by Howard N. Apsan, Ph.D., Professor of Professional Practice and Associate Director in the M.S. in Project Management Program, School of Professional Studies
September 11, 2026, was the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the foiled attack that ended in a plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In New York, the main annual memorial is at Ground Zero, the site of the Twin Towers, and many local ceremonies are held throughout the region — like the one in Springfield, New Jersey, pictured in this photo (I am the fourth from the right). The memorial ceremonies commemorate the victims of the attack — especially community residents who died in the crash, the fire or the building collapse — and honor the first responders who risked their lives running toward danger while others were running away. More than 400 firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel sacrificed their lives trying to save others on that day, and many more have since suffered health impacts from participating in 9/11 recovery efforts.
This year, there may have been slightly larger crowds because of the publicity surrounding the 25th anniversary of the attack. In general, though, attendance seems to have declined at the local ceremonies as more time has passed since the event. And although there has always been a good turnout among the first responders — paid or volunteer, regular or auxiliary — many of the newer firefighters, police officers and EMTs were too young to remember much about the attacks, and some weren’t even born.
In Situational Awareness: The Essence of Risk Management (URMIA Journal, 2018), I shared my personal experience in and around the World Trade Center on that day. Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt, and I even had an interesting experience hitching a ride on a tugboat to get home to New Jersey from my office on Wall Street. I had asked a colleague to stay with me at the office to answer anxious phone calls from loved ones hoping to hear that their spouse, parent or child had made it safely to the office and was heading home. We stayed until the building was evacuated after the towers fell, and then I had to find a way across the Hudson.
We read the Situational Awareness article in my class to understand the importance of this concept for leaders in all settings, not just for risk management. Because fall classes often begin on or near September 11, I try to start class with a few leadership lessons learned from that traumatic event. As the years pass, it starts to feel more like a history lesson because even if the students were already born, most were too young to have any meaningful recollection. For them, we might as well be discussing the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Vietnam War, so it is important to understand why certain leadership lessons from the 9/11 attacks and response are so valuable.
A range of subjects covered in our M.S. in Project Management courses help us understand these 9/11 lessons. In addition to situational awareness and risk management, they include training, preparedness, communication, interoperability, coordination, continuity of operations and a slew of other leadership and project management issues. We learn, particularly, that crises can bring out the best in people and highlight latent leadership abilities. Unfortunately, they can also underscore critical areas that need improvement. Our responsibility is to reinforce the leadership successes and commit to continuous improvement where needed.
After a quarter of a century, which included Hurricane Sandy, COVID-19, and the emergence of artificial intelligence, some of the leadership lessons may have faded, and others seem to remain on the continuous improvement agenda. But one lasting leadership legacy of 9/11 continues to capture the attention of students and organizational leaders alike.
Twenty-five years on, students still ask the same question: How did those leaders get hundreds of first responders to run into burning skyscrapers knowing that the odds of emerging alive were what most New York City cops and firefighters would have called a chump’s bet? The answer, of course, is that they didn’t get them to run into the burning building; they led them into the building saying, “follow me.” This lesson of leadership by example was ingrained in every first responder long before 9/11 and has been amplified ever since. So, when I see the next generation of first responders stand at somber attention and salute as they ring the “never forget” bells at a 9/11 ceremony, I think of how heartened the heroes of 9/11 would have been.
Views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Columbia University School of Professional Studies or Columbia University.
About the Program
The Columbia University Master of Science in Project Management program equips individuals with the strategic, analytical, and leadership skills essential for a successful career managing complex projects across industries and borders.
Available full-time or part-time, the M.S. in Project Management is designed for professionals who want to advance into leadership roles or formalize their project management experience with a strong academic and practical foundation. Students can opt for the general Project Management program or choose from one of the four specialized concentrations: Construction, Sports Management, Sustainability Management, and Technology Management.
Taught by scholar-practitioners and enhanced by Columbia’s location in New York City, the curriculum integrates emerging digital tools and AI-driven practices to help graduates make data-informed decisions and improve operational efficiency. Graduates will be prepared to lead high-stakes projects with confidence and clarity, and return to the job market with a competitive edge.
The application deadline for the M.S. in Project Management program is June 1. Learn more about the program here.
