John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Encyclopedia
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
, New York City and is the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States. The college offers programs in Forensic Science and Forensic Psychology. It has about 14,000 full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
students, including traditional, pre-career undergraduate students and those pursuing master’s degrees in several disciplines. John Jay College of Criminal Justice was founded in 1964 and was originally called the College of Police Science
Police science
Police science is often an ambiguous term that denotes the studies and research which directly or indirectly deal with police work. Studies and research in criminology, forensic science, psychology, jurisprudence, community policing, criminal justice, correctional administration and penology all...
(COPS). Classes were held at the Police Academy on East 20th Street. Eventually, the school was expanded to incorporate many liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
disciplines and was renamed John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
It moved to its current location in the former Charles B. J. Snyder-designed De Witt Clinton High School in 1988. After Clinton moved to the Bronx the building became Haaren High School
John Henry Haaren
John Henry Haaren was an American educator and historian....
. The building is now Haaren Hall on the campus.
It offers criminal justice education and research. It is a training facility for local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel. The college has invited speakers such as Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took the oath of office on August 10, 1993. She is the second female justice and the first Jewish female justice.She is generally viewed as belonging to...
.
The school's namesake, John Jay
John Jay
John Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
, was the first chief justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the United States Supreme Court and one of the founding fathers of the United States
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
. Jay was a native of New York City, and a New York State governor.
The school has a Forensic Science program, one of the few schools in the nation which offers the undergraduate degree with tracks in Criminalistics, Molecular Biology, and Toxicology.
The College is unique from other Criminal Justice programs across the country as a result of its locale. Besides local law enforcement agencies, the New York City area contains a number of federal law enforcement agencies. The geographical location and specialization has afforded the University a pool of experienced instructors from which to hire. The faculty are often former high level law enforcement officers who have years of experience in the field.
Campus
John Jay College consists of six buildings. The school is located in northwest midtown Manhattan near Columbus CircleColumbus Circle
Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South , and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. It is the point from...
and Lincoln Center.
The buildings are: Haaren Hall (also known as the Tenth Avenue building or, simply, the T building), which also contains the Lloyd George Sealy Library, the Gerald W. Lynch
Gerald W. Lynch
Gerald W. Lynch was the third President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the only institution of higher education in the United States dedicated exclusively to the study of criminal justice, law enforcement, police science, and public service...
Theater, a gymnasium, and a swimming pool; North Hall (N building); newly-constructed Westport Building (W building) where John Jay College rents the first two floors; one floor of the BMW building (6th floor) and one floor of 619 West 54th Street (54th Street Annex); Also a new state of the art 600 million dollar building called the new building. Administration offices are on the top floor of the T building, while the departmental offices are spread across the N building with the exceptions of the Foreign Language and English Departments, which are now located on West 54th Street.
As of December 2008, the College has been undergoing a multi-million dollar expansion project known as "Phase II", which involves the construction of an additional building on 11th Avenue between West 58th and West 59th Streets in New York City. It is anticipated that construction will be completed by 2012 at which time the N building will be relinquished to the State of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. As of November 2011 the new building has been finished. Students are allowed to take classes in the new building, however just the first 3 floors are allowed public access.
Admissions
John Jay College currently admits 47% of applicants to its undergraduate programs. The school's graduate programs are highly selective. The school's applicants tend to be in-state residents with 97% of students enrolled in classes at John Jay College being residents of New York State, with just 3% out-of-state.Academics
John Jay College is primarily known for its criminal justice studies. It is also one of the few schools in the country that offers undergraduate forensic majors, with tracks in Criminalistics, Toxicology, and Molecular Biology. Many students attend John Jay College with the intention of joining the law enforcement community. It has also worked on the number of students attending law school. It established the Pre-Law institute to guide students that intend to go to law school, therefore increasing applications to the school.Students
On average, there are over 14,000 undergraduate students and nearly 2,000 graduate students. Nearly 100 different nationalities are represented in the student body.John Jay College is considered a "commuter college"; all students reside at home. Ninety-three percent of its students are in-state students. Many graduate students come from out of state and often live in the City College dorm called the Towers at City College or Educational Housing Services.
The college has a student government consisting of the Student Council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
, the Judicial Board, and various student organizations known collectively as "Clubs".
"Club Row" is the nickname in the college for a series of hallways where the student clubs are given space. Student organizations that are given the title "Essential Service" by the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
include The John Jay Times, the school's theater group known as the "John Jay Players", and the campus radio station known as WJJC.
Athletics
John Jay College has a number of NCAA division III sports teams which belong to the CUNYAC conference.- Fall: men's soccer, women's volleyball, women's tennis, men's and women's cross country
- Winter: men's and women's basketball, women's swimming, and rifle
- Spring: baseball, softball, and men's tennis
Degrees offered
John Jay awards bachelor's, master's degrees, and a certificate in dispute resolution. It also awards, via the CUNY Graduate CenterCUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
two doctoral degrees. Double majors are prohibited, However double or triple tracking is permitted in the Forensic Science degree in both the undergraduate and the graduate programs, many of the graduate students in the Graduate Forensic Science program double track.
Majors
- Computer Information Systems in Criminal Justice and Public Administration (BS)
- Correctional Studies (BS)
- Criminal Justice (BA)
- Criminal Justice (BS)
- Criminal Justice Administration and Planning (BS)
- Criminology (BA)
- Deviant Behavior and Social Control (BA)
- Economics (BS)
- English (BA)
- Fire Science (BS)
- Fire and Emergency Service (BA)
- Forensic Psychology (BA)
- Forensic Science (BS)-Toxicology,Molecular Biology, Criminalistics
- Gender Studies (BA)
- Global History (BA)
- International Criminal Justice (BA)
- Humanities and Justice (BA)
- Legal Studies (BS)
- Police Studies (BS)
- Political Science (BA)
- Public Administration (BA)
- Security Management (BS)
Minors
- Addiction Studies
- African-American Studies
- Anthropology
- Art
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Corrections
- Counseling
- Criminology
- Economics
- English
- Fire and Emergency Services
- Fire Science
- Forensic Science
- Gender Studies
- Global History
- History
- International Criminal Justice
- Journalism (as of 2009)
- Law
- Philosophy
- Police Studies
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Puerto Rican/Latin American Studies
- Russian
- Science
- Security Management
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Speech and Media/Theatre
Master's
- M.A. - Criminal Justice (B.A./M.A. offered)
- M.A. - Forensic Psychology (B.A./M.A. offered)
- M.A. - Forensic Mental Health Counseling (new)
- M.A. - International Crime and Justice (new)
- M.S. - Forensic Science
- M.S. - Forensic Computing
- M.S. - Protection Management
- M.P.A. - Public Administration (B.A./M.P.A. offered)
- M.P.A. - Public Administration - Inspector General track (National Online Program)
Doctoral
(at the CUNY Graduate Center)
- Ph.D. - Criminal Justice
- Ph.D. - Forensic Psychology
Certificate Program
- CUNY Dispute Resolution Certificate http://johnjay.jjay.cuny.edu/dispute/
- Certificate in Terrorism Studies Awarded by the Center on Terrorism.
- Postgraduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology
Notable people
Alumni- Dr. Henry Lee (BS '72) - forensic scientist
- Kimberly AmatoKimberly AmatoKimberly Amato is an American actress. Has a BA in psychology from Hofstra University and a MA in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Forensic Psychology....
(MA) - actress and writer - Petri Hawkins-ByrdPetri Hawkins-ByrdPetri Hawkins-Byrd is an American television personality known for his role as the bailiff on the television show Judge Judy...
(BS '89) - Judge JudyJudge JudyJudge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
bailiff - Miguel Martinez (BS) - former member of the New York City CouncilNew York City CouncilThe New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
representing the 10th District in upper ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Washington HeightsWashington Heights, ManhattanWashington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
, InwoodInwood, ManhattanInwood is the northernmost neighborhood on Manhattan Island in the New York City borough of Manhattan.-Geography:Inwood is physically bounded by the Harlem River to the north and east, and the Hudson River to the west. It extends southward to Fort Tryon Park and alternatively Dyckman Street or...
, and Marble HillMarble Hill, ManhattanMarble Hill is the neighborhood which makes up the northernmost part of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Although it is politically part of Manhattan and New York County, because of the re-routing of the Harlem River, it is located on the North American mainland contiguous...
areas until his resignation on 14 July, 2009. He pled guilty to three conspiracy charges on July 16. - Marcos A. Crespo (BA) - New York State Assemblyman representing district 85.
- Eva NorvindEva NorvindEva Norvind was a writer, documentary producer, director, sex therapist/ dominatrix, and former actress of the cinema of Mexico...
(MA) - actress and director - Imette St. Guillen - a graduate student, murdered in February, 2006, studying criminal justice; a scholarship was created in her name
- Dorothy UhnakDorothy UhnakDorothy Uhnak was an American novelist.-Biography:Uhnak was born in New York City. She attended City College of New York and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice....
(BA) - writer - Jennings Michael BurchJennings Michael BurchJennings Michael Burch spent most of his childhood in foster homes and wrote the 1984 best selling autobiography They Cage The Animals At Night....
- Spent his childhood going through multiple foster homes and wrote the 1984 best selling novel "They Cage the Animals at Night" which is a memoir of that period of his life.
Faculty
- David M. KennedyDavid M. Kennedy (author)David M. Kennedy is a criminologist, professor, and author, specializing in crime prevention among inner city gangs.-Biography:Kennedy is the author of Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America, published in 2011 by Bloomsbury USA...
, author of Don't Shoot (2011), professor of criminology - John MattesonJohn MattesonJohn Matteson is a full professor of English and legal writing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for his first book, Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father.Matteson is the son of Thomas D...
- winner of the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 2008 for the biography Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her FatherEden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her FatherEden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father is a 2007 biography by John Matteson of Louisa May Alcott, best known as the author of Little Women, and her father, Bronson Alcott, an American Transcendentalist philosopher and the founder of the Fruitlands utopian community... - Kevin NadalKevin NadalKevin Nadal, Ph.D. is an author, comedian, and professor. He has been a guest on O'Reilly Factor on Fox News and a commentator on The History Channel. He has been featured several times on The Filipino Channel and in Filipinas Magazine. He is the author of the book, Filipino American Psychology: A...
- notable Filipino AmericanFilipino AmericanFilipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
professor, comedian, and author. Has been featured on the O'Reilly Factor and History Channel - Rosalie PurvisRosalie PurvisRosalie Purvis is a Dutch-American theatre director and choreographer. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bard College, followed by a Master of Arts degree from Brooklyn College. During the late 1990s, she gained a considerable following in the Netherlands...
- avant-garde theater director and choreographer - Mike WallaceMike Wallace (historian)Mike Wallace is an American historian, Distinguished Professor of History at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, where he has taught since 1971, and the director of the Gotham Center for New York City History....
- co-author of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 is a non-fiction book by historians Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace. Based on over twenty years of research by Burrows and Wallace, it was published in 1998 by Oxford University Press and won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for History... - Dr. Anthony Carpi- winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2011
Administration
The president of John Jay College is Jeremy Travis. He became the fourth president of John Jay College on August 16, 2004. Travis succeeds Gerald W. Lynch
Gerald W. Lynch
Gerald W. Lynch was the third President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the only institution of higher education in the United States dedicated exclusively to the study of criminal justice, law enforcement, police science, and public service...
, who had been appointed as acting president in 1975, and then was named the third president in 1977. After 30 years as president, Lynch retired in 2004 as having tenured the longest senior-level administration in City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
history.
Presidents
- Leonard E. Reisman, 1964 - 1970
- Donald Riddle, 1970 - 1975
- Gerald W. Lynch, 1975 - 1977 (acting), 1977 - 2004
- Jeremy Travis, 2004 - current