Inaugural Cohort Graduation, Summits Mark CRCJ’s Year

The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice has seen plenty of milestones in the past year.

In late August 2011, 31 students from the Dallas-Fort Worth criminal justice community graduated after completing the department’s inaugural Cohort Master’s Program. The program began in 2009 and requires students to attend classes twice a week for two years at UT Arlington’s Fort Worth campus to complete the 36 required credit hours.

“We are proud of [our students’] hard work and dedication, which is representative of the impact our department has made in the criminal justice community in the past few years,” said Dr. Alex del Carmen, Professor and Department Chair.

The coursework and degree enabled several North Texas law enforcement officials to land lucrative jobs at federal agencies, and two graduates presented a research paper at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences’ annual meeting in March. Department faculty were also active in community issues, hosting regional conferences on hate crimes. In November 2011, CRCJ hosted a one-day workshop on investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. The event was sponsored by the Dallas division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

In March, the department hosted the “LGBT Conference of Safe Schools and Communities,” sponsored by the White House, UT Arlington, and several federal agencies. Guest speakers included U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, and Judy Shepard, mother of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard. The conference sessions were designed to provide advocates, community leaders and members of the public an opportunity to engage with the Obama Administration on efforts to ensure safety and security for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in schools and communities throughout the country.

“One of my visions is to have the practitioners work with the academics hand-in-hand,” said del Carmen. “It will benefit our students, it will benefit our research, and it will benefit our community.”

CRCJ undergraduates also had opportunities to showcase their knowledge. Earlier this year, seven students participated in an American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) tournament in Houston. The group’s faculty advisor, Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Royce West Jr., said the group fared well in its first event.