CPS Fall 2022 Newsletter
Criminal Justice
Congratulations Dr. Venessa Garcia
Dr. Venessa Garcia was awarded the 2022 Sarah Hall service Award by the Division of Feminist Criminology (DFC) of the American Society of Criminology. Dr. Garcia has been awarded for her service to DFC since 1994, serving as Chair, Chair pro tem, Executive Counselor, Deputy Editor of the peer-reviewed flagship journal Feminist Criminology, and on various committees.
Dr. Venessa Garcia's latest research was just accepted for publication with the International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice. The article is titled "An Equity-First Policy for Women Police Around the World: Strategies for Change" and co-author with Dr. Anqi Shen of Northumbria鈥疷niversity Newcastle (UK)鈥.
NJCU Criminal Justice Department Community Outreach Anti-Violence Initiative
Dr. William Calathes
Jersey City鈥檚 鈥渢raditional鈥 street crime results in constant inflicted trauma upon its residents. Concentrated in the Greenville section (mostly within sixteen (16) blocks) residents continue to experience high levels of interpersonal violence. Working together with the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition, a not-for-profit, community-based organization, I am evaluating intervention services to support youths and families in this underserved area. This area has been neglected for more than two decades and its residents continue to experience trauma due to repeated exposure to shootings and homicides.
This partnership with the Anti-Violence Coalition involves evaluating its comprehensive, long-term approaches for improving the physical, social, and economic conditions of community youth. At this stage of the work, I am pleased to report that the Community-Based Violence Intervention (CBVI) program is making great strides in improving lives.
The largely black and brown community served by the Anti-Violence Coalition program comprise of disproportionately disadvantaged individuals in terms of income and educational attainment. A wide income gap characterizes this population in comparison to the overall Jersey City population; those who are in need receive some form of governmental assistance, such as food stamps, further illustrating the economic need of the community. Moreover, significant percentages of individuals living in this community have no high school diploma, substantially limiting the income potential of households.
Due to concerns borne out of poverty and low-income families, youths in this community are often forced into criminal activities to generate alternative forms of income. These crimes include selling controlled and deadly substances, robberies, and sex trades in order to help their families maintain household responsibilities and obligations. They are strongly impacted by elevated levels of crime, but the need for survival sometimes trumps the need for safety. By not providing competent and effective resources/interventions, such populations are not able to escape from the economic restraints that keep them in oppressive cycles.
The NJCU Criminal Justice Department, through the work of its faculty and students, continually engages in holistic social justice community work and is fully committed to the underserved youths who live in Jersey City and our surrounding communities. We take pride in promoting career initiatives that disrupt the cycle of crime and poverty by creating jobs and sustaining a sub-economy of successful and healthy ways to create income. Doing so brings young people together to overcome the overwhelming stressors of living in poverty and high crime areas.
We invite all to come learn about and become part of the work of the NJCU Criminal Justice Department in order to expand perspectives, broaden our understanding of community issues, and create practical and sustainable solutions for the people who need it most.
*This proposed initiative is ongoing and still under development.
Fire Science
Fire Science Prof. Henry Sisbarro was recently promoted to Deputy Chief of the Union Fire Dept., Union, NJ. DC Sisbarro joined the Union Fire Dept. late in 1997 as a volunteer. Hired as a career firefighter in 2000. Then after six years as a firefighter, Sisbarro was promoted to Lieutenant in 2006, Captain in 2010, Battalion Chief in 2017 and recently to Deputy Chief. Henry Sisbarro, MS, RN, MICP, CHSE is a New Jersey Paramedic, Registered Nurse, Deputy Fire Chief and NJCU Fire Science Professor with over 25 years of experience serving the citizens of New Jersey. He is a graduate of Excelsior University, 快猫破解版 earning Honors with a Bachelor degree in Fire Science, Columbia Southern University and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Health Professions Education from Logan University. Deputy Chief Sisbarro holds instructorships in multiple fire service and EMS related fields and serves as the Program Director for the RWJBH Paramedic Program though Hudson County Community College. Deputy Chief Sisbarro enjoys cooking, Devils hockey and spending time with his wife Trish and children, Kathleen (7) and Henry (3).
Fitness, Exercise, & Sports
On Thursday, June 2, 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the Fitness Exercise and Sports Department participated at the NJCU Class of 2022 Commencement Ceremony with the first cohort of graduates with a B.S. in Exercise Science. Currently, some of them are attending graduate programs to advance their careers in Occupational Therapy or Athletic Training, while others are successfully employed as exercise physiologists, strength and conditioning specialists, coaching assistants, and wellness center coordinators. Congratulations Exercise Science Class of 2022!
On Tuesday, June 7, 2022 Dr. Manuela Caciula represented the Fitness Exercise and Sports Department and the College of Professional Studies at a meeting organized at the School of Business by the NJCU Global Initiatives with a Belgian Delegation from Artevelde University, Howes University, and Thomas More University. Dr. Manuela Caciula, together with Dean Marvin Walker discussed with representatives from these European universities about future partnerships between the Exercise Science programs from NJCU and their similar programs from Belgium.
* In Summer 2022 the Fitness, Exercise and Sports Department finalized Dual Admission and Articulation Agreements with Middlesex College, and Mercer County Community College. On behalf of our students, we look forward to a great collaboration with these institutions.
Nursing
The Nursing Department would like to congratulate Dr. Lorraine Chewey who has been awarded the Teachers College, Columbia University Nursing Education Alumni Association Nursing Education Award. Dr. Chewey holds an Ed.D. in Nursing Education from Columbia University. Throughout her career, she has made significant, unique contributions to the education of nurses and continues to engage in scholarly activities related to education, including publications, presentations, and consultations.
Nursing Program, Apple Distinguished School
The Nursing program at NJCU has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2022-2025 for its iNurse Initiative in the Accelerated BSN degree program. Nursing earned the designation following more than a decade of use of Apple technology by the university as a part of the initiative. Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence. They use Apple technology to inspire creativity, collaboration and critical thinking in learning, teaching, and the school environment, and have documented results of academic accomplishment.
- Hear from Jennifer R. Ricker, BSN 鈥14, MSN, RN, CCRN, NE-BC:
- Hear from NJCU鈥檚 鈥嬧婣BSN students Jenny Joachim and Sonyia Yar discuss the ways using iPad benefits their studies:
Dr. Kevin O鈥橬eill, Associate Professor and architect of the iNurse Initiative notes that 鈥淭he integration and use of iPad in the curriculum has been an integral part of student success in the Accelerated BSN program.鈥 Measures of success include improved note taking and study skills noted by students in surveys.
Through its iNurse Initiative, NJCU has included mobile technology in the Accelerated BSN program since the beginning of the program in 2007. This innovative decision by the nursing faculty was aimed at integrating technology into the curriculum to enhance teaching, learning and patient quality care.
The program has used Apple mobile devices since 2010, including the iPad. Each student receives an iPad and Apple Pencil. In addition to the Apple devices, students are provided with a faculty-curated suite of medical and nursing apps to help in their learning. Since then, technology tools used in the iNurse Initiative have expanded to include the use of MacBook Pro, iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch, Apple TV, Keynote, Apple Books, and Microsoft Office apps for the iPad and Mac. Nursing faculty review the technology and apps in use in the program and evaluate new apps on a regular basis to enhance learning in the Accelerated BSN program. Most recently, the program transitioned to the current full-sized iPad and Apple Pencil based on learner and faculty input.
During the three-year designation, Apple Distinguished Schools will share their stories and successes with other educators to enhance learning opportunities for all and will host school visits in collaboration with Apple Education teams. NJCU鈥檚 nursing leaders will host these events to discuss the vision for their programs and will showcase how they use Apple products and digital content to create powerful teaching and learning experiences. As such, Nursing and its iNurse Initiative will continuously innovate and explore cutting-edge opportunities for using technology to design the future of education.
Nursing, Scholarship Awards
The Nursing Department is proud to announce two of our nursing students received the Dr. Maureen Sullivan Foley Memorial Scholarship Award: Meaghan Bottino, Master of Science in Nursing Degree, a $10,000 Scholarship and Udochukwu Igweze, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree, award of a $10,000 Scholarship.
The Dr. Maureen Sullivan Foley Memorial Scholarship Award is made possible through a $100,000 grant awarded to the New Jersey League Nursing (NJLN) by the Community Health Connections Foundation (CHCF), Inc., a private grant-making foundation. This award is in memory of Dr. Foley, a prominent New Jersey nurse leader and Past President of the NJLN from 1986-1988. Meaghan and Udochukwu were recognized at the 2022 NJLN Scholarship Awards Event on Friday, November 4, at 7:00 PM at the Pines Manor in Edison, New Jersey.
This is an incredible honor and congratulations once again to Meghan and Udochukwu.
Professional Security Studies
Scott spent most of the past year on active-duty Army orders assigned to U.S. European Command (EUCOM) in Stuttgart, Germany. While at EUCOM, he helped plan the U.S. military鈥檚 response to Russia鈥檚 buildup and re-invasion of Ukraine. He鈥檚 very happy to be back teaching and researching at NJCU.
Recent publications and research projects include contributing to Powerful Narratives: Weaponized Harmony and the Soft Power Tools of China鈥檚 Rise to Global Primacy, by Jason Brown, Maxim Kovalsky, et. al., for the Army Cyber Institute at West Point, and co-authoring FOCUSdata: Foreign Policy Through Language & Sentiment, with Graig Klein and Juste Codjo, published in the April 2022 edition of Foreign Policy Analysis.
Recent and upcoming conference presentations include:
- 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 Rhetoric & Soft Power in the Near Abroad: Assessing the Influence of Strategic Narratives,鈥 with Graig Klein and Juris Pupcenoks at the March 2023 International Studies Association conference;
- 鈥淚ntegrating data analysis into undergraduate courses 鈥 without boring students to tears,鈥 at the March 2023 International Studies Association Innovative Pedagogy Conference;
- 鈥淒ata Skills for Emergency Managers,鈥 for FEMA鈥檚 The Future of Emergency Management conference in December 2022;
- 鈥淎dding Interesting, Policy-Relevant Data Education to Courses & Programs,鈥 at the 15th Annual Homeland Defense & Security Education Summit, in October 2022;
- 鈥淪entiment Analysis and Russian Strategic Narratives towards Ukraine, 2005-2020,鈥 with Graig Klein and Juris Pupcenoks, presented at the American Political Science Association 2022 Annual Meeting in September 2022.
As the West African country of Benin prepares to head to the polls on April 11, 2021 to elect a new president, there are controversies surrounding recent constitutional amendments and new electoral rules qualified as exclusionary by their critics. On March 10, Dr. Juste Codjo, an assistant professor at NJCU who specializes in political violence, wrote an op-ed in French that assesses the risks of political instability and violence in the run-up to the presidential elections in April. Drawing on research on the concept of political legitimacy, he highlights the security threats posed by the implementation of the controversial electoral measures. He concludes his analysis by making a set of recommendations to be implemented before the next presidential elections in this country that is still haunted by the precedents of violence that occurred after the 2019 legislative elections.
Dr. Codjo鈥檚 op-ed was widely publicized in the local media in Benin and in the African diaspora in France. Attached are the front pages of two local newspapers, one of which displays the title of Dr. Codjo鈥檚 op-ed right below a title about an interview with the U.S. Ambassador to Benin about the same situation. Below are a few links to six digital media outlets that have publicized or reported on Dr. Codjo鈥檚 op-ed.
Dr. Thakur published his third book titled A Deeper Perspective on the Fundamentals of Digital Communication, Security, and Privacy Protocols. This book, divided into three parts, describes the detailed concepts of Digital Communication, Security, and Privacy protocols.
Associate Editor of Cybersecurity Journal: After working for one year as reviewer and providing outstanding services, Dr. Thakur has been selected to serve as associate editor to the prestigious Journal of Cybersecurity Technology published by Taylor & Francis, UK.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Hayajneh presented NJCU on October 20th at the Mercer County Community College 鈥 鈥淚T/Engineering/Cybersecurity鈥 Event with Jose Balda, the Director of Admissions. At the event, there were other faculty presenters from NJIT, Rutgers University, and Drexel University. Dr. Al鈥檋ayajneh discussed the School and Department of PSS and Cybersecurity programs with Jose Balda, who addressed the admission part.
Dr. Thaddeus Joseph Barnas, who completed the Doctor of Science in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy at NJCU in Spring 2022, recently published a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Security, Intelligence, and Resilience Education. A qualitative phenomenological study derived from his dissertation, the article examines the perceptions of youth participants in interfaith programs on how these programs affected their attitudes toward religious intolerance. The study found that the alumni derived a sense of confidence from the knowledge gained about other religions. Participation in community service projects and program activities shaped their attitudes to be more appreciative and tolerant of other faiths. This change in attitudes empowered the alumni to engage in concrete actions to address religious intolerance. This analysis of the effectiveness of interfaith youth programs in countering religious discrimination can be helpful to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, especially in the current context of a surge in hate crimes across the United States. Dr. Barnas is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. His professional experiences include communications, logistics, and military-political affairs.
Ike Ejikeme, a second-year student in the Doctor of Science in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy program, recently published an article on 鈥淭he Global Implication of Covid-19 Social Media Misinformation Campaigns.鈥 Ike works for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington D.C., in both the Security and Fraud Division and Status and Documents Divisions. In his dissertation research, he examines U.S. security cooperation programs in Africa, focusing on how the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program impacts the career development of African military officers. In this article published in the Global Media Journal, he relies on the Spiral of Silence Communications Theory to analyze how social media affects public perception and the way people communicate in the context of the Covid-19 crisis.
Joseph Brickley, who joined the Doctor of Science in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy program in July 2020, has brilliantly defended his dissertation in less than two and half years. A Cybersecurity architect for L3Harris, Joseph鈥檚 research examines the drivers of user retrospective confidence levels in their behavior toward detecting phishing emails. After graduation, he plans to consider entering academia full-time.
In October 2022, the Doctor of Science in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy program hosted two of its alumni, Dr. Lynn Costantini and Dr. Ryan Gibson, for a conversation with current and prospective doctoral students. The two panelists, who have been teaching as adjunct faculty for the Department of Professional Security studies since their graduation from the D.Sc. program, shared their experiences, during and post program completion, with the audience. Taking place in person during the last doctoral residency session for Fall 2022, the conversation also engaged prospective students who joined remotely via Zoom.
In September 2022, Dr. Juste Codjo, an assistant professor and coordinator of the Doctor of Science in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy program, spoke at a conference in Princeton, NJ about the evolution of trends in gender representation in the military in pre- and post-independence Benin. The conference was a two-day event organized by Princeton University and the African School of Economics on the origins and legacy of the female warriors of the Danxome Kingdom (present-day Benin). The conference, which also highlighted research used for the recent movie The Woman King starring Hollywood actress Viola Davis, included scholars from universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Howard, Rutgers, the City University of New York, and the University of California.