Directors Update

 

Spring 2011

Director Ed 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.