The Department of Law and Justice offers an important social/behavioral science component of the university's liberal arts and professional preparation curricula. Through its major and minor courses of study the department provides instruction and experiences through which students develop an understanding of the perspectives, content, and methodology in law and justice-related disciplines. We endeavor to ensure that graduates have the analytical ability, theoretical orientation, skill and knowledge to pursue law enforcement, corrections, or paralegal careers; or to continue their educations in law school or graduate school. In the context of a dynamic society, this mission is achieved by providing students with (a) a broad background in the history, philosophy, and current trends in law and society with a particular emphasis on diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, and sexual orientation issues; (b) instruction and opportunities to collaborate with faculty in research and scholarly activities; (c) the ability to think critically and ethically about issues and research in criminal justice, (d) and opportunities to obtain practical experience in public or private sector agencies that address law and justice issues. Considering careers in law and justice primarily as helping professions, our overarching goal is to provide qualified personnel for the betterment of society. Our faculty is always cognizant of the need to instill in our students the utmost respect for the rights of the individual in pursuing the duties entrusted to them in their professional roles. In addition to offering educational opportunities to students at the Ellensburg campus, through its programs at university centers in Yakima, Des Moines, Lynnwood, and Steilacoom, the department provides courses to place-bound students in the western and central regions of the state. The department also serves as a center for scholarly inquiry related to law and justice. Finally, the department is committed to providing services that respond to the needs of law and justice agencies and programs, and to the community and the state. The mission statement of the Law and Justice department has been significantly revised in the past three years to spell out the specific content areas and skills we focus on in the classroom. We expanded and clarified our goal of preparing “qualified personnel for the betterment of society.” We highlight the importance of offering educational opportunities to place-bound students at CWU centers. Finally, we articulate our commitment to criminal justice agencies and programs throughout the state.
The mission, goals and values of the Law and Justice Department are consistent with both the mission of Central Washington University and the mission of the College of the Sciences. Together, these three mission statements guide the activities and plans of the Law and Justice Department. In the Law and Justice Department attention is paid to teaching, research and service and including students in each of these activities is a priority. Through teaching and mentoring our hope is to prepare students in the “helping professions” for the “betterment of society.” Consistent with the COTS mission statement the Law and Justice department strives to “create and apply knowledge to solving human, social and environmental problems.” The University Mission statement “encourages and supports the emotional, personal, and professional growth of students from a variety of backgrounds.” The Law and Justice Department is committed to diversity and we incorporate this focus into the material presented in the classroom and the research of our faculty members. The University Mission statement identifies working with “centers throughout the state to extend the reach of its educational programs” as a priority at CWU. The Law and Justice Department offers full programs at four unique centers and faculty within the department are active in the use of technology to better serve the needs of students at the CWU centers.
Department goals: a. Assure the presentation of high quality programs. b. Build partnerships to support academic program quality and enhance student experiences. c. Assure faculty staffing adequate to support timely delivery of all courses and programs at all sites. d. Support the involvement of students in scholarly activities. e. Enhance the climate of productive faculty scholarship. f. Serve as a center for services and scholarly inquiry related to law and justice. g. Promote and enhance an environment of diversity, equity, social justice and cultural responsiveness. In assuring the presentation of a high quality program, three core courses were evaluated using rubrics and artifacts. While only one course met the 60% standard of mastery, this established a methodology for assessing progress in the future. Our students are averaging above 4.0 on a 5.0 scale in employer evaluation of their co-operative education internships, while the alumni survey results showed they were quite satisfied overall with the Law and Justice Program. A methodology has been developed and applied for peer review of faculty syllabi, including full-time and part-time faculty. Law and Justice course and instructor SEOI evaluations from students exceed College and University averages for the five year period. Thus, the only area concerning quality of program where the established criteria of achievement were not met was regarding student mastery of skills in two of the three core courses evaluated. All faculty supervised at least one cooperative education intern per year, while all faculty averaged at least three guest speakers per year, enhancing our student experience. The goal of adequate staffing is not met due to the fact that LAJ average class size, advisees per faculty, and part-time lecturers to tenured/tenure track faculty, exceed the College average. The goal of involving students in scholarly activities was met based on professional paper presentation, SOURCE participation, enrollment in independent study and directed research, and involvement with the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. The enhancement of productive faculty scholarship is evident as the criterion of achievement was met in terms of publications, conference presentations / participations, grants, and faculty awards / recognition. The goal of community service was met in terms of university committee work, local, state and national service. In terms of promoting and enhancing diversity, the faculty exceeds the diversity of the state, while the LAJ student body does not, although it is the most diverse “major” in the College. Faculty exceeds mastery level in publishing, community service, and faculty / student research in the area of diversity. Most courses have diversity content, and several new courses are devoted to diversity issues, meeting achievement levels.
The LAJ department has made huge strides in the development and implementation of an evaluation process in the past five years. As recommended in the last LAJ program review (2003-2004) the LAJ department has devised and implemented an assessment plan. The pilot of this plan was implements in 2006/2007 and the department is now working on improvements suggested by this process. Some suggestions resulting from this process included making sure the related learning objectives of the department were sufficiently addressed in the core courses, to develop assignments that were more consistent across sections of the same core course, and to continue to approve, develop and utilize rubrics to assess the learning objectives in each of the core courses. The pilot year also demonstrated several weaknesses in the original LAJ assessment plan, which has been revised to improve on the ability of the LAJ department to adequately and consistently measure learner outcomes both on the Ellensburg campus and at the centers. Some improvements to the plan included creating a realistic timeline, which focuses on specific core courses each quarter, for systematically collecting data in Ellensburg and at the centers, working closely with the Career Service office to collect Employer Evaluation of Cooperative Field Experience so that we can evaluate our students’ performances at internship and gage additional programmatic needs related to Alumni employment not currently being met by the LAJ department. On a yearly basis the Assessment Committee reports to the faculty the results of the previous year’s assessment and at a dedicated faculty meeting these results are discussed and plans are made for both individual and programmatic improvement. In conjunction with this meeting the LAJ faculty review syllabi to ensure that all required elements are clearly stated and the learning objectives complement the learner outcomes measured in the assessment plan. Additionally, time is regularly allocated at LAJ faculty meetings for discussions of planned change that incorporate suggestions made during our last program review, suggestions from the dean, as well as a continued focus on the mission and goals of the LAJ department. In the past three years some changes resulting from this process include hiring two new tenure-track faculty members that help to meet the needs of our program, replacing one of the courses in our core curriculum with a course that focuses on theory, updating departmental practice on Internships, Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants and Independent Studies, changing the name of our “Paralegal” tract to “Legal Studies”, and hiring a part-time person to help with pre-advising on the Ellensburg campus. Through the process of planned change and the addition of several new faculty members with diverse strengths and new ideas the LAJ department has also revised its focus away from some of the goals that were stated in its last program review.
Since the last program review the LAJ department has been in a period of transition, growth and change. During this time period the LAJ department has worked under two deans and three different chairs, hired three full-time tenure track faculty members and a full-time adjunct faculty member, as well as hired a completely different office staff on the Ellensburg campus. In addition three of our junior faculty members have been awarded promotion and tenure and one has been promoted. While most of these changes have helped the LAJ department better meet their stated goals, these changes have also led to growing pains and some additional challenges. The department still struggles with communication and workload issues. Despite these issues, major progress has been made in the areas of assessment, goal clarification, community outreach, scholarly activity, mentoring of junior faculty, curriculum development, and departmental practice and policy.
Implementation of Previous Program Review Recommendations 1. Undergraduate curriculum and outcomes-based assessment. We have made great strides in establishing outcomes-based assessment. While we have much yet to do, we have established a methodology and framework for continual assessment and feedback. Both student learning expectations and knowledge and skill-based learned outcomes have been built into course syllabi and expectations. Periodic review of all faculty course syllabi ensures the development of standard expectations and course uniformity across campuses. Alumni survey results largely confirm positive outcomes and satisfaction with the program. 2. Faculty credentials performance standards and department culture/ leadership. We have developed departmental performance standards which have been approved by the Provost. Peer review of instruction has been implemented via syllabus review and an annual retreat to discuss this issue. A standard checklist for syllabi has been established and periodic evaluations of part-time adjuncts have been instituted to develop adequate consistency and maintain rigorous standards. The three new tenure track faculty hired since the last review, Professors Britto, Noga-Styron and Francis, have excellent credentials and have greatly enhanced the department in teaching, scholarship and service. As evidenced from the current review, the more recent, younger additions to faculty have made great contributions to the faculty. In terms of culture and leadership, the more recent members of the faculty have helped to invigorate and change the culture in a positive way. As they rise through the ranks, new leadership will be forthcoming. As noted in the challenges section, this, in part, necessitates larger changes in inducements/rewards for those assuming leadership roles. Some indicees of changed culture include representation of law and justice in wider university committees. For example, we had a faculty member, Mary Ellen Reimund, on the Dean’s Search Committee, among other committees. Along with faculty member Mike Olivero, our Secretary Senior, Sharon Talley serves on the President’s Art Selection and Permanent Collection Committee. In addition, two sabbaticals were awarded during this review period to Professors Reasons and Sun. These are the first sabbaticals in the history of the department. Two books were published by Professors Britto and Sun, with Britto’s gaining national honors. The greatly increased diversity of the department faculty has provided positive cultural changes. All of the above portend a vibrant, active, and creative future for the program. 3. Completing the transition to an academic model and staging for the Master’s program. This has progressed well with the addition of a theory course (LAJ 451) as part of our core required courses, plus the addition of several new courses such as African Americans and the Constitution and Crime and the Media. The addition of three new faculty, Professors Britto, Noga-Styron, and Francis, who have been strong contributors to our academic/professional advancement, adds to our transition and staging for our Master’s. 4. The most critical direction for the department is to fund additional faculty positions so that the dependence on adjuncts can be reduced to acceptable levels. As evident from our average class size, faculty advising load and proportion of non-tenured/tenure track faculty, we continue to need more faculty to obtain acceptable staffing levels with quality assurance and to establish a graduate program. Our specific need is for the addition of two new Ph.D. positions, one in policing and one as a generalist. While 40% of our majors in Ellensburg are law enforcement oriented, we do not have a tenure track faculty with this specialization. This is crucial to correct the above noted deficiencies and to set the conditions for the establishment of a Master’s during the next five year cycle. 5. Additional support staff to address the demands of increased enrollment in the major and address the needs of students at five locations. This has been partially met by the addition of a regular part-time office assistant III position, filled by Crystal Boothman. Given the demands of the program at five locations, this should be a full-time position. 6. Implementation of the graduate program. Issues with the undergraduate program regarding standardization, academic integrity, learner objectives/outcomes, among others, are being addressed. The principle need for implementing the graduate program is the addition of two new Ph.D. Faculty. 7. Revision of departmental mission and goals. This has been completed. 8. Continue to address the issue of faculty diversity in full time and adjunct hires. Of our current nine tenured/tenure track positions, we have five men and four women. Of these nine positions, we have three faculty of color, including African American, Hispanic and Asian. In 2003, of our six tenured/tenure track positions, we had five men and one woman, including one person of color. This is a dramatic increase in gender/racial ethnic diversity.
1. A new part-time office assistant/pre-admission advising position has been obtained, greatly aiding students and the program. 2. Overall, our student teaching evaluations of instruction and courses are above college and university averages. 3. Our faculty and students have increased in terms of ethnic, racial and gender diversity. 4. An assessment plan has been implemented for some core classes. Employer evaluation of law and justice cooperative student interns is over 4 on a 5 point scale. 5. An alumni survey finds that there is high overall satisfaction with the program. According to the alumni survey, nearly two thirds of graduates get a job in the law and justice related area or do graduate work. 6. Several faculty have been promoted and one has been chosen as the Teacher of Excellence for the year in the College of Sciences. 7. The first two sabbatical leaves granted to law and justice faculty occurred during this review period. 8. One professor’s book gained national recognition. All professors are very active in service activity. 9. Our faculty has greatly increased their research, publications, presentations and service activity concerning diversity issues. 10. Our breadth of courses has increased, particularly regarding issues of diversity.
1. Establishing stable internal leadership in the Chair position. During the five year review period there were three department chairs, including one faculty member from outside the department. There were also two interim and one “permanent” College of the Sciences Deans. One of the causes of the instability is that the demands on the Chair have greatly increased over the years, while the rewards/benefits have largely remained the same. In terms of professional progress, it does not make sense for an Associate Professor to take on this responsibility. They have to largely give up their research agenda, while still being held accountable for research. Changes in the reward/compensation structure would help to foster junior faculty to take on this significant position. 2. Creating more frequent, effective communication/exchange between faculty about their professional activities, teaching issues and community service. Given the fact that nearly half the faculty are off the main Ellensburg campus, face to face meetings have been rare. Faculty meetings are generally done via telephone conference. The Center Directors must act as quasi-chairs of their respective sites, and have little time for collegial meetings with other faculty. There are, on average, only two face to face meetings each academic year of the entire faculty. 3. Operating our program with a large proportion of adjuncts remains a challenge. As the data indicates, in 2007-2008, 38% of classes were taught by non-tenured/tenure track instructors. Given the large proportion of non-tenured/tenure track faculty, the department remains very vulnerable to downturns in the economy. When staff is cut, it is first those that are non-tenured/tenure track. This was experienced by the department in the early part of this decade. Therefore, since we have a higher proportion of such instructors than other COTS programs, we remain most vulnerable in terms of economic crisis. 4. The role of center directors has been challenging since their responsibilities have not been formalized in employment contracts or through separate service contracts. Although their work is recognized departmentally, there are concerns about their status at the college and university levels since these added responsibilities do not allow faculty time to do what a traditional on-campus faculty member would be doing in order to gain tenure and promotion. While we now have full-time tenured/tenure track professors at all four centers, their ability to move forward in terms of professional research obligations remains problematic. This is particularly so in terms of promotion. Like the position of Chair, there is a great deal of administrative demand, but little formal recognition of this in terms of promotion criteria. 5. The department needs a full-time tenure track position on campus with a focus on law enforcement. Although approximately 40% of our majors focus in this area, we rely almost exclusively on adjuncts to teach these courses. The need for mentoring, advising, and career counseling, besides teaching, is great. Law enforcement is in high demand. While we have over 300 majors on the Ellensburg campus, we do not have a full time faculty member devoted to this specialty. We have had to rely on part-time faculty, who have full-time law enforcement positions.
The mission, goals and values of the Law and Justice Department are consistent with both the mission of Central Washington University and the mission of the College of the Sciences. Together, these three mission statements guide the activities and plans of the Law and Justice Department. a. The LAJ goal of assuring the presentation of high quality programs relates to College Goals 1 & 2 – Provide for an outstanding academic and student experience in COTS, college programs and courses at university centers and Goal 7 – Create and sustain productive, civil, and pleasant learning environments and University Goals 1 & 2 – Maintain and strengthen an outstanding academic and student life on Ellensburg and University Center campuses and Goal 6 – Build inclusive and diverse campus communities that promote intellectual inquiry and encourage civility, mutual respect, and cooperation. b. The LAJ goal of building partnerships to support academic program quality and enhance student experiences relates to College Goals 1 & 2 – Provide for an outstanding academic and student experience in COTS, college programs and courses at university centers and Goal 5 – Build partnerships that support academic program quality and student experiences in the college of sciences including those with private, professional, academic, government, and community based organizations and University Goals 1 & 2 – Maintain and strengthen an outstanding academic and student life on Ellensburg and University Center campuses and Goal 4 – Build mutually beneficial partnerships with the public sector, industry, professional and the communities surrounding our campus communities groups, institutions. c. The LAJ Goal of assuring faculty staffing adequate to support timely delivery of all courses and programs at all sites relates to College Goals 1 & 2 – Provide for an outstanding academic and student experience in COTS, college programs and courses at university centers and University Goals 1 & 2 – Maintain and strengthen an outstanding academic and student life on Ellensburg and University Center campuses. d. The LAJ Goal of supporting the involvement of students in scholarly activities relates to College Goals 1 & 2 – Provide for an outstanding academic and student experience in COTS, college programs and courses at university centers and Goal 5 – Build partnerships that support academic program quality and student experiences in the college of sciences, including those with private, professional, academic, government, and community based organizations and University Goals. University Goals 1 & 2 – Maintain and strengthen an outstanding academic and student life on Ellensburg and University Center campuses. e. The LAJ Goal of enhancing the climate of productive faculty scholarship relates to College Goals 1 & 2 – Maintain and strengthens an outstanding academic and student life on Ellensburg and University Center campuses. f. The LAJ Goal of serving as a center for services to the community and the region relates to College Goal 5 – Build partnerships that support academic program quality and student experiences in the college of sciences, including those with private, professional, academic, government, and community based organizations and University Goal – Build mutually beneficial partnerships with the public sector, industry, professional groups, institutions, and the communities surrounding our campus communities. g. The Law and Justice goal of promoting and enhancing an environment of diversity, equity, sound justice and cultural responsibility reflects University strategic goal 6 of building inclusive and diverse campus communities.
The curriculum is designed to give students a foundation in law and justice, and a broadly based education in the liberal arts tradition, and not a police or corrections training experience. This major primarily focuses on the disciplines of criminal justice and legal studies, as well as political science, psychology, and sociology as electives. The core courses are designed to provide an infrastructure in law and justice. Approved elective courses provide opportunity for the students to develop a broad perspective on social and legal issues.
(1) Our faculty regularly review the currency of our undergraduate major. (2) We encourage and support faculty scholarship. Peer-reviewed scholarship is recognized by professional advancement. An annual individual professional development fund supports a wide variety of activities that maintain faculty expertise. (3) We support individual instruction classes, such as directed research and individual study. (4) We support new courses that add depth and currency to majors. (5) We maintain familiarity with contemporary curricula and teaching methods through contact with other institutions and professional organizations. (6) We focus on effective advising to improve student learning and timely progress. (7) An assessment plan has been implemented for some core classes. (8) Employer evaluation of law and justice cooperative student interns is over 4 on a 5 point scale. (9) An alumni survey finds that there is high overall satisfaction with the program. (10 According to the alumni survey, nearly two thirds of graduates get a job in the law and justice related area or do graduate work.
The LAJ department relies upon the university’s Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEOI) procedure for evaluation of instructor effectiveness. We are in the process of implementing peer reviews of teaching. Each quarter the Chair reviews syllabi for all classes and reviews all of the student evaluations from the previous quarter and addresses any concerns that are raised with each faculty member or, in the case of adjunct faculty, with the appropriate center director.
The Law and Justice Department approved their first assessment plan on March 6, 2006. This plan has been reviewed and updated, as necessary, each year after this date. This update included completing the CWU department assessment plan preparation fo
Each year the Law and Justice Department submits the CWU department assessment report. This report can be found at http://www.cwu.edu/~avpugrad/programreview/oneyearcots.html
At the final spring quarter LAJ faculty meeting every year the LAJ Assessment Committee shares the CWU Assessment Report with the LAJ faculty and asks for input. After this input is received the report is finalized and submitted to the Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Studies (Dr. Tracy Pellett). The Office of the Associate Vice President posts these reports on its website. In the fall quarter the LAJ faculty meets to discuss how to incorporate changes suggested in the Assessment Report into the curriculum and pedagogical practice of the LAJ Department. Discussions also include ways to improve the assessment process in the future. Curricular changes are shared with students through advisement, the LAJ website, and the university catalog. Changes made within classes are shared by the individual instructor with his/her students. Students and alumni are given opportunities to provide feedback to the process through Alumni Surveys, concerns brought to faculty by the Law and Justice Clubs and issues brought to the LAJ Assessment Committee by individual students.
The faculty members of the LAJ Department have numerous opportunities to review and respond to assessment results. Every spring the LAJ Assessment Committee shares a draft of the report with faculty members and elicits feedback for the final report. In the fall the LAJ faculty meets to discuss the report and develop policies, curricular changes, ideas for better pedagogical practice, and improved assessment techniques that will help the LAJ Department meet the needs of its students, faculty, alumni and numerous community stakeholders, as well the mission of Central Washington University. Each year the CWU Academic Assessment Committee issues a feedback report responding to the LAJ Department’s Assessment Report. This report highlights strengths, points out weaknesses and suggests strategies for improving the assessment process.
In 2000, a Master of Science Degree in Law and Justice was developed. A survey, conducted at that time, showed there was sufficient interest in an advanced degree in law and justice. The Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the program in December 2001 (see Appendix D for the Executive Summary of the program as approved by the Board). The program has not been implemented pending the outcome of an evaluation of current programs and the identification of sufficient resources. The external reviewer for our recent five year review strongly urges it be implemented.
Distance Education can broadly be defined as educational or instructional programming transmitted to one or several remote locations. Eight full time faculty (Michael Olivero, Cathy Busha, Robert Moore, Charles Reasons, Jim Roberts, Crystal Noga-Styron, Rodrigo Murataya and Mary Ellen Reimund) and numerous adjuncts have used distance education to deliver from center to center, from center to campus and from campus to centers. Typically, four or five classes per quarter are delivered via this method. For interactive video, distance education receives mixed reviews from students. Students at the originating site often find the experience more satisfactory than those at the distant site. Our number of web courses has increased dramatically. They have been more favorably judged by students.
Distance Education Courses (Interactive Video) Quarter Year Course Location Title Enrollment Spring 2009 LAJ 317.D01 Des Moines Intro to Civil Practice 13 Spring 2009 LAJ 317.L01 Lynnwood Intro to Civil Practice 8 Spring 2009 LAJ 317.P01 Pierce Intro to Civil Practice 3 Winter 2009 LAJ 332.D01 Des Moines Police Community Relations 18 Winter 2009 LAJ 332.L01 Lynnwood Police Community Relations 12 Fall 2008 LAJ 333.D01 Des Moines Police Personnel Administration 20 Fall 2008 LAJ 333.P01 Pierce Police Personnel Administration 10 Spring 2007 LAJ 460.D01 Des Moines Terrorism 26 Spring 2007 LAJ 460.P01 Pierce Terrorism 10 Winter 2007 0 0 Fall 2006 LAJ 333.D01 Des Moines Police Personnel 26 Fall 2006 LAJ 333.L01 Lynnwood Police Personnel 18 Spring 2006 0 0 Winter 2006 LAJ 460.D01 Des Moines Terrorism 23 Winter 2006 LAJ 460.P01 Pierce Terrorism 20 Fall 2005 LAJ 333.D01 Des Moines Police Personnel 30 Fall 2005 LAJ 333.L01 Lynnwood Police Personnel 25
WWW Online Courses 2008 – 2009 Quarter Year Term Course Title Enrollment Web Fall 2008 1089 300 A01 Admin of Justice 36 WW Fall 2008 1089 303 A01 Legal Research 20 WW Fall 2008 1089 303 A02 Legal Research 30 WW Fall 2008 1089 313 A01 Intro to Criminal Law 28 WW Fall 2008 1089 316 A01 Intro to Paralegal Studies 30 WW Fall 2008 1089 316 A02 Intro to Paralegal Studies 34 WW Fall 2008 1089 342 A01 Juvenile Justice Process 33 WW Fall 2008 1089 410 001 Legal Writing 28 WE Fall 2008 1089 451 A01 Crime in America 29 WW Winter 2009 1091 300 A02 Admin of Justice 35 WW Winter 2009 1091 303 A01 Legal Research 26 WW Winter 2009 1091 316 A01 Intro to Paralegal Studies 30 WW Winter 2009 1091 324 A02 Correctional Law 30 WW Winter 2009 1091 451 A01 Crime in America 29 WW Winter 2009 1091 451 A02 Crime in America 30 WW Winter 2009 1091 453 A01 Domestic Violence Issues 30 WW Spring 2009 1093 300 001 Admin of Justice 37 WE Spring 2009 1093 303 A01 Legal Research 15 WW Spring 2009 1093 311 A02 Family Law 15 WW Spring 2009 1093 316 A01 Intro to Paralegal Studies 18 WW Spring 2009 1093 324 A01 Correctional Law 23 WW Spring 2009 1093 327 A02 Community Corrections 19 WW Spring 2009 1093 342 A01 Juvenile Justice Process 33 WW Spring 2009 1093 342 A02 Juvenile Justice Process 11 WW Spring 2009 1093 410 A01 Legal Writing 19 WW Spring 2009 1093 451 A01 Crime in America 28 WW
Eight full time faculty members have completed Blackboard training. Several faculty member s use Blackboard to supplement their courses, posting assignments and grades. Several faculty members have taught total online courses using Blackboard as noted above. LAJ Faculty have also done advanced training in online teaching by attending a seminar by leading online instructors and by attending an online conference discussing alternative delivery teaching.
The totally online classes have been well received by students. This is reflected in the high evaluations and favorable student comments in these classes. Online delivery is particularly popular at the centers because it affords students maximum flexibility with their busy schedules. Online delivery is an excellent option for the university centers, since room availability is limited during peak times when students are available for classes between 5:30 and 10 p.m. Anecdotally, our non-traditional students at the centers have tended to do well with an online format, since it does require a self-disciplined student in order to do well. The online format offered by some of the LAJ courses is interactive between student and professor through discussion groups. Students report that the online format is as academically challenging as being in a traditional classroom.
The department offers major and minor programs at the university centers, a tenure track professor at each center, plus we have a full time non-tenure track faculty member at the Lynnwood center. Additionally, courses are delivered to and among the centers via interactive television and web-based courses from the main campus. All center full time faculty advise their students, maintain academic standards and outcomes as on campus, and utilize available resources. By developing two year scheduling plans for the centers, the department has provided students with stability and consistency in course offerings, enhancing their academic experience. The department has been innovative in meeting the needs of center students by offering Friday and Saturday classes as well as online and distance education classes. These innovations have helped to answer the needs of many LAJ students who are working and need courses in the evening and on weekends. There are several challenges facing faculty at the university centers: Since center directors teach the majority of courses that students take and act as advisors, maintaining successful relationships can be challenging since students do not have variety in selection of courses or instructors like on campus. This saturation can present challenges in maintaining student satisfaction. Also, departmental administrative issues such as when and how many courses are offered and who is teaching can reflect negatively on the director since they are the students’ primary administrative point of contact for the department.
2. Each faculty member is responsible for advising duties once a student declares an LAJ major. Students are referred to Academic Advising Services regarding General Education issues. Due to the large number of majors and the limited number of full-time faculty members, the advising load of each LAJ faculty member is extremely high (50-70 majors each). On-campus, much pre-advising and routine scheduling are done by department staff.
Chair decides based on course syllabus, requirements if it is equal to current course.
We distribute brochures to interested students, and provide much information on our website. We have neither the funds or staff to actively recruit.
Students who request, or are identified as needing, remedial and support services are referred to the appropriate services e.g. writing center.
The Law and Justice Department supports the following student organizations: The Law and Justice Club, Alpha Phi Sigma — National Criminal Justice Honor Society. The Law and Justice Club membership has increased each year. This club sponsors special events and guest speakers, student field trips and participate in community service activities such as youth mentoring. The LAJ Club in Ellensburg has been extremely productive over the past three years. In 2005-2006 the Ellensburg Club reorganized and made a commitment to focus on scholarly/professional and service activities rather than purely being a social club. Part of this reorganization included the election of two faculty co-advisors. The 2005-2006 Ellensburg LAJ Club had over 35 active members and dedicated the majority of the year to raising funds to attend the Academy of Criminal Justice Science meeting in Baltimore, MD. The club rose over $22,000 to attend this conference. Thirty-one students attended this conference and participated in a variety of Law and Justice related activities while in Baltimore including a visit to the FBI training academy in Quantico, Virginia, visits to local law schools, a tour of the national monuments in the Washington D.C. area and attendance at many ACJS panels. Three students presented academic research at ACJS. In the fall the club donated to local agencies to help with food needs during the holiday season and in the spring the club donated clothing, blankets and toiletries to agencies working with victims of interpersonal violence. The 2006-2007 Ellensburg LAJ Club voted at their first meeting to dedicate their efforts to raising money to do a service project. There were over 20 active members during this time period. They unanimously decided to travel to New Orleans to help rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina and meet with criminal justice officials to discuss how the hurricane had impacted the criminal justice system in New Orleans. The efforts yielded over $14,000 to complete this service learning project. The LAJ-Ellensburg Club also partnered with the LAJ-Des Moines Club on this project. The end result was 14 students and two faculty members (Teresa Francis and Robert Moore) went to New Orleans for just under a week. Professor Reimund arranged for meeting with a local prosecutor and police official during their visit. LAJ Club members helped gut flooded houses, worked at an animal shelter and helped feed the homeless. The students also toured the devastated areas in the greater New Orleans area and learned invaluable lessons about social justice. The club also formed a chapter of Lambda Alpha Epsilon (a professional national criminal justice fraternity) and several club members were inducted into this organization. The 2007-2008 Ellensburg LAJ Club opted to focus on local service, and organize and host a showing of the film Execution. There were over 20 active members during this period. The club donated to local food banks during the Thanksgiving season. Some club members volunteered their services to tutor disadvantaged youth. During the winter holiday season the club sponsored a giving tree and collected hats, scarves, mittens and jackets, and other items for local youth. In the spring the club collected needed items to assist families affected by interpersonal violence. Several club members also volunteered their time to work at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences conference in Seattle, WA. In coordination with the Des Moines and Lynnwood LAJ Clubs the Ellensburg LAJ Club brought the director/producer the leading actor (who also was an ex-death row inmate) of the film Execution to the Des Moines, Lynnwood and Ellensburg campuses during spring quarter. Club fundraising garnered over $6,000 to bring these events to fruition. The event included a panel discussion after the film. The panel consisted of the director (Steven Scaffidi), the ex-death row inmate (William Moore) and CWU LAJ Alumni currently work in the criminal justice field. The events were a huge success and attended by more than 500 individuals including alumni, students, faculty and members of the general public. The events were also written up in several newspapers and CWU was the focus of several positive You Tube clips describing the events.
1. Each year, several LAJ students have been honored as Presidents’ and Deans’ scholars for graduation. One student has since been hired by the Federal Bureau of Land Management and graduated first in his class academically from FLETC. Over the past five years, over 85 LAJ students have been accepted into Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. 2. Many LAJ students are also gifted athletes and make up a significant percentage of the CWU football, soccer, basketball, baseball, wrestling, swimming and volleyball teams. Each year, several of these students have been named to all- district academic-athlete teams. 3. Our students have been quite involved in professional activities such as paper presentations at professional meetings and independent research. No systematic data are available concerning the number of students who go on to graduate study, however, anecdotal evidence suggests several go to law school or pursue a M.S., M.A. or M.S.W. Our recent alumni survey data indicates 17% of respondents were in law school/graduate school, while another 48% were currently employed in law and justice areas. Thus, 65% of respondents were pursuing law and justice areas.
We direct students to Career Services, advertise career fairs, communicate information to students on job openings and career possibilities.
Law and Justice students go on to careers as law enforcement officers, probation and correctional officers, and as paralegals and lawyers. Our paralegal graduates work in law offices, for company legal departments and in court administration. Some students successfully enter law school or graduate school. Each year several LAJ students are accepted into the McNair Program and pursue graduate degrees. The Washington State Patrol reports that a higher percentage of CWU LAJ students are hired and successfully complete training than from any other Washington institution. Our current students and graduates work for police agencies throughout the state including Bremerton, Ellensburg, Grant County, Kittitas County, Yakima County, Whatcom County, Des Moines, Kent, Kennewick, Mount Lake Terrace, Richland, Shoreline, Tacoma, Wenatchee, Yakima, Port of Seattle, and Dept. of Fish & Wildlife. Our graduates are also employed with the INS, National Security Administration, and Bureau of Land Management. The current Normandy Park Police Chief is a CWU graduate, as is the former first woman chief of the Washington State Patrol, who was Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and recently appointed to the CWU Board of Trustees. Recent alumi data suggest nearly 70% of our graduates are employed in Law and Justice fields.
We have eleven full time faculty members, nine are tenured/tenure track, and make use of numerous adjunct faculty. Five faculty are full-time, tenure/tenure track professors on the Ellensburg campus; a full-time, tenure/tenure track professor is stationed at the SeaTac, Steilacoom and Lynnwood centers, another has major responsibilities at the Yakima center; and we have a full-time fixed-term instructor stationed at the Lynnwood center and one in Ellensburg. The department currently employs an average of 17 adjunct faculty per quarter. The department employs one full-time Senior Secretary who supports on-campus faculty and students, and who coordinates with Center faculty, staff and adjuncts, plus a part-time office assistant. Adjuncts teach about 25% of the Law and Justice courses, while non tenure/tenure track teach about one third of classes. Although they are a valuable complement to our full time faculty, the number is excessive according to most academic standards. According the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Standards, part time faculty should not be used for more than 20% of the program’s credit hours.
Besides SEOI’s, the syllabi of all instructors is analyzed yearly based upon specific criteria. This provides further evidence of the effectiveness of instruction. Also, all instructors, full-time and part-time, undergo periodic assessment of their teaching via reappointment, tenure, promotion and post-tenure review. At these stages there is a systematic evaluation of their teaching, including, but not limited to, the SEOI scores. Traditional and Innovative instructional methods are evident. There is much collaborative research between faculty and students. Students are very involved in service learning, as evidenced by student enrollment in cooperative education. Field experiences such as court room visits, visits to correctional institutions, among others are conducted in many of our classes. Many classes involve group projects/learning while others are more based on classic lectures, plus guided discussion. The teaching methodology to produce student learning may vary quite dramatically from Correctional Counseling and Mediation to Legal Writing and Legal Research, to Crime in America. The case method approach is used in all of the law related classes. Nearly all courses now incorporate a Blackboard component, while the use of distance education technology is quite prevalent. The community service of faculty includes university, state and professional committees, plus local Ellensburg community services. The faculty average during the 2007-2008 academic year was service on six committees for each faculty. Faculty scholarship has been fostered by more emphasis on research. In 2007-2008 the average number of conference presentations/publication was three for tenured/tenure track faculty. This has been facilitated by increased use of departmental summer profits for travel/professional activities and support from the Provost and Graduate Studies.
The department policies and procedures for promotion, retention and tenure are pursuant to University and College guidelines. Law and Justice Department Personnel Policies – Amended July 2007 7.2 Departmental Standards University-approved standards guide evaluation of each faculty member by the department personnel committee and the department chair. These are developed in accordance with 20.1.1 of the CBA, and require approval of the dean and the office of the provost. 7.2.1 Departmental standards for reappointment, tenure, and promotion, and for post-tenure review shall align with the university and college standards. 7.2.1.1 The department will ensure that its personnel policy document is consistent with, and in no case less stringent than college and university provisions. 7.2.1.2 Periodic revision may be required. 7.2.2. Modification of approved criteria for reappointment, tenure, promotion, or post-tenure review for an individual position may sometimes be warranted. A split appointment between science education and a discipline department is a typical example. The modified criteria are agreed upon by the faculty member, the department chair in consultation with the department personnel committee, and the dean; and approved in advance by the provost. Approval at all levels must be in writing (Collective Bargaining Agreement, section 27.3) and the modification must be stipulated in documents such as the initial contract letter or subsequent letters of agreement. 7.2.x Department of Law and Justice The role of a faculty member in an academic institution of higher education is one of multiple responsibilities. It involves such activities as instruction and student service, scholarship, mastery of subject matter, and continuing efforts and evidence of professional growth and development. The Department of Law and Justice subscribes to this role concept. These roles and responsibilities have been established in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). In accordance with this document the above faculty responsibilities have been placed into three categories: (1) Instruction (2) Scholarship; and (3) University and Public Service. Typically, no faculty member can excel in all these areas. Individual faculty will make choices as to where to expend more of their efforts between the remaining two areas based upon a faculty member’s interests, skills, and opportunities as well as in consideration of university, programmatic and departmental needs. It must be recognized that in personnel actions involving tenure and/or promotion, a combination of demonstrated proficiency and contributions in all three areas must be evident. Achievement levels in the three areas increase as one applies for higher academic rank. Faculty members in considering their careers and promotional opportunities should familiarize themselves with the standards articulated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, University Faculty Performance Standards, and Faculty COTS Standards. 7.2.x.1 Instruction: Standard and Evaluation Since Central Washington University is fundamentally a teaching institution, effective teaching is expected from each faculty member. Instructional activities are specified in Article 13.3.1 of the C.B.A. and in 7.1.1. 7.2.x.1.1 Law and Justice encompasses a number of parent disciplines such as law, criminal justice, psychology, sociology and political science, within its evolving multidisciplinary approach, methods and scholarship. Therefore, expertise will be highly varied and diverse among faculty members. 7.2.x.1.2 In evaluating effective teaching, it should be recognized that student evaluations of instructors rest on factors that are not always directly related to the competence of the instructor or what the student learns in the classroom. 7.2.x.1.3 The Law and Justice Department will utilize the Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEOI) as a measure of student assessment of classroom performance for professors and lecturers as provided in 7.1.1.4, and recognizes other faculty developed instruments and means of teaching evaluation as provided in 7.1.1.6 that section. 7.2.x.2. Research and Scholarly Activity: Standard and Evaluation The Law and Justice Department like the College and University, believes that the faculty have the responsibility to conduct scholarly work that promotes the discovery and extension of knowledge for our students, discipline, colleagues, and community. We believe that a variety of activities represent legitimate scholarly endeavor, including, discipline based research, applied research, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. 7.2.x.4.1 The policies of the college and university are sufficient to describe the research and scholarly expectations of the Law and Justice Department’s faculty with the following additions: (a) In category A of the University Guidelines, the Law and Justice Department recognizes law review and law journal articles as products in this category since the University recognizes J.D.’s plus Master’s as terminal degrees for this department and these are primary venues of publication for those with this disciplinary background. 1. Category A -articles in law reviews and law journals (b) We also value collaboration with colleagues and engaging students in our research and publications. 7.2.x.3. Service: Standard and Evaluation The service role of Law and Justice Faculty is viewed along four important dimensions: (1) The department subscribes to a collegial model of decision-making as a policy formulating, mechanism. This requires active involvement by faculty in administrative service activities at the department level, such as service on committees, individual tasks and projects, and participation in department, goals and objectives (2) Faculty are also encouraged to represent the department by participating in COTS and University service activities as required. (3) It is also recognized that Law and Justice Faculty have important discipline-related community, public and professional service roles and are encouraged to be actively involved in such activities. (4) With faculty as program directors at four university centers we recognize and value the service and commitment that is extended in having those additional responsibilities. 7.2.x.4 Discipline specific standards for title, rank and tenure The department’s policies regarding title and rank are consistent with college and university policies.
As a teaching institution, about 80% of faculty time is focused upon teaching. Since one only has 20% left, often one must choose which to focus upon, scholarship or service. The implications are that one cannot excel at both scholarship and service, so must focus more on one of these areas. This is a particularly difficult choice, since scholarship is more valued in terms of rewards.
The SEOI’s, particularly items 28 (course as a whole) and 29 (Instructors teaching effectiveness) are used to assess instructor effectiveness. We analyze instructor syllabi periodically to discuss issues with certain classes and pedagogy. The above data help improve instructors by assisting instructors in the needed changes to their teaching. Since teaching is the primary mission at CWU, such evaluation plays a significant role in terms of faculty review, merit and promotion.
Not only do faculty members excel in being outstanding scholars but also all have been or concurrently are practitioners in criminal justice as police officers, correctional counselors, prosecutors and defense attorneys. Their expertise as professionals along with their excellence in scholarship makes them an outstanding group to model for our law and justice students. Since about one third of our classes are taught by non tenured/tenured track faculty, we need to reduce this ratio.
Data provided by Instructional Research and other appropriate offices.
The Centers have availability to all of the same library resources that are available on campus. With electronic availability of many databases and resources, we have not found this to be a problem. Des Moines and Lynnwood have a library resource person who can assist students and Marcus Kieltyka is the instruction and outreach librarian and he comes to the centers to assist and facilitate the centers with any library issues and also along with the two on-site resources people at Des Moines and Lynnwood gives instruction sessions to students. He also assists the department with the administration of Westlaw by assigning passwords to students each quarter at all locations and assists in doing training on the legal resources and online databases. In Ellensburg, the main library provides adequate resources, particularly online materials. The department’s new location in Farrell Hall will allow for the establishment of a departmental library/study area. In the future, funds for departmental library acquisitions eg. law materials, will be needed.
The department relies on the library for access to journals, books, reference and video materials, and as a repository for reserve materials. The department makes extensive use of interlibrary loan services. Through their web interface, the library provides valuable resources for research in the criminal justice area providing access to Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe, NCJRS, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Proquest, newspapers, article first and a huge variety of other databases. LAJ 303 — Legal Research requires extensive use of the library, both in person in the reference area and on-line through legal research databases. All LAJ students are required to utilize legal sources in their class presentations and topical research papers. Students are required to gather, analyze and critique primary literature and the library is the chief source of their research data. Faculty regularly use the main library for hard copy resources, while there is a heavy reliance on computer based resources, particularly law and justice related eg. Professional journals, government documents, abstract services, etc. Also, the two major online legal resources, West Law and Lexis Nexis, are invaluable to students and faculty. In the classroom, most faculty use blackboard and various related I.T. At the Centers, there is adequate upgrading of computers, plus availability of computer labs for students. In Ellensburg, the major need in the future is a computer lab in the new building adequate for class instruction.
As part of the Research Methods in Criminal Justice course, all students at the Ellensburg campus are required to be proficient with the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS). They are also required to develop a basic web page. It is hoped that in the near future, all of the Center sites will have sufficient classroom technology to allow all LAJ students to obtain the same proficiency. In Legal Research all students must learn how to utilize Lexis Nexus and Westlaw, plus related law sites. Nearly all faculty utilize Blackboard for their classes.
One faculty member collects resource requests from other faculty in order to add to the library resources. With our new departmental library, we will solicit more books for the legal and related holdings.
In 2000, the Library donated a number of older law books to the LAJ department. This donation allowed us to develop a law library, which our students can use for hands on legal research for both course work and personal legal issues. In our new location, Farrell Hall, we have our own library room. Faculty have donated texts and further donations will supplement our collection of law, criminal justice and criminology books. This is open to our students on a daily basis.
The department is headed by the chair who is provided administrative support from the secretary senior, and seeks guidance in decision making from the faculty. Each center (Des Moines, Lynnwood, Pierce County and Yakima) has a tenured/tenure track faculty member serving as director. In addition to the secretary senior, in 2005, a part-time office assistant was added. In fall of 2006, the secretary senior for the past 6 years left the department to pursue a criminal justice career. The past two years have been one of transition and stabilization. In fall 2007, part of the responsibilities of the part time office assistant became pre-admission advising in order to bridge the gap between admission to the major and assignment to faculty advisor. In spring 2008, the secretary senior transferred to another department, and the person holding pre-admission advising/office assistant was promoted to another secretary senior while continuing in the pre-admission advising role. This person also left the department the end of summer, 2008. In fall 2008, CWU alumni Sharon Talley filled the secretary senior position, and Crystal Boothman filled the part time office assistant/pre-admission advising position. Organizational Chart 2008-2009 Department of Law and Justice Charles Reasons (Chair) Sharon Talley (Secretary Senior) Crystal Boothman (Office Assistant III) Ellensburg Charles Reasons (Professor) Mike Olivero (Professor) Sarah Britto (Assoc Prof) James Roberts (Assoc Prof) Teresa Francis (Assist Prof) Cathy Busha (Full-time Lecturer) (Adjuncts) Des Moines Center Director, Mary Ellen Reimund (Assoc Prof) (Adjuncts) Lynnwood Center Director, Krystal Noga-Styron (Assist Prof) Robert Moore (Full-time Lecturer) (Adjuncts) Pierce Center Director, Key Sun (Assoc Prof) (Adjuncts) Yakima Center Director, Rodrigo Murataya (Assoc Prof) (Adjuncts)
Most organizational and policy work is done by committees, with final major decisions made by the department faculty. The various committees and working groups are as follows: Personnel Committee. Library Committee, and various ad hoc committees, such as search committees and, currently, a Distance Learning Committee, a Paralegal Education Committee and a committee charged with Revision of Departmental Tenure and Promotion Criteria.
The faculty has been increasingly active in college and university committees. We anticipate this increasing in the future
The move of the Law and Justice Department to Farrell Hall has greatly enhanced our physical space resources. It will also increase our sense of cohesiveness and mutual purpose. In terms of teaching, we need to increase our proportion of tenure/tenure track faculty compared to non-tenure track. Of particular need is a new position on the Ellensburg campus with a focus on policing. Although 40% of our 500 plus majors are interested in law enforcement, we do not have a tenure/tenure track faculty member with this specialty. As the largest major in the College of Sciences, and one of the largest at CWU, our number of tenure/tenure track positions is inadequate. For example, the average Department of Law and Justice faculty member has an average of 50 to 70 advisees, compared to an average 15 student per faculty advising load in all other COTS Departments. We also wish to begin the M.S. degree in Law and Justice (approved by the H.E.C. Board in ‘2002’) in the near future. According to our external reviewer in 2009, we need only two new Ph.D. tenure track positions to initiate this program. Unlike many of our fellow departments in the College of Sciences, many of our students participate in cooperative learning to receive hands on experience. A position of coop coordinator would be very helpful in facilitating our student learning.
While the department currently has no fund raising activities, it anticipates efforts in this area via the College of Science Foundation.
Each of the Centers moved into new facilities during the last 5 years in conjunction with their paired Community College. The Ellensburg based program was short on space for students, clubs and adjuncts. However, in Spring Quarter 2009, the Department moved to a new location in Farrell Hall. This provides much more space for departmental needs. The major need in the next period for the Ellensburg campus is creation of space for a computer lab, plus room for a mock court.
At the Centers, the Law and Justice programs share all equipment with other programs. In Ellensburg, the department shared a copy machine with Political Science. After the move in Sprint 2009, the Law and Justice Department obtained a copy machine. In order to establish a mock courtroom, remodeling will need to be completed, plus the purchase of related furniture and specialty items. A computer lab with the Department of Sociology is needed.
While all Centers have distance education possibilities, they need to be upgraded for delivery of more courses to multiple sites. The Ellensburg program needs more computers to establish a computer lab in their new location.
Faculty and staff are involved via committees, suggestions and recommendations.
Since the department is multidisciplinary, there is no one professional organization’s ethical standards which are followed. Our faculty includes members of the American Bar Association, State Bar Associations, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, American Society of Criminology, the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, plus other professional organizations. Given the variety of fields of our faculty, no one association’s ethical standards prevail.