Added undergrad degree fuels name change
With the introduction this fall of a new undergraduate criminal justice program, the ‘Graduate’ in the Graduate School of Public Affairs no longer applies. While the school maintains it’s tradition of excellence in enabling graduate students to become community and world leaders, on July 1 the school’s name will officially become the School of Public Affairs (SPA).
The new Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice is in response to the unprecedented growth in America’s criminal justice system, explains Dean Kathleen Beatty. There is increased understanding of the value of a multidisciplinary liberal arts education in the area of criminal justice, and GSPA recognized the need and potential—noting such a program at the undergraduate level did not previously exist in the Denver metro area.
As SPA sets the standard for public affairs education with its internationally renowned faculty and innovative initiatives, so the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) sets national standards for criminal justice degrees. Based in Maryland, the academy is the only national governing body for certification in the criminal justice field. ACJS’s criteria, along with research from other sources, are being used as a model for the new undergraduate program.
The program’s creation supports the mission of the University of Colorado Denver to continually provide expanded educational opportunities for students throughout the state and region; many will also go on to graduate level studies. The vitality of a new group of UCD undergraduates provides increased interdisciplinary study program options between SPA and the other schools. Concentrations in criminology and psychology with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are being developed; along with a potential undergraduate degree focusing on nonprofit sector public policy. Possibilities exist for electives with the Business School in auditing and the investigation of financial crime.
Mary Dodge will become director of both the master’s and bachelor’s degree programs in criminal justice. In addition, SPA will double the size of the criminal justice faculty during the next five years, bringing in new people and ideas. The name is changing, but the focus remains the same: to create educational avenues for professionals who will provide leadership, service and the means to build a productive, safer society.
Beatty observes, “Much more emphasis is on working with communities to stop cycles and prevent crime before it occurs. The change from GSPA to SPA is a great way to meet the demonstrated educational needs of the state as citizens of the university.”