MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Edmund F. McGarrell
The School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University is the nation’s oldest continuous degree-granting program in criminal justice.
Since 1935, MSU has been a leader in criminal justice scholarship—with its pioneering research, undergraduate and graduate education and collaboration with criminal justice agencies, private firms, and communities.
Today the school focuses on the future by focusing attention on issues of crime and security including identity theft and computer security, DNA technology, international crime and security, school safety, domestic violence and the challenges facing an increasingly diverse society.
The school is a leader in innovative teaching in master’s degree and certificate programs offered online and a revised Ph.D. program that better addresses doctoral scholarship in the new century.
The school remains thoroughly engaged in the crucial issues facing state and local communities through community policing, strategic problem solving, crime analysis, evaluation research and basic research on a variety of criminal justice issues.
MSU prides itself on applying knowledge from the university to real-world matters. The School of Criminal Justice is at the forefront of working collaboratively to use knowledge to solve problems and assist communities locally and globally to enhance the quality of life and ensure justice.
Explore this Web site and learn why the School of Criminal Justice at MSU is:
- A center of academic excellence, at both graduate and undergraduate levels, nationally and internationally
- An engaged community and a vital resource that addresses critical problems and enhances the quality of life in Michigan, the nation, and the world
- A student-friendly environment with a diverse and talented group of students
- An innovative school with a proud heritage committed to a tradition of excellence
DIRECTOR'S UPDATE
SPRING 2011
Director, Edmund McGarrell
The School of Criminal Justice’s year-long celebration of its 75th Anniversary culminated with a full day celebration on Tax Day, April 15. Nearly 150 faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends gathered for a Symposium as well as celebratory dinner. The theme of the celebration was “holding true to our foundation and forging a new future” and this carried through the remarks offered at the outset, the keynotes, panel discussions, and Dean Baba’s dinner comments.
I had the privilege of opening the Symposium. It was an honor to walk through the history of the School and to note the foundation laid by founding chair, Donald Bremer, and a member of the first graduating class, Art Brandstatter. Of course, as readers of the E-Newsletter know, Brandstatter would go on to serve as Director of the School for three decades. The School grew with the addition of giants with names like Turner, Ferency, Radelet and many more. These leaders expanded the police administration program by building cutting-edge programs in the forensic sciences, industrial security, and juvenile delinquency. This group of scholars also launched the School’s international tradition through their work in assisting South Korea in the establishment of the Korean National Police Force that also led to a 60 year relationship with Korean police officials. The foundational work of Lou Radelet on improving police-citizen relations provided impetus for the next evolution of the School that saw Bob Trojanowicz, current faculty members Tim Bynum and John Hudzik, and alums such as John Angell, Gary Cordner, Jack Greene, and Knowlton Johnson (with apologies to the many I am omitting!) work with police and other criminal justice officials to build the community policing movement and to advance many aspects of the justice system in alignment with the goals of several Presidential Commissions and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration program. This was also the period that MSU again played a leadership role as one of three universities to establish doctoral programs in criminal justice and criminology and thereby firmly establish the study of crime and justice as a scholarly field of study. Merry Morash assumed the role of Director in 1991 and strengthened the research of excellence of the School through faculty hires and the revision of the doctoral program. This tradition has continued to this day. With strong support of the College of Social Science, the School has grown from a faculty of 14-15 to a faculty of 27. This has allowed us to both maintain historic strengths in areas such as policing, violence, judicial administration, forensic sciences, and security management but also to expand into critical issues facing society in a 21st Century characterized by globalization, technology, and issues of environmental sustainability. (Photo Left to Right, Ed McGarrell, Fran Kettler, and Gordon Kettler)
This tradition has continued to this day. With the strong support of the College of Social Science, the School has grown from a faculty of 14-15 to a faculty of 27. This has allowed us to both maintain historic strengths in areas such as policing, violence, judicial administration, forensic sciences and security management but also to expand into critical issues facing society in a 21st Century characterized by globalization, technology, and issues of environmental sustainability.
This blending of historical strengths and innovation was on clear display throughout the day in the work of our faculty, academic specialists, and students. The Symposium ended with an outstanding display of faculty and student research in a poster session that included 40 posters highlighting both the breadth and depth of scholarly research occurring in the School.
Particular highlights of the Symposium were the three keynote addresses from two alums and one of our faculty members. Professor Jack Greene PhD, ’77, former Dean of the College of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, mesmerized the audience by connecting the history of the School with the emergence of the field of criminal justice and criminology. His analogy of “building bridges” effectively captured this story by noting the strength that comes from linking scholarship and practice, the solid foundation developed by the School’s founders, and the image of crossing the bridge to new areas of inquiry and discovery. Dr. Joanne Belknap PhD, ‘86, Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado, highlighted the crucial role of mentorship while also weaving through the central findings of her research on the victimization of women and children. Specifically, she noted the critical role that her mentor, Merry Morash, played in her scholarly development. In doing so she paid tribute to the mentoring that has occurred over the 75 years of the School’s history, a record unmatched by any other university in terms of criminal justice and criminology. (Photo Left to Right, Steve Chester, Jack Greene, Ineke Marshall, and Ed McGarrell)
The capstone of the evening were two talks at the conclusion of dinner. As noted above, Dean Marietta Baba skillfully weaved her way through the key milestones of the School’s history. Several of our faculty walked away saying, “I did not know that!” This was followed by the final keynote address delivered by our own Professor Chris Smith. An expert on the courts and the Supreme Court in particular, Smith has been working on a biography of Justice John Paul Stevens. In addition to studying Stevens’ judicial record, Smith has had the privilege of interviewing Justice Stevens and in that process has recognized how events in Stevens’ life, including the false accusation of embezzlement charges lodged against his father, likely influenced his judicial philosophy. Smith linked the history of criminal justice reform to the history of the School and displayed the passion for education that has been part and parcel of this School throughout its history. As Smith talked, I reflected upon the long tradition of outstanding scholars and the 10,000 plus alumni who have made the School what it is and who bring distinction through their professional contributions to both the fairness and effectiveness of the justice system. (Photo of Dr. Christopher Smith)
All-in-all, the event was proclaimed a resounding success by all in attendance. Sincere thanks go out to all those who made this happen. The planning committee consisting of Sarah Blom, Tom Brennan, Terri Bulock, Tim Bynum, Candy Curtis, Vicki Essenmacher, Tim Homberg, Audrey Martini, Ed McGarrell, Mike Thompson, and Mary Lee VanderMoere worked untold hours since last summer. The College of Social Science was a key partner and supporter. We had tremendous participation from our faculty and students, graduate and undergraduate students alike. One of the clearhighlights was the active participation of many alumni as well as friends of the School who served as panelists in sessions throughout the day, thereby linking School research to the pressing issues of the day facing criminal justice and security professionals, as well as those who participated as attendees and enriched the day through formal and informal conversation.
Additionally, to all those alumni, faculty and staff, and friends who provided financial support for the celebration, thank you. We were able to allow our students and staff to attend the event at no cost yet avoid excess expenditures in this time of tight budgets. Of particular note are the group of alumni and faculty who became part of our Founder’s Circle with substantial gifts to the School.
Finally, it came to our attention that several friends of the School did not receive their invitation to the 75th Celebration in a timely fashion or did not receive the invitation in time. We tried to rely on prior E-Newsletters, the College of Social Science Newsletter, and our website, in addition to direct mailings, but sincerely apologize to any alum or friend of the School who did not receive an invitation or did not get adequate notice.
All-in-all, this was a wonderful celebration and capped off a year of celebration. We look forward to continuing this tradition of excellence in research, education, and engaged outreach as we move into the next twenty five years.
Special thanks to the 75th Anniversary Enrichment fund contributors and Founder's Circle Members, Alan and Joan Boehm, Ray and Marie Ginther, Scott Gooding, Thomas and Susan Gorney, Gordon and Fran Kettler, Rod and Joan Kinghorn, Ed and Donna McGarrell, and Chris and Charlotte Smith. These generous contributions will help provide undergraduate student scholarships, internship support, graduate assistantships, faculty research support, and other programmatic and academic opportunities.
MISSION
School of Criminal Justice Mission Statement
Although there are certainly many contributing factors to the success of the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, three are paramount. First, the School has maintained its strong academic emphasis within the context of professional education. A professional school will, by its very nature and mission, maintain close liaison with its constituency, will sponsor the kinds of research necessary to cope with current and long term problems, and will offer a curriculum that reflects the changing needs of the student, practitioner, and academic communities. However, we are not, a professional school in the sense of providing a narrow, technical education. While a number of schools of criminal justice throughout the country have followed such a narrow model, the School of Criminal Justice at MSU continues to stress the importance of a broadly based liberal arts education. This commitment has, and will continue to be reflected in the School’s curriculum, research and public service.
A second factor that has significantly contributed to the success of the School of Criminal Justice has been its holistic approach to the study of criminal justice. Through two comprehensive revisions of the School’s curricula over the past six years we have developed an integrated curriculum at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. All degree candidates (graduate and undergraduate) are required to complete coursework which can be termed “system wide” in emphasis rather than specializing solely in a narrow occupational area within the field of criminal justice. Such coursework broadens the conceptual base for students majoring in criminal justice as well as those who complete coursework in criminal justice on an elective basis.
The third important contribution to the success of the School of Criminal Justice is the link that the School has, and continues to maintain, between academia and those practicing criminal justice in the agency world. Such a link is reflected in the School’s commitment to improving the quality of criminal justice training.
The training of practitioners is an integral part of the School of Criminal Justice. The training component provides the opportunity for academic theories to be shared with the field. By becoming involved with practitioners, the training component opens doors to agencies for field research and student placement opportunities. The feedback that accompanies both the training and the field work greatly assists the collaborative identification of new problems confronting criminal justice agencies and the refinement of thinking
SCHOOL HISTORY
School of Criminal Justice History
The School of Criminal Justice was founded in 1935 as the School of Public Administration and Public Safety. The School has maintained its leadership in police education and research as well as expanding its scholarly attention to criminal justice, forensics, security, and emerging crime and justice issues.
The following list of articles provides a variety of perspectives on the history and growth of the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Copyright issues keep us from providing the full text of some of these. We have however, provided abstracts in those instances.
- "Mission Statement of the School, 1980-1997"
- "Genesis and Early History of Criminal Justice Studies at Michigan State University", A. F. Brandstatter (Paper presented at the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, October 11-13, 1989)
- "The History of the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University 1935-1963", Wilbur Lewis Rykert, (Masters Thesis 1985).
- "The School of Criminal Justice: The Making of Super-sleuths in Olds Hall", Robert Bao, (MSU Alumni Magazine, March 1974)
- "The School of Criminal Justice - 50th Anniversary Jubilee", Author Unknown
- "Michigan State's School of Criminal Justice Celebrates 50th Anniversary", Robert C. Trojanowicz, (The Police Chief, August 1985)
- "MSU" Alan Harman, (Law and Order Magazine, March 1988)
We invite your memories, historical recollections, photos, articles, etc., and will include them on either this page or in our Scrapbook. Send information to Mary Lee Vandermoere or call her at (517) 355-2192.
SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY
School of Criminal Justice Philosopy
In 1969, the faculty of the School of Criminal Justice adopted a School Philosophy statement that opened with: “The prevention of crime, the protection of life and property, the preservation of peace, the safeguarding of civil rights, and the maintenance of social order with justice and freedom for all, are essential to the functioning of a democratic society.” Today, the School remains committed to using research, education, and engaged outreach to enhance what the National Academies of Sciences’ Committee on Law and Justice has called the balance of “fairness and effectiveness.” Specifically, the mission of the School is to generate new knowledge, to apply that knowledge to solve justice-related problems, and to educate future leaders with a commitment to enhancing both effectiveness in reducing crime and victimization and fairness through the preservation of basic human and civil rights.
The School’s philosophy is evident in its strategic agenda.
Excellence in Education
Foremost we are committed to providing an excellent educational experience through our undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificates, and specializations. At the undergraduate level we offer a bachelors of arts degree. We have made the degree more flexible so that students can pursue the rich variety of additional majors, second degrees and academic specializations offered at MSU. The School offers a security management specialization and students can pursue specializations that range from conservation and environmental law enforcement; Muslim studies; spatial information processing; women, gender, and social justice; and a variety of area studies programs. Students are encouraged to participate in internships and Study Abroad programs and two student associations assist students make connections to the professional community.
Our masters degree program is designed to support professionals seeking personal growth and to enhance their careers through continuing education as well as students preparing for doctoral study. The program is also offered in online format to better address the needs of professionals employed throughout the country and the world. The degree includes options for a security management specialization and certificates in homeland security, law enforcement intelligence analysis, and international focus. We anticipate a new professional masters degree in law enforcement intelligence and analysis to be launched in January 2007.
The School is also proud to offer a masters degree in forensic science. This degree attracts outstanding students pursuing one of three tracks: forensic anthropology, forensic biology, and forensic chemistry.
MSU is one of the three founding universities to offer a doctoral degree in criminal justice. The Ph.D. was an outgrowth of the Presidential Crime Commission of the late 1960s with the initial degree awarded in 1971. Since that time MSU Ph.D.’s in criminal justice have become leaders in academia, private research organizations, and governmental agencies. Indeed, our doctoral alumni include deans and professors in leading university programs throughout the U.S. and internationally as well as within national police organizations and the U.S. Department of Justice. We provide a challenging yet supportive academic environment and close mentoring relationships with faculty. Several studies have found recent graduates of our School to be the most productive faculty in terms of scholarly publication
International and Cultural Scholarship and Education
Michigan State University has a long history and contemporary excellence in global engagement and international scholarship. Similarly, the School of Criminal Justice is committed to excellence in international scholarship. This is evident in our Study Abroad programs, faculty research, and the composition of our student body. The School is the home of the International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, the official journal of the International Division of the American Society of Criminology. Each year we host the Dae Chang International Visiting Scholar program that brings an exceptional international scholar to campus. Our graduate student body includes students from Australia, China, India, Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, with new additions each year and alumni in every continent. Our faculty and students are engaged in research and study in many countries in Africa, Asia and Europe and are pursuing new initiatives that will expand this list. As many have recognized, globally focused education and research is paramount for the 21st Century. MSU provides unparalled opportunities for global scholarship.
The Engaged School – Fulfilling the Land Grant Mission through Public Policy/Applied Research
As the nation’s founding Land Grant University, MSU has long been committed to both generating new knowledge and applying that knowledge to address fundamental problems facing communities, nations, and the world. This is a fundamental and distinctive aspect of the School of Criminal Justice. It is apparent in the many programs that are part of our Outreach Unit. It is apparent in the collaboration between our faculty and students and forensic crime labs throughout the U.S. and beyond. It is also apparent in the research conducted by our faculty. The School is home to the Michigan Justice Statistics Analysis Center and the Michigan Victim’s Assistance Academy. It is home to major national programs on juvenile detention, law enforcement intelligence, and gun violence and international programs on transnational and comparative criminal justice. As you review faculty research interests, including topics as diverse as corporate security; delinquency and youth development; drug courts; environmental crime; forensic evidence; gangs, gender and justice; homicide; inmate re-entry; judicial administration; law and policymaking; police deviance; police use of force; race, ethnicity and justice; restorative justice; staff burnout; risk assessment; terrorism; victimization; and much more, it becomes apparent that the School is engaged with the most pressing crime and justice issues of the day.
The School’s engagement is also evident in the partnerships established with professional associations, public and private agencies, and universities within the U.S. and abroad. For example, the Judicial Administration Program has established formal partnerships with the leading professional associations of judicial managers as well as with many state and federal judicial organizations and court systems in Australia and Egypt. The School collaborates with the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards, the Michigan State Police, numerous Michigan and U.S. local law enforcement agencies, federal agencies (e.g., DEA, DHS, EPA, FBI, Fish and Wildlife, FLETC, NIJ, National Park Service), Interpol, the Korean National Police, the Turkish National Police, the Thai Royal Police and a number of constabularies in the United Kingdom. A prime example of such collaboration is our relationship with the University of Michigan whereby our faculty direct the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data and the newly established Archive on Terrorism. Similarly, we work with the University of Minnesota on food security, Rutgers University on risk assessment, Babes-Bolyai University in Romania on community policing and universities in Australia, India, Korea, Philippines, Ukraine, and United Kingdom and beyond. Additionally, the School works with leading corporations including Ford, General Motors, IBM, and Target, to address security-related issues in a global marketplace. These partnerships enrich the School by generating research questions and providing research opportunities, grounding our educational programs in real world experience, and linking our students to professional opportunities
Interdisciplinary Scholarship
With roots in anthropology, history, law, political science, psychology, and sociology, criminal justice is an inherently multi-disciplinary field of study. This multi-disciplinary focus is apparent in our faculty. In recent years this is even more apparent as we move toward an inter- and cross-disciplinary focus in our educational, research, and outreach activity. We build on connections to every college within MSU. This is evident through the specializations offered to undergraduate and graduate students and through the outside cognate area of the Ph.D. program. It is also witnessed in the School’s involvement in MSU’s Risk Research Initiative. Through these connections, MSU students have access to cutting-edge courses in cyber- and information security; environmental compliance and enforcement; forensics; geospatial analysis; global and area studies; judicial administration; public health; and supply chain security. This inter-disciplinary focus runs through the curriculum, is part of specializations and degree programs, and is available for individualized programs of study at undergraduate and graduate levels
Committment to Diversity
The School’s commitment to diversity is multi-dimensional. The Land Grant philosophy has historically included a commitment to making higher education available to everyone and we believe this is particularly important for the study of criminal justice. Thus, we are committed to providing access to a diverse student body. We are also committed to a diversity of ideas. Our faculty do not agree on all of the normative dimensions of criminal justice policy, the causes of crime and delinquency, nor the preferred responses to crime and disorder. This, however, is a positive trait as we seek to be an environment where exchange and debate are encouraged and where scientific critique of research becomes the engine for the generation of new knowledge. Many of our alumni who are now police executives talk about the influence of the late Professor Zolton Ferency. Professor Ferency was firmly committed to the preservation of individual rights as embodied in the U.S. Constitution. One of his former students, now a law enforcement executive, commented, “I didn’t always agree with him but he made me think about civil rights in a way that has stuck with me my entire career.” It is precisely this type of critical thinking, about both the fairness and effectiveness of the justice system, that lives on within the School to this day.
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
School of Criminal Justice History
|
Ed McGarrell, Director and Professor Project Safe Neighborhoods |
Jeremy Wilson, Associate Professor |
|
Louie Rivers, Assistant Professor Environmental Science and Policy Program |
Carole Gibbs, Assistant Professor Criminology Research |