Cohort graduates from VGCC Criminal Justice program
An innovative approach recently helped 18 certified law enforcement officers to complete a two-year degree in Criminal Justice Technology in little more than one year.
Vance-Granville Community College offered a Criminal Justice “Cohort” program from April 2013 through May 2014. The program was designed with a specific type of student in mind: one who had already completed the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program and was employed by a law enforcement agency. To accommodate their non-traditional work schedules, most classes were offered in a “hybrid” format. In a hybrid class, students meet regularly in a traditional classroom (in this case, typically one evening each week) but also complete much of their coursework online . In addition, most cohort classes were condensed into four weeks, with a few lasting five or eight weeks, rather than the traditional 16-week terms.
The 2014 graduates from the cohort included Ronnie McAdams of Efland (employed by Butner Public Safety); Bryan Carey and Christa Lynne Curl, both of Henderson (both Oxford Police Department); Adam Hight of Henderson (Vance County Sheriff’s Office); Jason Boone and William James, both of Henrico (both Northampton County Sheriff’s Office); Eunice Anton Edwards of Kittrell (Youngsville Police Department); Willis Carter of Littleton (Warren County Sheriff’s Office); Kelvin Fisher of Louisburg (Franklin County Sheriff’s Office); Kimberly Alston of Macon; Rodrick Fields and Patricia Ford, both of Oxford (both Oxford Police Department); Nicholas Williams of Raleigh (Butner Public Safety); Toni Pleasants of Rougemont; Christopher Martin of Wake Forest (Henderson Police Department); John Branche and Anthony Hargrove, both of Warrenton (both Warren County Sheriff’s Office); and Brad Knutson of Youngsville (Butner Public Safety). Branche and Knutson started their degrees before the cohort was established but were able to graduate sooner due to the new schedule.
In addition, three students were able to complete their Criminal Justice degrees in 2013 because they were able to take some of the earlier classes offered through the cohort schedule: Michael Lamirand of Henderson (Henderson Police Department); Donny Thomas of Kittrell (Vance County Sheriff’s Office); and Cecilia Duke of Stem (Butner Public Safety).
VGCC Criminal Justice instructor Andrea Ferguson taught the cohort’s major classes and served as an academic coach and faculty manager for their other classes. “I think it was a great format for this group, and I have heard very positive things from the students, saying there was no other way they would be able to obtain their associate degree,” Ferguson said. She explained that, following proven practices for adult education, the cohort allowed the students to focus on usually two condensed classes at a time, rather than six classes for a whole semester. “The courses are intense but with the material in such chunks, students feel like they can meet the short deadlines and do not have enough time to get overwhelmed,” Ferguson reflected. She added that the hybrid format, rather than fully-online courses, helped students to establish a closer relationship with their fellow cohort members and their instructors. “Some of the students have been out of school for around 20 years, so they needed support and some face-to-face classes,” Ferguson said. The instructor noted that she knew of no other community college in the state that had offered this type of program.
“In law enforcement, you always want to further your career through training, and this program worked well with my schedule,” said a member of the cohort, Patrol division Lt. Jason Boone of the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office. Boone said he felt fortunate that colleagues in Warren County informed him and Deputy William James about the program when it started. “We drove further to class than anyone else, but only one night a week,” Boone said. He feels that the additional education he has received is a benefit to his agency, and has also whetted his appetite for more. “Right now I’m looking into bachelor’s degree programs in criminal justice,” Boone said. The cohort format, he added, made him and other students more comfortable because they saw the same faces in each class. “We were also able to network with colleagues and form relationships with officers in other areas, which will help us in the future as our agencies work together,” he said. Boone complimented Ferguson as “one of the best advisors you could have.”
College officials are currently exploring a second cohort program, which would start in 2015. For more information on the VGCC Criminal Justice program , call program head Steven Hargrove at (252) 738-3467 .
Above: Seated, from left, are Criminal Justice graduates Willis Carter, John Branche, Toni Pleasants, Rodrick Fields, William James and Jason Boone; standing, from left, are graduates Adam Hight, Ronnie McAdams, Patricia Ford, Bryan Carey, Christopher Martin, Anthony Hargrove, Anton Edwards, Nicholas Williams and instructor Andrea Ferguson; not pictured: graduates Kimberly Alston, Lynne Curl, Kelvin Fisher and Brad Knutson. (VGCC photo)
