By 1996, the Research/Intelligence Analysis Progrom (R/IAP) was at the forefront of the technological push on Mercyhurst’s campus, responsible for bringing email to all students. Lexis-Nexis selected R/IAP to serve as a major testbed for the application of open source information to the intelligence process. By developing strong relationships with various organizations in the U.S. intelligence community, R/IAP helped to guarantee internship and employment opportunities for its students.
R/IAP had been located on the third floor of the library and in 1997 five computer systems and 300 books were destroyed after heavy rains collapsed the renovated roof. R/IAP relocated to the second floor of the library in the former Trustees Board Room with 15 online systems. One responsibility, which was briefly interrupted, was the home page of the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA). As the only student chapter of IALEIA, R/IAP was charged with maintaining it. By the end of the year, there were 94 students. Mercyhurst held the first annual colloquium for intelligence professionals and educators in 1998 called “Training for Open Source Intelligence.”
The following year, R/IAP launched its own site on the Mercyhurst intranet, giving students access to on-line texts, transcripts of lectures, and a page that helped students find jobs and internships. Mercyhurst also hosted a second colloquium: “Worth of Intelligence: Improving Return on Investment.”
Expect each year of the intelligence program at Mercyhurst over the next few weeks in short articles and feel free to email James at jcoyne88@lakers.mercyhurst.edu for any inaccuracies or further detail to be included in revised publications.