BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE INTRODUCES DEGREE PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
February 7, 2001 -- An increasing number of law enforcement and government professionals are finding that a college education holds the key to advancement and promotion, as well as a post-retirement career and other opportunities. To meet the needs of these working professionals, the law enforcement veterans at the Whitman Institute’s Educational Development Center, Bloomfield College, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Association have come together to design a unique and exciting new external degree program with a concentration in public administration.
“A college degree is no replacement for common sense or experience,” says Lt. William Werner, recently retired from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, “However, a college degree, especially one that is geared to develop your skills and abilities as a manager, is vital to producing the knowledgeable, well rounded leaders needed for the future.”
This multicultural public management program will allow law enforcement professionals to pursue a bachelor’s degree specifically coordinated with their work schedule and location. Students will learn to work with diverse area populations and to manage public service organizations. The program will explore topics including policy-making, state and local government, economics and budgetary issues, and interaction between bureaucracies and state and local agencies.
“There are really no limitations to what you can do with this degree,” said Glenda Kirkland, Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Bloomfield College. “The public administration program combines theory with practical application. Our courses are able to meet the needs of students with professional experience as well as those who are new to the field.”
Once admitted, students become part of a cohort and progress through the program together with a specific Cohort Director, who guides and supports them as they pursue their career goals.
The program is designed to accommodate the daily demands of a working adult’s schedule without compromising educational integrity. Classes are scheduled at convenient times and locations in or near the workplace, such as the Newark FOP, County Police Academies, or corrections facilities. The times and locations are built around what works best for the students in the cohorts themselves, not the traditional academic schedules.
“We know how hard it is, especially for the men and women in blue, to do their jobs, have a life and work on their education,” says John Olock, recently retired Lieutenant with the Mountainside Police Department and past president of the State Narcotics Officers Association. “Of all the colleges and all the programs out there, Bloomfield is the one that stepped up to the plate to work with the various state groups and organizations to create a new and unique type of program that works with and for today’s officers and administrative staff.”
Because Bloomfield College recognizes and values prior learning, credit is available not just for prior college courses but also for work and life experiences, through testing and exams, as well as for prior completion of a variety of licenses and certificates such as from police and corrections academies. Students starting with no prior college work should normally complete their degree in five and a half years, given a schedule of two classes each 12-week semester spread across the spring, summer, and fall.
To make the program as affordable as possible, students in the external degree program receive a 10 percent discount on their overall tuition. Many individuals are also eligible for tuition reimbursement or other support from their employer.To receive an application, or more information about the external degree program in public administration, please call the Bloomfield College Office of Admission at (973) 748-9000 ext. 230 or (800) 848-4555.
