John Jay College of Criminal Justice lost 67 students and alumni in the World Trade Center disaster. That loss, and the increased interest in terrorism on the part of concerned citizens, prompted John Jay College to create the Center on Terrorism in late 2001. The goals of the Center are to study terrorism conceptually in ways that are familiar and appropriate for a university and to identify the practical applications of that knowledge in the search for alternative forms of human security. Such a blend of scholarship and commitment is particularly relevant for John Jay College, the leading institution in the country in the field of criminal justice and public safety, and one of the few institutions to offer M.A. students a certificate in the critical study of terrorism.