Page 47 - May 2020

Dusting off your thinking cap
The 4-1-1 on Education
Panel discussion with academic experts .....Page 50 A guide to local programs............................Page 52
2020 EDUCATION GUIDE:
Advancing your career
Going back to school is daunting,
but continuing education can change your career
n BY KAREN STAHL
The individuals walking across the stage are nearly indistin- guishable from each other in their freshly pressed black grad- uation gowns, gold stoles and deep purple tassels swinging en- thusiastically to a triumphant pulse. But, standing on the edge of the stage to celebrate graduates of Calumet College of St. Jo- seph, Public Safety Programs Coordinator Jacqueline Cruz sees the distinct accomplishments of individual students through- out the past two years.
She observes men and women with sting- ing, sleepless eyes who stay up to study after first watch; those who balance a soda bottle
and a laptop while replaying responses in their heads from the week before; the ones who have gone from donning frightened expressions on the first day of class to wearing fearless, con- quering countenances.
Cruz’s hugs for graduates exceed mere embrace. They be- come bold affirmations: You’ve done it. You made it.
As families, children and friends watch and celebrate from the crowd, the program coordinator knows these graduation ceremonies serve as proof that continuing education for Chi- cago Police Officers is one of the most beneficial actions that they can take toward personal advancement and career ad- vancement. The unmatched training that combines classroom theory with on-the-job experience creates a unique vehicle to empower officers by arming them with integrative knowledge – knowledge that can only be absorbed through a continuing education program.
“They’re seeing now that having that diploma – having that degree – is a useful tool,” Cruz confirmed. “They don’t necessar- ily require that you have a degree to move up for certain posi- tions, but [officers] know that it sets them apart. You can see the importance of what this degree is going to get for you.”
tween their first day in the classroom and final day on the grad- uation stage create powerhouse professionals. Each stands as a living testament to the notion that there’s no going back to who they were prior to earning that degree.
“At the end, they give me that hug, and I feel awesome,” Cruz gushed. “I just feel so proud of them.”
Becoming well-rounded
Some of the public safety program courses Cruz offers her students at Calumet College of St. Joseph within the bachelor’s degree include leadership and crisis management, ethics in public safety and resource allocation.
The curriculum allows students to hone their critical thinking and tactical knowledge – the “know-how” of the job – while pre- paring them for life after retirement by providing transferable skills, according to Vesna Markovic, department chair of Justice, Law and Public Safety Studies at Lewis University.
“These methods and tools help make a more well-rounded individual,” Markovic asserted about her school’s various bach- elor’s degree programs in criminal justice, forensic criminal investigation and paralegal studies, as well as master’s degree programs in criminal justice, social work and psychology. “You get the intellectual tools to become better problem solvers and better leaders within departments and communities.”
Some of the tactical strategies geared toward creating more well-rounded officers include learning mental health triggers in oneself and others, coping with PTSD and applying psycholo- gy to de-escalate domestics. Those approaches are part of the course content at The Chicago School of Professional Psychol- ogy in the forensic psychology department, of which Erika Lil- jedahl is the department chair.
“I really think education comes down to helping one anoth- er,” Liljedahl asserted. “There’s a lot of pressures everywhere. There’s the work itself, but being able to process through the job can come through our department.”
Not only does a continuing education provide necessary ac- ademic and job knowledge, it advances on-the-job career pros-
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Cruz noted that the skills students acquire in a life lived be-
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2020 47