June 4, 2007
Media Contact
Lourdes Rodriguez-Barrera
NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5309
Criminal Justice Institute Graduates First Executive Leadership Class
Sworn Officers Open New Career Doors in Law Enforcement
Fort Lauderdale-Davie - On June 15, the first official graduating class of an Executive Leadership Program conducted by Nova Southeastern University’s Criminal Justice Institute will take the stage to receive their diplomas.
The graduation, which serves as the culmination of a 15-week program designed for mid- and upper-level managers in law enforcement and public safety agencies, will take place at 10 a.m. in the second floor Auditorium of the Mailman-Hollywood Building at NSU’s Davie Campus.
The Executive Leadership Program is a partnership among the Broward Sheriff’s Office, NSU and the Sheriff’s Foundation of Broward County that focuses on the development of key leadership competencies. Among the topics of study include budget and finance; leadership practices; organizational behavior; performance management; emerging technologies; organizational change and strategic management and more.
The 33 participants currently enrolled in the class are taught by a team of university professors and administrators as well as public safety professionals which include George L. Hanbury, II, Ph.D. Executive Vice President/COO of NSU; Gregory M. Vecchi, PhD. Supervisory Special Agent of the Behavioral Science Unit for the FBI Academy; John J. Carroll, Ph.D. Deputy Sheriff Major for Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO); Major Timothy Gillette, BSO Training Division /ICJS. The program gives participants a choice to work toward the Executive Leadership Certificate, earn undergraduate- or graduate- level credits toward a degree.
For Fernando Gajate, a 17-year sworn veteran and captain at Broward Sheriff’s Office, this was more than just a class. Gajate, who serves as Director of Internal Affairs, sees this as the next step in his pursuit toward his career goals.
“When you seek continued specialized training in your field, it is because you not only seek knowledge, but you are working on opening the doors to new career opportunities,” said Captain Gajate. “By preparing yourself with new skills and abilities that make you more valuable to your organization, this opens new doors for other administrative level positions. I hope one day to rank Major and Lieutenant.”
Last month, Ray Ferrero Jr., President of Nova Southeastern University, Ken Jenne II, Sheriff of Broward County and Marta Prado, Chairperson of the Sheriff’s Foundation of Broward County, entered into an agreement to cooperatively develop educational, research and service programs related to public safety.
An official signing ceremony took place at NSU and marked the first time the three entities have come together to form an educational partnership. The venture provides for advanced leadership training for senior and supervisory public safety officers, access to NSU’s Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in criminal justice and shared resources in the development of training and research programs specifically related to meeting the needs of the criminal justice and public safety communities.
Nova Southeastern University is the largest independent institution of higher education in the Southeast, and it is the 6th largest independent institution nationally. In addition to programs in Criminal Justice, NSU awards associate's, bachelor's, master's, educational specialist, doctoral, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. For more information, please contact Lourdes Rodriguez-Barrera at 954-262-5309 or please visit www.cji.nova.edu.
