November 15, 2018

Public policy major Sage Weikel ’16, who always hoped to help those experiencing disaster, fulfilled his goal of becoming an emergency manager in March 2017.

“I want to give back to all of the communities that are threatened by the wide range of disasters that could happen at any moment,” Weikel says. “I have tremendous patience, know how to stay calm, and can communicate well, which are all imperative to success in emergency management.”

That’s why Weikel chose to major in public policy with a focus on public administration and nonprofit management at Susquehanna.

“It is important to know why, how and for what purpose policies are created, especially as they relate to the nonprofits that are involved in disaster relief,” says the native of Pipersville, Pa.

After graduating, Weikel completed a fellowship with the James A. Finnegan Foundation and a master’s degree in science in healthcare emergency management at Boston University’s school of medicine.

During his time in the master’s program, he had the chance to work with industry experts and is a project manager of emergency management at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass.

Weikel says he appreciates the support and mentorship he has received from Susquehanna’s professors and is thankful for the strong foundation he received from here.

“I have been able to put my Susquehanna University public policy degree to excellent use in some of my major accomplishments including developing a shelter-in-place plan, severe weather plan and operationalizing hospital-wide continuity of operations plans,” he says.

Outside of the hospital, he published an article called “The Ethics of Using Plain Language in Hospital Emergency Codes” in the Journal of Healthcare and Protection Management.