{"id":10,"date":"2023-05-23T14:50:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T14:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/jla-temp\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2026-01-23T16:27:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T16:27:57","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Division of Justice and Law Administration: Historical Overview<\/h3>\n

The Division of Justice and Law Administration\u2014originally established as the Department of Criminal Justice<\/strong>\u2014was founded in 1976<\/strong> by Professor Solomon Gross<\/strong> and Dr. Frank Muska<\/strong> with a $14,000 grant from the Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration<\/strong>. The inaugural cohort consisted of fourteen students<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

During its early years, the Department focused primarily on criminal justice education. Over time, its academic scope expanded significantly, evolving into a multi-option program<\/strong> that includes Law Enforcement, Legal Studies, Criminology, Corrections, Probation and Parole, Offender Rehabilitation, a Paralegal Sequence, and Homeland Security<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Leadership and Growth<\/h3>\n

The Division has benefited from sustained leadership (chair position) that has guided its growth and academic development:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Dr. Frank Muska<\/strong>\u00a0(1978\u20131982)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. Harold B. Schramm<\/strong> (now Professor Emeritus), (1982\u20131991)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. David Whelan<\/strong>\u00a0(1991\u20131993)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. David Machell<\/strong> (now Professor Emeritus), (1993\u20132003)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. Michael Foley<\/strong> (now Professor Emeritus), (2003\u20132009)<\/li>\n
  • Professor Charles Mullaney<\/strong> (now Professor Emeritus), (2009\u20132015)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. Anthony Markert<\/strong> (now Professor Emeritus), (2015\u20132017)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. George Kain<\/strong> (now Professor Emeritus), (2017\u20132021)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. Kim Marino<\/strong>\u00a0(2021\u20132025)<\/li>\n
  • Dr. Hasan T. Arslan<\/strong>, Incumbent Chair<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Under this collective leadership, the Division grew into one of the largest majors at Western Connecticut State University<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Academic Programs and Faculty<\/h3>\n

    The Division recently updated the name of its undergraduate degree from Justice and Law Administration<\/strong> to Criminal Justice<\/strong>, reflecting disciplinary norms and student career pathways. Currently, the Division employs eight full-time faculty members<\/strong>, supported by approximately twenty part-time faculty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Each semester, the Division typically offers 45\u201350 courses<\/strong>, serving a diverse student population preparing for careers across law and justice professions.<\/p>\n

    At the graduate level, the Division offers a Master of Science in Homeland Security<\/strong>, an online, asynchronous program structured in a cohort model<\/strong>, which currently enrolls nine students<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Institutional Transitions and Community Impact<\/h3>\n

    During the 2023\u20132024 academic year<\/strong>, the Division transitioned from the Ancell School of Business<\/strong> to the School of Professional Studies<\/strong> after more than four decades<\/strong> of affiliation.<\/p>\n

    The Division has long served as a significant workforce pipeline for the criminal justice system in Fairfield County<\/strong> and beyond. Graduates pursue careers in federal, state, and local law enforcement; the legal profession; corrections; probation and parole services; social service agencies; private security; education; and numerous related professions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Student Recognition and Educational Philosophy<\/h3>\n

    The Division awards annual student honors<\/strong> recognizing excellence across each criminal justice track, as well as one award per cohort<\/strong> in the graduate Homeland Security program.<\/p>\n

    Guided by the motto \u201cWhere theory meets practice,\u201d<\/strong> the Division maintains a strong tradition of integrating academic scholarship with professional and practitioner-based experience<\/strong>, supported by faculty drawn from diverse disciplinary and professional backgrounds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Division of Justice and Law Administration: Historical Overview The Division of Justice and Law Administration\u2014originally established as the Department of Criminal Justice\u2014was founded in 1976 by Professor Solomon Gross and Dr. Frank Muska with a $14,000 grant from the Federal …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/justice-law-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}