EAST LANSING, Mich. - Seven Michigan State University soon-to-be graduates from throughout the United States will share the honor of being the first to graduate from the first MSU criminal justice Internet degree program.
Graduation will be only the third time they have seen each other as campus classmates since their initial two-day orientation two years ago. Midway during the two-year program they came to MSU to meet with faculty to discuss course improvements and talk with their professors.
The seven will receive their Internet master's degrees in criminal justice with a specialization in security management at tonight's commencement ceremonies, which begin at 7 p.m. at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
The seven students are:
- Damon Cavasin of Michawaka, Ind.
- Michael Clark of Converse, Texas
- Bret Graddy of Newport News, Va.
- Nathan Hartle of Wilton, Iowa
- Michael Jensen of Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Michael Leiner of Plano, Texas
- J.L. Sumpter of the Emmett County, Mich., Sheriff's Department
"What was exciting about the program, for both faculty and students who work in security management, was that MSU was able to bring a quality master's program right to the students' desktops," said Radford W. Jones, director of the Internet program. "In turn, what we gained from the practitioners was student feedback on course content and improvements, so it was a win-win situation."
The School of Criminal Justice in the College of Social Science is the first MSU school to graduate students from a long-distance learning degree program. Courses were taught by the same faculty who teach the on-campus program.
"The program we have today is the result of that input," Jones added. "It was a new venture, with no road map to follow. This is the first course at MSU where an entire degree has been available via a long-distance learning process."
The long-distance learning technology program was taught via the Internet to the assets protection staff of Target Stores Inc., Dayton Hudson Corp. It was established in January 1998 and received the 1999 Award for Excellence, Creative Program from the University Continuing Education Association, Region IV.
The MSU School of Criminal Justice, established in 1935, is the oldest continuous degree-granting criminal justice program in the nation.