Ashland University Criminal Justice Students Steal the Show
Ashland University criminal justice students were front and center at the Annual Ohio Council of Criminal Justice Education’s (OCCJE) Research Conference held at Tiffin University in April.
Ashland’s Amber Chase, who graduated in December of 2010, took the top award -- the Ohio Council of Criminal Justice Education’s Outstanding Criminal Justice Baccalaureate Student for the 2010-1011 school year, while three other Ashland University students – Aaron Hurwitz, Megan Sneeringer and Brooke Henderson -- received the OCCJE Undergraduate Baccalaureate Achievement Award for the 2010-11 academic year.
Chase’s award goes to the student who has demonstrated academic ability, involvement and leadership in the professional community and/or in campus related activities. Student nominees are evaluated on characteristics such as reliability, honesty, maturity and personal responsibility in light of their life experience, as well as an assessment of their professional potential in the field of criminal justice.
This is the second consecutive year that an Ashland University graduating senior has been recognized with this award. Chase is from Parma, Ohio, and will be attending graduate school at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia in the fall.
The awards presented to Hurwitz, Sneeringer and Henderson are given annually to students who have achieved remarkable accomplishments during their undergraduate career and deserve recognition for their success.
Hurwitz is from Tiffin and is majoring in Criminal Justice and Spanish, while Sneeringer is from Ashland and is majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Henderson is from Niles and is majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Sociology.
Criminal Justice Professor Barrett was very pleased with the awards garnered by Ashland University students.
“I believe the awards show the quality of student our program attracts and the total experience they receive while in our program, not only in the classroom, but out of it,” Barrett said. “Our students are able to do research and participate in professional activities through field experience, and academic/professional organizations at the campus, state and national level. They also can network with professionals who are alumni or otherwise affiliated with Ashland University.”
Barrett said the awards provide the program with positive attention both on campus and among our colleagues at other universities.
“It also provides prospective students with a glimpse of what they can accomplish if they apply themselves and take advantage of the opportunities we present to them,” he said. “My goal is to mentor our students and allow them to become the best that they can be, as our motto ‘Accent on the Individual’ implies.”
The Ohio Council of Criminal Justice Education, which celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year, is a non-profit organization consisting of colleges and universities in and around Ohio with a mission of promoting education and research in the administration of criminal justice and to facilitate communication and cooperation with practitioners on matters of mutual interest concerning education in criminal justice.
Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.
