On Thursday, April 23, the Department of Criminal Justice at Olivet Nazarene University hosted a luncheon to showcase student success within the department and to thank community partners for their valuable contributions to the academic rigor of the program. Representatives from all local law enforcement agencies, as well as state agencies and criminal justice organizations were in attendance.
These community agencies and organizations support the educational experience at Olivet by providing internship positions, mentoring programs and guest speakers, as well as annual mock trial, mock crime scene, and ROTC field training events.
Programming included student testimonials from graduating seniors about their internship experiences.
Arianna Esquivel talked about her two internships, one with State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, and the other with psychologist, James John Simone, Ph.D.
“I would like to say thank you, first, to the Kankakee County Courthouse, especially the traffic division, for such a formative experience,” she said. “I was able to shadow states attorneys and I really felt that I was able to get a better understanding of how fast-moving everything works over there and how important it is. I would also like to say thank Dr. Simone for such a unique and eye-opening experience… Between both internships, I got to see two very different sides of the system: the legal side and the psychological side. It’s very interesting how much they overlap each other.”
Mason Uden’s internship with the investigations division of the Illinois State Police broadened his career outlook.
“I’d be lying if I said that was the first thing I wanted to do — I wanted to be on patrol the entire time,” he reflected. “But I saw an opportunity to see a different side of law enforcement… to be on the investigations side was really eye-opening, it sparked my interest…Building the relationships that I’ve built with the state police, or even the local agencies we’ve been in contact with, getting phone numbers and shaking hands, putting a face to a name — that’s going to be very beneficial down the road… the connections are really going to help down the road.”
Senior Megan Mussard, who collaborated with local agencies to gather survey insights on officer’s mental health as part of her University Honors Program capstone project, also provided a research update.
During the luncheon, departmental faculty Shelly Stroud, Ph.D., Jeremy Croy, Ed.D. and Matt Adamson, Ph.D. shared highlights about the department, including new academic courses being introduced in the fall, stable enrollment data, an increase in female-to-male ratio in student demographics, honors society student recognition and the launch of the criminal justice concentration for Olivet’s signature MBA and MOL degrees.
The department also announced the launch of two new student scholarship funds, both of which were generously initiated by community members.
The Rittmanic-Bailey Law Enforcement Scholarship, is being established in memory of Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and in support of Officer Tyler Bailey, Bradley Police Officers who were tragically killed and injured in the line of duty.
“These aren’t just officers, they’re people,” said Dr. Stroud “The scholarship continues the mission of honoring their legacies and ensuring that their stories are never forgotten. We’re incredibly honored that the I Got Your Six Endowment Foundation has chosen Olivet Nazarene University criminal justice students to be a part of this meaningful legacy.”
In introducing the details of this new scholarship Mindy Williamson, director of Foundation and Advancement Engagement at Olivet, addressed the room by thanking the students for their willingness to enter professions that require courage and sacrifice.
“To the family members: we want you to know how grateful we are — not only for your presence but for you heart and your willingness to turn love into lasting impact.”
The scholarship will be awarded annually to worthy students with demonstrated financial need, with preference given to students with a minimum 2.50 GPA who plan to study law enforcement and/or criminal justice.
An additional new scholarship, generously offered by the nonprofit organization, the Wild Pigs, was also featured at the luncheon. The Wild Pigs Motorcycle Club is primarily composed of current and retired law enforcement officers. The local chapter, led by retired officer Ray Pasel, reached out to Dr. Matt Adamson with a desire to initiate a student scholarship.
Following the luncheon programming, the department also hosted its annual career fair with more than 29 criminal justice agencies represented and 97 students in attendance.
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For more information about the Department of Criminal Justice, visit Olivet.edu/Academics.
