Security. Henley-Putnam received California state approval in 2005 and is now nationally accredited by DETC. Below is a letter from Nirmalya Bhowmick that outlines the purpose and dedication of Henley-Putnam University and its faculty.
"My name is Nirmalya Bhowmick and I am one of the founders of Henley-Putnam University. I believe Henley-Putnam is different from most other universities in that I founded this school with the sole purpose of preparing professionals to protect and serve our country. Henley-Putnam is a purpose-driven university and each of our faculty members is dedicated to this cause – a dedication which filters down to you as a student at Henley-Putnam. I know you have a choice in educational institutions, but I truly believe that if you care about making a difference in the safety of this country Henley-Putnam is the place for you. I’d like to share with you my vision of Henley-Putnam and how it came to be over the course of eight long years of research and planning.
After the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, my colleagues and I in the intelligence field realized that something must be done about the terrorist infiltration into the United States. We felt that our warnings were ignored, at which point we decided that the most effective way to protect the country was to create a platform from which to educate and train individuals who had a similar interest in protecting our country and the world.
After much research, I concluded that there was a void in the education of future professionals in the field of strategic security. Most existing programs in related security fields dealt primarily with reacting to the aftermath of a terrorist attack, rather than attempting to prevent the attack in the first place. Furthermore, there was no place where government agencies and private sector organizations could easily recruit educated and qualified people who wanted to make a career in the strategic security sector in fields such as intelligence, counterterrorism, and protection management.
I firmly believe that a proper education in this field requires professors with BOTH academic knowledge and tradecraft experience. I also believe that it would be most beneficial for professionals like me, who had no other choice but to learn “on the job,” to share these experiences and teach the skills necessary to be successful in the field and protect our country. I envisioned Henley-Putnam University as a central repository for the acquired knowledge and skills of its experienced professors, which could then elevate this knowledge to a higher academic level.
For this reason, I recruited professors who were passionate about the field and about imparting their knowledge to others. Many of our faculty members teach at Henley-Putnam in conjunction with their other responsibilities because they are dedicated to the unique mission of this university. Our professors view Henley-Putnam as more of a cause than a university, and therefore have committed endless amounts of time and energy to develop a curriculum that they believe will arm students with the tradecraft expertise and knowledge to make a difference in the world.
I hope you’ll consider joining me and the rest of the team at Henley-Putnam University."
Thanks for your time,
Nirmalya
Nirmalya Bhowmick, PhD. (h.c.), Chairman of the Board and Founder
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