NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
5/21/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES - Northwestern State University will begin a new bachelor’s degree program in Unified Public Safety Administration this fall. The program has been approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents and the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System.
According to Joe Morris, head of the Department of Criminal Justice at Northwestern, the program will offer three areas of concentration: Law Enforcement Administration, Fire and Emergency Medical Service Administration and Emergency Management Administration. Classes will be available in person or online. Morris said Northwestern would work with students who have earned associate degrees to assist them in transferring into the program.
“The events of Sept. 11 plus Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed a strong need for a program of this type. There is a great need for a curriculum that provides additional training for criminal justice and public safety professionals,” said Morris. “This program will be the only one of its kind in Louisiana and among a few of its kind in the country.”
According to Morris, the degree will prepare students for a better understanding of homeland security, international and domestic terrorism, disaster responses, crisis leadership issues and first responder mandates.
“The dangerous, continually increasing and evolving threats to homeland security and cyber crime have mandated a new breed of police agent and criminal justice professional,” he said. “The demand is for specialized interpersonal and analytic skills and up to date perspectives on the scientific, social and informational concentrations involved in a variety of fields in public safety. This program will prepare well-educated, well-trained criminal justice and public safety professionals to deal with these issues.”
Morris said Northwestern received guidance from Dr. Jerry Pinsel, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at the Louisiana Community and Technical College System and Noah James West formerly of LSU-Eunice in putting together the degree program. LSU-Eunice has a nationally recognized associate degree program in Fire and Emergency Service.
“We are confident that this will be a very popular program,” said Morris. There are currently more than 300 fire departments with most providing emergency medical services, hospitals, ambulance companies, approximately 75 correctional facilities and over 300 law enforcement agencies in the State of Louisiana. All of these entities have potential students for this program.”
For more information on the program, call (318) 357-6967 or e-mail crim_justice@nsula.edu.
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