The Department of Legal Studies has again begun our newsletter in hopes of keeping you and our alumni more informed of current growth, needs, successes as well as seeking your support in moving the department to become nationally the best of the best. We are expecting additional growth and are in the planning stages of a terminal degree (PhD in Homeland Security) in the near future. Currently the department is largest in the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi with a total enrollment of over 800 students. The Master of Criminal justice program has 65 students enrolled with another 35 students in the program, not currently enrolled. We have 13 faculty members including 2 lecturers, 3 instructors, 5 assistant professors, 1 associate professor, 2 professors and a number of adjunct instructors teaching in our programs including criminal justice, paralegal, and the graduate program. We also have a minor in legal studies with over 50 students enrolled. As is apparent from the above statistics, we have experienced tremendous growth with little additional funding or additional faculty and staff due in part to the economy and decreased state funding for state universities. We now offer the undergraduate degrees at the campuses of Oxford, Tupelo, Grenada, and Desoto. Grenada began its operation in fall of 2012 under the direction of our latest faculty member, Amy Vanderford. Terry Lyons is doing a great job with the Tupelo campus, and Jeff Johnson continues to oversee a successful program on the Southaven campus. Our undergraduate program offers the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with in the emphases areas of corrections, homeland security, and law enforcement and the Bachelor of Paralegal Studies. The Master of Criminal Justice has two emphases: Homeland Security and Criminal Justice. The Master of Criminal Justice is offered on the Oxford campus for traditional students and at the Desoto campus for nontraditional or executive cohort students.
The mission of the Department of Legal Studies is to provide quality education to students in a learning environment conducive to achieving excellence in meeting the complex challenges present in the dynamic justice-related services and professions. As a member of the School of Applied Sciences, we are dedicated to ensuring and extending service to our internal and external constituents to enhance learning. In this role the department has sponsored numerous conferences including the Federal Bureau of Investigation Command College cosponsored by the Mississippi Police Chief’s Association, Mississippi Crime Stoppers, and the Mississippi Homeland Security Conference. The Mississippi Jail Academy and the Law Enforcement Officers part-time Training Academy are offered by the department and its partners. Our faculty led the School of Applied Sciences in the number of published books, peer- review articles, and presentations at academic conferences. Additionally, faculty have been involved in partnerships with other departments in obtaining grants that are service oriented not only within the United States, but in other countries as well. Service is yet another area where our faculty has excelled. Members of our faculty have been involved in revising the curriculum for the law enforcement training academies for the great state of Mississippi. The department has members who are on the boards of Mississippi Law Enforcement Standards and Training and the Mississippi State Board of Jail Standards.
Recently I was elected as chair of the Mississippi Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board for a two- year term which I am pleased to serve with outstanding professionals of our state law enforcement and prosecutors community.
I am proud to report that our students continue to find employment in local, state, and federal entities in a challenging economy and are serving along many alumni of our program here at Ole Miss. The cities of Madison, Oxford, and Ridgeland have recently hired a number of our undergraduate and graduate students and, we are grateful to these departments and others for providing our students the opportunity to serve. Many departments and federal entities are supporting our program with required internships, and we wish to thank them as well. Our department continues to attract quality students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, and successfully matriculates these students for the workforce. Our legal studies student associations (LSSA for undergraduate, CJA for graduate students, and Alpha Phi Sigma or the national honor society for criminal justice students) play a critical role in our department and support the department with students who are willing to provide their time, leadership, and service which will serve them well in their future. We continue to review and update our curriculum to meet the needs of the legal studies profession and to provide our students with the most current changes to be implemented in the fall of 2013. Due to the tremendous growth of the department which requires additional resources, our alumni and friends are encouraged to consider supporting our programs and students with a contribution to our Justice Society (form attached to this Newsletter) or by some other method through the foundation here at the University of Mississippi. We want to thank those who presently support our program with their gifts. Your help is greatly appreciated by both faculty and students and will ensure the future quality of our Legal Studies here at Ole Miss.
Stephen Mallory, Interim Chair
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