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JUNE 7, 2005
DURHAM, NC - North Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) Department of Criminal Justice recently received a $195,000 focus growth award to develop concentrations in homeland security studies and forensic science applications and an institute. It will support the development of the curriculum through June 2007. Upon approval, the Department of Criminal Justice plans to revise its curriculum to better support workforce demands and development and compliment the department’s establishment of an Institute for Homeland Security and Workforce Development. Collectively, these developments are expected to foster student leadership, values, and critical and analytical thinking skills to effectively address crime related issues, locally, nationally and internationally. These homeland security concentrations will also be incorporated into the department’s distance education offerings. “Prominent features of the homeland security and forensic concentrations will be their interdisciplinary design and experiential emphasis,” said Dr. Harvey McMurray, chair of NCCU’s Department of Criminal Justice. According to McMurray, in addition to criminal justice, the following academic units will offer courses to support the new concentrations: chemistry, biology, physics, environmental science, geography and earth science, and public administration.” The Institute for Homeland Security and Workforce Development will provide homeland security and criminal justice students courses that will help them develop broad corporate, national and international security viewpoints, and understand their role as homeland security professionals in the homeland security infrastructure. McMurray noted that the events of September 11, 2001 have drastically
changed public safety in the United States and throughout the
international community. The public sector has responded with
the revamping of a range of anti-terrorism initiatives under the
rubric of homeland security. Whether in the areas of transportation,
law enforcement, immigration control, civil liberties, or preparation
for biological and chemical attacks, workforce demands in criminal
justice have changed. |
