the Magazine, Volume 2 Issue 2 - The College of Coastal Georgia

“The federal interests me more than the state becauseof the variety of opportunities and locations. That’s whyI started applying for summer work at FLETC – to learnmore about what they do.”This past summer, Cory was assigned to the EnforcementOperations Division (EOD). According to the FLETCwebsite (www.fletc.gov/training), EOD provides state-ofthe-arttraining focused on the operational and technicalaspects of law enforcement for agents and officers in over85 federal law enforcement agencies. Training is providedthrough lectures, laboratory and practical exercises whichsimulate actual law enforcement scenarios. When notworking in the office, Cory sat in on classes ranging fromthe Fourth Amendment to the United Sates Constitution(search and seizure) to land navigation or the use of force.Variety was also a factor in Cory’s selection of thePublic Affairs degree. “Right now I’m concentrating on thebusiness side of Public Affairs, but I’m looking forward toagencies and several other DHS components. Theconcentration of criminal justice and public managementin this program will benefit many of FLETC’s current andfuture employees, complementing and enhancing ourefforts to develop future leaders.”Dr. Skip Mounts, Dean of the School of Businessand Public Affairs, agrees. “FLETC is a key communitypartner, particularly for the Criminal Justice and Securityconcentration, providing faculty resources and internshipsfor our degree program. The College offers developmentopportunities for their employees, particularly inleadership and management issues such as budgeting.They, in turn, provide development opportunities for ourstudents.”“The Criminal Justice and Security track is about muchmore than law enforcement practices such as policing,”noted Dean Mounts. “This is a concentration focused onleadership, policy development and evaluation.”“The concentration of criminal justice and public management in this programwill benefit many of FLETC’s current and future employees, complimenting andenhancing our efforts to develop future leaders.”— Connie Patrick, Director of FLETCupcoming classes in cyber crime and homeland securityfor the Criminal Justice and Security track. Since workingat FLETC, I’ve become interested in customs and borderprotection as well,” he explained.The BS in Public Affairs was approved by the Boardof Regents of the University System of Georgia in April.According to College President Valerie Hepburn, thedegree addresses specific workforce needs by preparingthe next generation of capable leaders in the fields of publicmanagement and criminal justice.Two areas of concentration will be offered:• Public Management, preparing students to face thechallenges of managing and leading nonprofit andgovernmental organizations; and• Criminal Justice and Security, preparing students tomanage criminal justice and security organizationsas well as to develop and evaluate related policies.Connie L. Patrick, Director of FLETC, U.S. Department ofHomeland Security, is enthusiastic about the new degree:“FLETC serves as an interagency law enforcement trainingorganization for over 90 federal agencies, and also providestraining to state, local, and international law enforcementWorking in the public sector requires ethical behavior,leadership, and the ability to make hard choices.The two main components of the 60 credit hours requiredfor the major are a common core curriculum and coursesspecific to the chosen concentration, both taken in thejunior-senior years. The core curriculum provides studentswith instruction in the theories, research, budgeting,management practices, and methods of policy analysis inpublic affairs. Dean Mounts counted 19 students, includingCory, currently preparing for the public affairs major.“One of the big advantages to our program is thecombination of business and public affairs,” he stressed,“and this linkage to the business school is importantto the community. Our graduates will benefit from themanagement competencies, quantitative tools andleadership training provided by the business school. Thereis commonality in a unique context – decision making,critical thinking, complex problem solving, teamwork,ethical behavior, and communication skills.”“Our graduates will have the skills for effective leadershipneeded by government, nonprofit, NGO, criminal justiceand security enterprises.” uCollege of Coastal Georgia – the Magazine 13