CCBC School of Justice taps leaders for advisory boards

The new 18 members of the CCBC Criminal Justice Studies Advisory Board assembled for the first time on the Dundalk campus in September. CCBC Dundalk and CCBC Essex President Gena Proulx welcomed the members and emphasized the importance of their role in the curriculum and program decision-making processes for the college’s new department of Criminal Justice Studies.

“We are looking to this [advisory] board to keep our programs relevant as well as help our students with internships and job placements,” Proulx said. She encouraged board members to serve as ambassadors for the CCBC School of Justice in the community. Dean Beth Barker’s overview of the school’s organizational structure, programs of study and professional training courses and initiatives charted the course for the board’s leadership over the next five years.

Dennis Seymour, chairman of the Criminal Justice Studies department, told the group that MHEC (Maryland Higher Education Commission) mandates advisory boards for many of its programs and outlined the responsibilities and value of board service. “The Criminal Justice program at CCBC has undergone numerous changes over the past eight years in direct response to the leadership of its advisory board,” Seymour said. “The most significant changes were in response to the recommendation that the program be made more academically rigorous.”

Members of previous advisory boards asked that students be better able to read, write, and speak before entering their chosen criminal justice field. CCBC responded by requiring three separate three-credit English courses, a mandatory public speaking course as well as a statistical methods course prior to entering the program. According to Seymour, “This has resulted in better prepared students with an associate’s degree that is readily transferable to upper division and four-year institutions.” In addition to Seymour, Criminal Justice Studies full-time faculty include O. B. Zimmer, Linda Fleischer and Michelle Jones.

Criminal Justice Studies advisory board members attending the first meeting were Susan Beach, criminal justice coordinator, Dundalk High School; Patrick Bradley, Esq., Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions; Gary Caldwell, criminal justice coordinator, Chesapeake High School, R. Jay Fisher, Sheriff, Baltimore County; Jeff Hagen, director of Public Safety, CCBC; Charles Norris, director of security, the Rouse Company; Capt. Charles Rapp, director, Baltimore County Police Training Academy; Sandy Skordalus, criminal justice coordinator, Patapsco High School; Benjamin Wright, department chairman, Criminal Justice, University of Baltimore; and Dennis Seymour, department chairman, Criminal Justice Studies, CCBC.

Also on the Criminal Justice Studies Advisory Board are Kathleen Block, University of Baltimore; Stephen Bocian, Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration; Capt. William Downing, Maryland Transportation Authority Police; Anthony Lalli, criminal justice coordinator, Eastern Technical High School; Sue McGee, Maryland Parole and Probation; Frank Napfel, Castle Security Group; Melanie Pereira, warden, Howard County Detention Center; Major Martin Uzarowski, Maryland Transportation Authority Police; and Michael P. Vach, clerk of the District Court of Maryland.

The School of Justice Legal Studies’ 13-member advisory board met later the same day and focused on many of the same issues. Patricia Ferraris, department chairman for Legal Studies, hosted a lively discussion on program needs with veteran board members. “Frankly, we need you as a reality check,” she said, “to ensure that our programs are responding to the profession’s needs.”

This year the Legal Studies Advisory Board will consider issues such as an upcoming visit by the American Bar Association, consideration of new track offerings and consideration of semantic issues that can affect marketing and enrollment, such as the term “pre-law” versus “paralegal.” Legal Studies full-time faculty include Ferraris and Donna Mandl.

Members of the Legal Studies Advisory Board are Shelly Abrams, Esq., executive director, Special Counsel; Patricia Banister, paralegal manager, Ober Kaler and Grimes; Melissa D. Gray, Esq., Law Office of Melissa D. Gray; Paul Hanley, Esq., Hanley & Hanley, LLC; Mary Landry, director, Media and Library Services, CCBC Catonsville; Donna Mandl, faculty, CCBC School of Justice Legal Studies; Montella Smith, sergeant, Baltimore County Police; JoAnne Stone, legislative assistant, State Sen. Norman J. Stone; the Honorable Norman J. Stone, Maryland State Senate and the Law Offices of Peter Angelos; Kathryn F. Tuttle, paralegal, Gordon Feinblatt; Rose Matricianni, Esq., Whiteford Taylor; Suzanne Selby, paralegal, Legal Aid; and Patricia Ferraris, Esq., department chairman, CCBC School of Justice Legal Studies.

“The School of Justice is definitely on the move to expand its programs of study and professional training courses – locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally,” noted Barker, “and we are looking to our boards to help position us as the premier institution for Criminal Justice and Legal Studies.”