About Us

The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology faculty and staff are leaders in their field. The faculty members are well-educated, noted scholars in the field, and have real-world work experience in the field of criminal justice.

Our History

In 1977, the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology (CJC) was established after growing beyond the confines of the then Department of Social Work, Sociology, Anthropology, and Corrections. From its inception, the Department has been committed to providing students with an evolving and innovative curriculum. For instance, the Department introduced online course offerings in 2000, which eventually grew into a fully online degree opportunity in 2016; developed interdisciplinary degree offerings such as the Digital Forensics minor established in 2009; and, during the 2017-2018 academic year, the Department revised the curriculum in full and created several new courses that could serve four unofficial specializations within the major – Policing, Courts/Law, Corrections, and Human Services.

Historical Timeline of CJC Department Chairpersons & Interim Chairpersons:

• Professor Lionel J. Neiman, M.S.W. (1977 – 1980)
• Dr. Stephen Brodt (1980 – 1988)
• Professor Diane Daane, J.D. (1988 – 1990)
• Dr. Gary Webb (1991 – 1997)
• Dr. James Hendricks (1997 – 2013)
• Dr. Jerome McKean (2013 – 2014)
• Dr. Gregory Morrison (2014 – 2016)
• Dr. Michael P. Brown (2016 – 2021)
• Dr. Benjamin Gibbs (2021 – present)

See our Hall of Emeriti (coming soon) for more information about our chairs and notable retired faculty.