Board of Trustees establishes ‘independent academic unit’
The University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees approved the criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) program’s request to gain department status at their meeting on Sept. 1.
Over the past five years, URI’s CCJ program has grown in both popularity and significance, according to Natalie Pifer, an assistant professor of the now-department. This switch from program to department was the “next logical step” to further establish CCJ as an “independent academic unit” on campus.
The new department only recently became a bachelor of arts degree program in 2017, when the Rhode Island Board of Education responded to a growing student demand for an interdisciplinary program for criminal justice.
Associate Professor of sociology and anthropology Jill Doerner helped create the previously named CCJ Program, and served as the chair of the program from 2016 to 2020. Currently an affiliate of the CCJ department, she saw how criminology grew as a sociology track before becoming a major. Doerner emphasized the importance of having a CCJ program that was both independent from other social science departments and distinguishable for the benefit of prospective students.
Before becoming a major, Pifer explained that many URI students opted for a major in sociology while minoring in CCJ. However, this option did not provide the same job-outlook as a major in CCJ. Therefore, students pushed for a specialized program that would prepare undergraduates in careers in federal agency work, victims’ assistance, research and social services, in addition to careers gained through a sociology track.
While the CCJ minor allowed students to explore fields in law enforcement and corrections, the switch to become a major provided more opportunities for students regarding internships and in-class experience, according to Doerner.
Because CCJ is interdisciplinary, a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice combines courses from six different departments: sociology, political science, psychology, gender and women’s studies, chemistry and economics. Students have the ability to tailor their major to what they plan to focus on in the future, according to the CCJ affiliate.
“Now, many students double major and even triple major with CCJ,” Doerner said. “It is often paired with sociology, political science [and] psychology.”
Because the CCJ program originated from sociology and anthropology, Pifer explained that some people still confuse CCJ faculty for still being part of that department– despite CCJ having its own full time faculty, budgets and curriculum. Pifer expressed that switching to a department from a program could possibly alleviate some of the confusion.
As stated in the Board of Trustees Memorandum on Sept. 1, the CCJ faculty believed that a change to departmental status would “strengthen [their] ability to meet URI’s strategic goals,” with specific regards to enhancing student success and embracing diversity and social justice.
“We are an independent interdisciplinary major, and this switch [to a department] was the next step in gaining prestige,” Doerner said.
With this change from program to department, CCJ will not be allocated any additional funding, according to Pifer. The main result of this modification to departmental status is the status that comes with it – benefiting both students and faculty.
The assistant CCJ professor also clarified that, in academic opportunities, there is more prestige associated with being affiliated with a department rather than a program.
“For faculty that are seeking external grant funding opportunities or working to participate in national or international conferences, there’s a little bit more cachet,” Pifer said. “When students are looking for job opportunities or graduate school applications, they get to say that they are part of a department. It’s simply an extra bonus.”
By becoming a department, there is an increased chance for independent studies, honors projects and additional courses related to CCJ, according to Doerner. Still, she concludes that the transition to department is largely due to semantics and securing status.
From an organizational point of view, Pifer stated that everyday undergraduate students won’t necessarily see a functional difference. But as one of the largest academic units in the College of Arts and Sciences, a switch to departmental status for CCJ is a “good reflection of [its] growth within the department and University” according to Pifer.
CCJ was the last program in the College of Arts and Sciences to be awarded departmental status, and now Doerner believes it is on a “level playing field” with the rest of the disciplines.
As the CCJ department continues to teach students the distinct parts of the criminal justice system, the department’s faculty believes that this is a step forward in acknowledging their growth at URI.
“Even if it was just a name change, it was important for us… just having that recognition,” Doerner said.