Geneva hires new Director of Campus Safety and Security
On September 21, Geneva welcomed Kevin Robbins as the Director of Campus Safety and Security. Director Robbins brings new leadership to the department as Geneva updates and strengthens security measures.
Hannah Moelker- Staff Reporter
The Cabinet recently sat down with Kevin Robbins and Chris Treib, Geneva’s Vice President of Information Technology, to learn more about Robbins’ role and recent security updates. Robbins brings a wealth of experience into his new position. Out of high school, he became a paratrooper in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He later entered the private field, starting in event security, after which he went into elementary and high school security. After working at the University of Pittsburgh as a supervisor, he continued to work in private security for several years before spending a year serving as a deputy sheriff.
When asked what he was looking forward to at Geneva, Robbins responded, “I've always felt a calling to help people and help protect people. That's been my driving force throughout life. I saw the job post here and I felt God was telling me to come here.” He added that the welcome he received at Geneva has been unexpected, and that “everyone's been great and very accepting and I'm happy to be here.” One of the first things Robbins will do is conduct a “comprehensive security assessment.” This will examine doors, locks, cameras, student and faculty egress and many different aspects of campus security with the purpose of making everything function in safer and more secure ways. Robbins said the goal is to “make sure that everyone on campus is in a safe environment and can feel safe while they're here.” Treib and Robbins were able to provide some updates that occurred over the summer. A closer look was taken at some of the doors around campus that are easy to forget to lock. Treib noted that WGEV has a new door “that’s always locked but easy to escape.” He said, “If you go to WGEV on a regular basis, you should use the lower entrance and use the card reader.” Part of security’s responsibility is to lock doors on campus at night, so Treib took note of the doors that are easy to forget to lock, especially around PA-18.
The GC Alert system was also reviewed and is tested every semester on the first day of class. The test went very well this semester, and “We hardly had any deliverability issues and the ones that we did have were able to resolve really quickly.” Treib stressed the importance of GC Alerts. If a student did not receive the alert at the beginning of the semester, they should put in a ticket with the IT service desk to enable it. Security also tested the emergency kiosks that are located around campus, making sure everything was working and fixing any issues that were found.
After the Rapp fire in April 2026, Security “conducted a fire safety assessment and checked our buildings to make sure they had extinguishers that were up to date, smoke alarms that were up to date…” Treib also worked with physical plant staff, who showed him behind the scenes of the set-up of certain systems and fixed issues on the spot. Treib concluded, “We’re going to take that kind of approach to the next level with just looking at all of campus, not just from a fire perspective, but from safety and security.”
Campus Security has nine part-time and two full-time staff. They also have security internship positions available. Anyone who is interested can apply, especially Criminal Justice majors. Treib and Robbins stressed the importance of students updating information on their cars so that security can contact people easily if cars need to be moved. They noted that the freshman class has done really well with parking this year. Moving forward, security also intends to issue more warnings before ticketing.
Treib added, “I think just knowing that we're there to help them is important.” If students are studying late at the library, security can provide a ride or escort back to their dorm. They can also help jump start students’ cars, among other things. Students should “see something and say something.” Robbins said, “Even if you're unsure about something and you're not sure if you should call 911 or anything about it, you can reach out to security and we'll be able to direct you on how to handle that.” Local first responders are aware of the locations of campus buildings. It is important that when students call 911, whether for fire or police, they should give an exact building name rather than just the address of campus.
Security also works on building excellent relations with law enforcement. On October 10, when Geneva celebrates Homecoming, Beaver Falls Fire Department will be celebrating their 150th anniversary. Security has been working with Fire Chief Stowe, and the Fire Department will have a fire truck behind the end zone during the Homecoming game. As Robbins begins his new role, the comprehensive security assessment will be a helpful first step for security as they look to strengthen safety measures at Geneva.
HANNAH MOELKER