Page 52 - April 2017 Newsletter

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Loyola’s Criminal Justice Leadership program gives officers a valuable path to success
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
Loyola University’s new Bachelor of Arts Degree for adult students in Applied Criminal Justice Leadership features major courses examining some of the most inno- vative and important topics in professional law enforce- ment. Through this program, Lodge 7 members looking to complete their college degrees can build practical skills in Organizational Leadership in Criminal Justice, Conflict Management and Communications and Cyber-Crime De- tection and Investigation, among other areas of emphasis.
But other aspects of Loyola University’s new Bachelor of Arts Degree in Applied Criminal Justice Leadership make the program particularly valuable for Lodge 7 members. Some of the most experienced law enforcement leaders in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, including Chicago Lodge 7 President Dean Angelo, Sr., formed a Program Ad- visory Committee (PAC) to ensure it meets the changing needs of law enforcement. Additionally, the program runs through Loyola of Chicago’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, which understands police officers being part of the adult education movement.
“We formed an advisory committee to think the issues through with people from the profession about what was necessary for officers to move ahead,” explains Walter Pearson, Dean of Loyola’s School of Continuing and Pro- fessional Studies. “The program is focused on application to their lives so what they learn in class can be applied the next day on the job. We want to get students thinking about what direction their career is going.”
The program offers a flexible schedule and blend- ed-learning options could be a perfect fit. And there’s also a 25-percent tuition discount available for Lodge 7 mem- bers.
“You know how the job works. You do a good job, they remember you and you get moved along. But higher ed- ucation got me into posts I didn’t have the clout for,” rea- sons Robert “Mickey” Lombardo, a retired sergeant who did 28 years with Department, earned a doctorate and, as an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Loyola for 12 years, served on the PAC. “Today, every officer has some college, but the big thing is to finish that degree.”
Reading between the lines of Lombardo’s vast exper- tise and no-nonsense advice leads to considering where finishing that degree can take you. Those are the officers that the Applied Criminal Justice Leadership Program can serve best.
In short, if you want to become a leader on the job – whether it’s becoming a supervisor leading a unit or lead- ing a neighborhood you patrol to safer and better living – here’s a place to start. The two-plus years of planning and ramping up the program began with a study of leadership.
“We went out and did a lot of listening to alumni who
“We want to get (students) thinking about
what direction their career is going.”
Walter Pearson, Dean, School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Loyola had helped to lead and succeed,” Pearson shares. “Creating meaningful leadership is about having to make a contribution when it’s called for. We want to help our students become better leaders by giving them confi- dence that their ideas are well thought-out and they can communicate them.”
All in the context of policing. The program is focused on policing and especially a deep understanding of the ethics needed in the criminal justice profession. When the PAC vetted ideas for the curriculum and made recommen- dations to refine it, one of the primary objectives was to identify workforce needs and gaps.
That led to the major courses from which students must take 30 credit hours. The courses are accelerated into eight- week sessions offered face-to-face, online and blended. In addition to Organizational Leadership, Conflict Manage- ment and Communications and Cyber-Crime, the other major courses include:
• Ethics, Justice and Leadership
• Community Policing in the 21st Century
• Effective Communication in Criminal Justice • Crime Analysis
• Investigation Management
• Advanced Criminal Procedure
• Special Topics in Criminal Justice Leadership
Online learning is conducted through synchronized sessions using two-way communications software that allows students to talk with instructors and each other. Professors also record lectures or narrated PowerPoint presentations students can access. But this is not a lec- ture-dominated learning environment.
“It’s 10 minutes or so of lectures and we’re coupling that with good discussions to break down a topic,” Pearson details. “Students also are writing, which develops the ca- pacity to think and critically organize information.”
In conjunction with Loyola’s Criminal Justice Depart- ment and with the support of the university’s Board of Undergraduate Studies, the Criminal Justice Leadership program has cultivated high-level faculty members with the credentials to lead the mission of applying the learn- ing to everyday policing. The cyber-crime instructor is a specialist who was an FBI agent. A detective sergeant from the Department is teaching the investigations class.
And there is also Lombardo, who brings expertise in so- cial justice and every bit of his 28 years with the Depart-
52 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ APRIL 2017
Leaders