The University announced the launch of the Center for Public Safety and Justice, which will serve as a hub for preexisting public safety programs and is housed within the School of Continuing and Professional Studies — a University school designed to help adults complete degree programs while working — earlier this month. The initiative is being led by Marvin Haiman, assistant professor of Public Safety, who will serve as executive director of the new center.
The programs that are part of the center include a Master of Public Safety degree, as well as dual credit programs with the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, FBI Elevate and National Criminal Justice Command College, which offer programs and trainings related to leadership in law enforcement.
The Master in Public Safety program is made up of 11 courses which center around topics and skills related to fields such as law enforcement and emergency management. Students who were part of FBI National Academy, FBI Elevate or U.Va. National Criminal Justice and Command College can count those credits towards their Master of Public Safety degree, allowing them to finish their degree at the University in one year.
According to Haiman, the center will enhance the University’s current public safety program offerings in three ways — by building relationships with public safety organizations, building a network to share innovative ideas and dedicating a part of the center to research public safety.
“It’s a really unique mixture having the students, practitioners and expertise all in one place,” Haiman said. “[The center] gives police and law enforcement officials the chance to challenge ideas, to think differently and to bring those ideas back to their communities.”
According to SCPS Dean Melissa Lubin, programs within SCPS — including those offered at the center — provide education to non-traditional students in the workforce, which falls under their mission of providing accessible, affordable, and high quality education to all. In addition to the Master of Public Safety degree, the school also offers bachelor’s degree completion programs in areas such as business, government and healthcare.
While the center is a physical space on Grounds — housed within SCPS at 2420 Old Ivy Road — about 80 percent of the programming for the public safety program is offered online or in a hybrid format. Lubin said that this format is beneficial for the center because it allows them to make their services available to more students.
“We are building something that is based on the people and not bounded by geography,” Lubin said. “By allowing ourselves to extend beyond walls, we're able to have more impact.”
Timothy Longo, associate vice president for safety and security and chief of police, created the Master of Public Safety program in 2016. According to Lubin, the idea for creating a center focused on public safety and justice developed about three to four years ago. Lubin said the SCPS’ approach was to build the program and attract students before establishing the center to ensure demand.
According to SCPS alumnus Ryan Butler, a crucial component of the SCPS is the group of leaders it brings together. He said that the classes offered within the school are an opportunity for students from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to not only engage academic material, but also engage with each other.
“Everyone's on equal footing, everyone's everyone's ideas and questions are equally respected and valued,” said Butler. “The environment that they've established really allows learning to flourish.”
While the center has officially opened, Haimain said he believes that it will continue to develop. He added that he hopes it will be an opportunity for more students and faculty from the University to get involved with public safety education and law enforcement.
“We want current U.Va. students, we want current U.Va. faculty, we want members of the community to be connected to the center,” said Haiman. “We have ideas, but we're very open and willing to work collaboratively and create spaces to advance how people are thinking about public safety today.”
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