The New Bradley University Department of Criminal Justice Studies

 

For over thirty years, the interdisciplinary Administration of Criminal Justice Program at Bradley University has provided its students with a solid education in the basic principles of the criminal justices systems in the United States.  The basic guiding philosophy of the existing program is derived from its origin with a Law Enforcement Education Program grant in 1973.  Thus, there was a mixture of practitioner and theoretical content in the curriculum.  This was fine in 1973, and even in 1983, but by the 1990’s the discipline of criminal justice had become a mature social science, with a well developed body of scholarly literature based on both normative and empirical theory.  Sophisticated quantitative research became the norm, and nuanced examination of critical issues became possible.  The founding of the Department of Criminal Justice Studies allows us to move Bradley’s Department of Criminal Justice Studies into the forefront of the discipline.

 

The decision to create a new department was not made lightly.  Over the course of nearly a year of careful discussions between faculty and administration, a plan was developed to create a social science department.  The one thing that everyone at the table was in immediate agreement on was that the new program would not be practitioner oriented.  While our old program claimed to train leaders in criminal justice, our current curriculum is not well suited to meet this goal in the twenty-first century.  The new department will have as its mission the goal of training the next generation of leaders in criminal justice by providing them with critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and analytical skills. 

 

Everyone involved in the discussion also felt that it is important that we offer a curriculum that sets us apart from our competitors and which is rich in content.  For example, we are in a good position because of the expertise of our faculty in history to offer a variety of courses on the history of violence and social justice, not only in the United States, but also in other nations as well.  In the Post 9/11 world, it is essential that we offer a course on domestic strategies to combat terrorism.  Despite the rapid maturation of the information age, we are just now offering courses in forensic computing.  In an age of globalization, it is vital that we offer courses on comparative criminal justice systems, conflict resolution, and social equity.  In a discipline where the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences’ certification criteria include a course on ethics, we must offer one.  In a world where global warming is a key public issue, we should have a course on environmental crime.  In a time when we are attempting to be at the forefront of dealing with the problem of alcohol abuse on college campuses, we should have a dedicated course on alcohol, drugs and crime. The faculty we have might be able to craft some of these courses, but they would do so at the expense of courses that they already teach and that are an important part of their own departmental curricula.  The new chair will be tasked with adding new content, fostering the development of alternative courses by existing faculty, and incorporating the new courses into a revised curriculum.

 

Bradley University is excited at the prospect of establishing a department that is both a center for social science research in crime and justice studies and a place where students are engaged and challenged.  Existing faculty across the university are encouraged to involve undergraduate students in their research, and it is certainly expected that this will become the norm in the new department as well.  Leadership from an established scholar in the discipline will help us to achieve our goals.

 

The new chair will be appointed at the Associate or Full Professor level, with the contract to begin in the fall of 2010.  Applicants must have a Ph.D. in criminal justice or a related social science.  The candidate must also have a record of success in academic administration, undergraduate teaching, research and publication.  It is important that the new department establish a presence at regional and nation conferences.  Experience in acquiring and administering grants is preferred.  This new chair will need to be a dynamic individual capable of creating a vision and taking the necessary actions to make that vision come to fruition.

 

Expanded Position Announcement

Founding Chair, Department of Criminal Justice Studies

 

Bradley University is pleased to announce the creation of a new Department of Criminal Justice Studies and invites applications for the position of Founding Chair of the Department.  Bradley University has offered Bachelor’s degrees through its interdisciplinary Administration of Criminal Justice Program since 1973.  The ACJ Program was set up to be governed by a coordinating committee, with members from Sociology, History, and Political Science.  The new department will centralize management of the major, allowing Bradley to enhance its course offerings, expand the scope of the major, and better prepare students for the local and global leadership challenges of the twenty-first century.  The Department of Criminal Justice Studies will offer both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. 

 

The new department will be committed to the centrality of the social sciences in the study of justice.  Creation of a new department will allow us to move our program to the forefront of the discipline.  The chair will coordinate the contributions of the participating departments to the Criminal Justice Studies curriculum, develop and teach new courses, provide academic advising to students, conduct research in the field, and manage the growth of the program.  The chair will report to the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

 

The tenure track appointment will be at the Associate or Full Professor level, with the contract to begin in the fall of 2010.  Applicants must have a Ph.D. in criminal justice or a related social science.  The candidate must also have a record of success in academic administration, undergraduate teaching, research and publication.  Experience in acquiring and administering grants is preferred.  Salary will be commensurate with experience and expertise.  More information about the current Administration of Criminal Studies program can be found at http://www.bradley.edu/las/acj/.

 

Applicants should submit a letter of interest, a current vita, names, addresses and e-mail addresses of five references to be contacted for those candidates under serious consideration, example course syllabi, and teaching evaluations to:

 

Craig Curtis, Chair

Department of Criminal Justice Studies Search Committee

Bradley University
1501 W Bradley Ave.
Peoria, IL  61625. 

 

Consideration of applications will begin on October 31 and will continue until the position is filled.  E-mail submissions and questions may be directed to rcc@bradley.edu.  For more information about Bradley University go to http://www.bradley.edu/.

 

Bradley University is an equal opportunity employer.  The administration, faculty and staff are committed to attracting qualified candidates from underrepresented groups.  Applicants who are selected for interviews must be able to show proof that they will be eligible and qualified to work in the United States at the time of hire. 


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