As Elizabethtown College’s 125th anniversary celebration continues, the College continues to grow and evolve its programs. The School of Public Service recently announced it is integrating a new Police Academy to the campus.
Despite an academic year which saw challenges including faculty cuts and the shortening of some long-time programs such as Sociology and Fine Arts, Etown has chosen to concentrate its efforts on strengthening remaining operations, including the Criminal Justice Program, now led by Kadee Crandall. It was announced on Dec. 18, 2024 that the program was partnering with the Municipal Police Officers’ Education & Training Commission (MPOETC) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to make Etown a host site for a Police Academy.
The announcement also described a new partnership between Etown and the Department of Corrections, in which Etown students offer re-entry courses to inmates from Camp Hill Prison.
“Elizabethtown College recently welcomed the largest cohort of criminal justice majors to date,” Crandall said. “A significant number of our criminal justice majors pursue internships and careers in policing. For this reason, I’ve been researching partnerships with other colleges that would allow our students to earn their Act 120 certifications prior to graduation. Unfortunately, the distance of travel to these other providers creates obstacles for our students and discourages them from completing their Act 120 certifications. Rather than outsourcing this education and training, Elizabethtown College proposed a MPOETC-certified Act 120 Academy on the Elizabethtown College campus.”
The process of finding a director for this new academy has already begun. Once the director is finalized, Crandall will be working with the Dean of the School of Public Service April Kelly, and the External Advisory Board to create a timeline for the academy’s first class.
“Our criminal justice program has been growing beyond expectations, with a good number of our students interested in pursuing careers in law enforcement,” Kelly said. “Having an academy of our own allows us to control the curriculum, to make sure that our students are getting the most current and relevant training, aligned with Etown’s mission of service to the community.” Kelly said.
The Criminal Justice Program currently offers a minor in Municipal Police Officer Training, which synergizes with the new Police Academy and requirements for criminal justice majors.
“The School of Public Service is grounded in the mission of Elizabethtown College – Educate for Service. We believe that education is most noble when used to benefit others,” Crandall said.“The college’s strong commitment to issues of community development, ethics, and social responsibility positions us to be a leader in fostering positive relationships between police departments and the communities they serve, to rebuild trust across lines of economic, racial, and political differences.”
With a plan set, some students share that optimism.
“It’s good to see investments coming back into the college, especially after what happened last year with the layoffs,”senior and secondary social studies education major Daniel Marshall said. “Hopefully the program is around for a while, given its history at the college. As long as the academy is implemented correctly, this can be something central to the Criminal Justice program going forward,”
Criminal justice majors are especially in good spirits about the new program.
“I was thrilled to hear the news regarding the new police academy,” sophomore criminal justice major Skye Zolomij said. “Initially, Dr. Crandall and I had planned for me to pursue my MPOETC certification at Harrisburg Area Community College, but with this new opportunity, I can complete on campus. I am extremely excited to begin taking the steps to build my career while staying local to the college.”
More updates on the academy’s progress will be given this year through news from Etown and the Criminal Justice Department.
