Mansfield University Home Page > Criminal Justice Administration Home Page > News & Announcements > 2010 - 2011 part 2
Twenty students received their B.S. degree in Criminal Justice Administration and one student received his A.S. degree on December 18th, 2010 as Mansfield University held their 146th commencement.
Graduating with highest honors was Daniel K. Moss of Anchorage, Alaska, with Summa Cum Laude honors. Graduating Cum Laude was Dominic J. Cino (Uniondale, PA) and Amanda Sloat (Sayre, PA). Amanda just finished her internship at the Federal Correctional Complex at Allenwood, PA just days before.
Students receiveing their B.S. degree included Kristin Armstrong (Binghamton, NY), Melissa Cowgill (Philadelphia), Ashley Empet (Mansfield, PA), Alfred Fields (Philadelphia, PA), Michael Gray (Elmira, NY), Nicholas Hansrote (Enola, PA), Alicia Hufford (Flemington, NY), Seth Kronemeyer (Medford, NJ), Stephanie Lane (Towanda, PA), Terrell Lehman (Lewisburg, PA), Richard Poulin (Mansfield, PA), Wilson Santiago (Willow Street, PA), Mick Steward (Orangeville, PA), Robert Stewart (Lawrenceville, PA), Nicole Temple (Hughesville, PA), Jonathon D. Warner (Moscow, PA), and Christopher Zelko (Horseheads, NY).
James N. West of Nelson, PA received his A.S. in Criminal Justice Administration.
Richard L. Springman, formerly of Cogan Station, PA, was granted his A.S. degree posthoumously and his diploma received by his parents. Richard was killed responding to the scene of an automobile accident on July 14, 2010. Richard was entering his junior year as a criminal justice major, and was buried on his 21st birthday.
The Outstanding Freshmen, Sophomore and Junior Criminal Justice majors were announced for the 2009-2010 academic year. While most academic departments announce their academic awards based on just one semester, the Department of Criminal Justice bases their decision on the past entire academic year. Each student will receive a $100. scholarship, a certificate and an autographed copy of the New York Times bestseller, The Murder Room (2010) by Michael Capuzzo. The awards are based solely on grade point average.
The outstanding freshman was Lucas Hass. According to Lucas, he likes Mansfield University "…because of the surrounding landscape and the great mountain views the campus has. I feel the Department of Criminal Justice here at Mansfield has a great balance of professors with great academic backgrounds and those with in-the-field experience that can not necessarily be learned in the classroom. Both of these combine make for a great college experience that would be hard to find elsewhere..."
Tyler Morse is the outstanding sophomore in criminal justice. Tyler is from Jersey Shore, and was last year’s "Outstanding Freshman in Criminal Justice." Tyler was also recently named Mansfield’s THIS (The Harrisburg Internship Semester) award winner, and he will be interning with the PA Department of State next semester in their Senior Prosecutor’s Office. Tyler is also a member of Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society.
Timothy Vandyke is the Outstanding Junior in Criminal Justice. According to Timothy, he came to Mansfield "…because of the small class size and the location. I grew up in the country, so as soon as I visited Mansfield I felt right at home. Since the class sizes are small, I have had an opportunity to make great personal relationships with the professors. A large amount of my success can be given to the availability of my professors. Instead of just being a number in a large classroom, the faculty at Mansfield University makes sure they have time for every student."
Lucas, Tyler and Timothy will also be recognized during next spring’s Academic Awards Banquet.
Thomas Schuster, Chief of the Adult & Juvenile Probation and Parole Department for Bradford County, has been named the "Outstanding Alumni in Criminal Justice" for the 2010-2011 academic year. Thomas has held that position since 1985, and prior to that he was he Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for Bradford County from 1981 to 1985. He began his career in probation and parole in 1980 when he was appointed a juvenile probation officer in 1980. He was also a police officer for the Sayre Borough Police Department from 1981 to 1982.
Thomas graduated from Mansfield University in 1980 with a B.A. in Criminal Justice, and took his M.S. in the Administration of Justice from Shippensburg University in 1984.
According to Dr. Scott Thornsley, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Mansfield, Thomas has always assisted criminal justice majors both in and out of the classroom for years, and his Bradford County Probation & Parole Department employs a sizeable number of MU graduates, as well as placing interns there. Most recently, Thomas has come to the aid of the Department after the unexpected retirement of Dr. Mark Robarge in August of 2009. Since then, Thomas has tirelessly taken on many additional courses until the department could name a third, full-time, tenure track faculty member. Thomas is both liked and respected by his students and colleagues, and has never hesitated in assisting the department whenever called upon. He is currently a regular, part-time faculty member for the department.
Joan Porter, a member of the Board of Directors for the PA Innocence Project, is scheduled to speak at Mansfield University on Tuesday, December 7th at 6:30 PM. (A location is yet-to be selected, but will be announced in the immediate future.) Ms. Porter's presentation is an educational campaign about wrongful convictions in Pennsylvania. The national Innocence Project, based in New York City, has documented over 250 post-conviction DNA exonerations nationwide. Since 1990, there have been 9 exonerations of wrongfully convicted Pennsylvanians. To further this work, the PA Innocence Project wsa established in April 2009 to secure the exoneration, release from imprisonment, and restoration to society of persons who are innocent and have been wrongfully convicted.
Ms. Porter is also a member of the Board of Directors for the PA Prison Society where she is defined as an "Official Visitor" for the Bucks County Correctional Facility, and the State Correctional Institutions at Graterford and Muncy.
The Honorable John Heaton, Secretary of the PA Board of Pardons, and a former chief counsel for the PA State Police, will speak to criminal justice students at Mansfield University for the fourth time in six years on Thursday, November 18th. Secretary Heaton oversees the Board of Pardons, which is chaired by the Lt. Governor, and whose membership is composed of the Attorney General (Currently Tom Corbitt, who is the Republican candidate for governor), a crime victim, a corrections expert and a psychologist.
Secretary Heaton will speak on the clemency process in Pennsylvania, and in particular the plight of the life-sentenced inmate. Students who have incurred arrests and convictions and who wonder what they can do to remove those incidents from their records are especially encouraged to attend.
Secretary Heaton will speak from 2:30 - 3:45 PM in Room #153 of the Grant Science Center, where Dr. Thornsley's Introduction to Criminal Justice class is held. All criminal justice students are encouraged to attend. This may be the last time a Secretary of the Board of Pardons may speak at Mansfield University.
Mr. Michael Duda, district director for the Williamsport Office of the PA Board of Probation and Parole, will speak to criminal justice students on Tuesday, November 16th as part of the Parole Board's education and recruitment campaign. According to the Parole Board, the purpose of the campaign is to "...promote a better understanding of probation and parole as a career option..." as well as to "...promote interest in all public safety agencies to achieve greater diversity in recruiting qualified candidates. For university students majoring in criminal justice, the Parole Board also wants to "...clarify what courses might help them for a rewarding career in probation and parole."
Students will be able to hear Mr. Duda from 10:00 - 11:15 AM and from 2:30 - 3:45, in rooms 122 and 153, respectively, of the Grant Science Center. Both presentations are held in conjunction with Dr. Thornsley's classes at that time.
On October 22nd criminal justice students from Mansfield University toured the Bradford County Correctional Facility for the first time and received an extremely thorough tour of the 190 cell facility, visiting virtually every aspect of the facility. After the tour students were able to meet with two habitual offenders - one male and one female, who have served time at the federal, state and county level.
Warden Don Stewart led the tour personally, and he is scheduled to travel to Mansfield University on Tuesday, November 9th to speak to Dr. Thornsley's Introduction to Criminal Justice class, (Room #153 Grant Science Center; 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM; all criminal justice majors are invited to attend) where he will discuss the challenges a county correctional administrator faces.
Waraden Stewart is retired from the Maryland Department of Corrections where he attained the rank of Major of the Guard, and was a former warden at the Sullivan (PA) County Prison from 2006-2008. His daughter recently graduated from Mansfield University in May 2010 with a B.S. in criminal justice.
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
1:00 to 2: 00 p.m. at 307 Alumni Hall
The Department of Criminal Justice Administration is honored to have a professional law enforcement practitioner who specializes in "cold cases" appear as the third and final speaker during their "Cold Case Week" which earlier saw Michael Capuzzo, (author of the current New York Times bestselling nonfiction book The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World’s Most Perplexing Cold Cases), and forensic psychologist and criminal profiler Richard Walter, (who Scotland Yard refers to as The Living Sherlock Holmes), speak at Mansfield University.
Dr. George Cronin is the third and final distinguished visiting lecturer in criminal justice to appear in conjunction with Mansfield University’s Department of Criminal Justice’s "Cold Case Week." Dr. Cronin will present an informal presentation on Tuesday, September 14th on how law enforcement agencies train what is commonly referred to as "criminal profilers," and his membership and involvement with The Vidocq Society, which is the world’s most prestigious society in the pursuit of “cold cases” which meets in Philadelphia over lunch to hear requests for assistance from law enforcement agencies all over the world.
Dr Cronin is a criminal investigation assessment officer with the Criminal Investigative Assessment Unit of the Pennsylvania State Police, at Troop H, located in Harrisburg, where his duties focus on the investigation of “cold cases.” He also consults on violent crimes and predatory sexual offenses, and is regularly called to consult with other law enforcement agencies regarding any other violent crime investigations.
Dr. Cronin has been employed with the Pennsylvania State Police since 1985, with previous assignments of criminal investigation and patrol. He is a former "Trooper of the Year."
Dr. Cronin received both his B.S. (Criminal Justice) and M.S. (Administration of Justice) from Shippensburg University. His Ph.D. in criminal justice was taken from Temple University in 2008. His doctoral dissertation was entitled Structural Determinants of Homicide in Rural Pennsylvania.
For criminal justice majors, "Cold Case File Week" starts on Monday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m. in Straughn Auditorium when New York Times bestselling author Michael Capuzzo, author of the recently released book, The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases appears with Richard Walter, often referred to as the "Living Sherlock Holmes", who is in real life a forensic psychologist and criminal profiler and one of the co-founders of the Vidocq Society, which is based in Philadelphia and meets monthly over lunch to discuss and assign its members investigative assignments to police departments from around the world.
The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at #11 after being released on August 10th. The Murder Room has been discussed on NPR, had one of its case studies appearing in the August 2010 issue of Reader's Digest under the story entitled "Who Killed My Son?" and a related story on a Vidocq Society case currently under investigation will appear on ABC's 20/20 at 10:00 p.m. on September 21st.
Author Michael Capuzzo and Richard Walter will discuss the origin of the book and the Vidocq Society, and some of Richard Walter's most memorable cases from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Straughn Auditorium on Monday, September 13th. Afterwards, Capuzzo and Walter will be available for book signing, with books being available from a local bookstore. (The book can be obtained at a substantially reduced rate from Amazon.com.)
The event is free and open to the public.
On Tuesday, September 14th, PA State Police Corporal Dr. George Cronin of the Criminal Investigative Assessment Unit will be speaking to a criminal justice class and be speaking to an audience at a time and place yet-to be determined. Dr. Cronin, one of the State Police's criminal profilers, has a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Temple University and is also a member of the Vidocq Society.
Mr. Joshua Battin, Program Director
212 Pinecrest Manor
(570) 662-4493
Dr. John Mansfield, Department Chair
209 Pinecrest Manor
(570) 662-4483
Gayle M. Thompson, Secretary
213 Pinecrest Manor
(570) 662 - 4661
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