- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus NewsStudents
Lincoln University, Pa. – A new mentoring program, which is set to begin in August, hopes to prepare and proactively transition Lincoln University students to entry level criminal justice careers.
Jacqueline Bailey-Davis, the Philadelphia police captain and 2000 M.Ed. graduate of the university, who recently donated $50,000 to establish an endowed criminal justice scholarship last December, developed and is instituting the program with the help of the university’s office of career services, the division of institutional advancement and the criminal justice department.
“I realized there was a need when I was asked to speak to criminal justice students (before I endowed the scholarship), I recognized that they had a need for additional assistance,” she said. “The easy part is getting the degree, but the difficulty is in transitioning from college to the career. For me, there was always a mentor who was that beckon of light and that’s what I (and others) have to be for these students. Professors and mentors are that guiding light to assist you with guidance and confidence.”
The Light of Lincoln mentoring program pairs 24 criminal justice majors – 12 males and 12 females with an equal number of male and female criminal justice professionals , including law enforcement, the courts, corrections, security management and both those from the public and private sector. Aside from one-on-one mentoring, mentors will alternatively lead roundtable discussions for all gender-specific participants on topics ranging from specific criminal justice employment requirements to financial literacy and debt management. Students also participate in two full-day workshops to refine specific skills.
The program, which also helps to address the absence of a curriculum-based criminal justice practicum at the university, aims for the following outcomes:
- 75% of all senior mentees to conduct three job interviews prior to graduation;
- 75% of all mentees to complete at least one informational interview session each year prior to graduation;
- 95% of the mentees will utilize career services for additional assistance (at least two semesters prior to graduation);
- and lastly, 85% of all graduating mentees obtain an entry level criminal justice position or admission to graduate or professional school;
“Given the scope of issues that exist nationally in this area, Captain Bailey-Davis is perfectly qualified to spearhead this program and her timing could not be better,” said Ralph Simpson, director of career services. “In four years, this groundbreaking and cutting-edge initiative should position our criminal justice program as one of the best on the East Coast and the top choice for students of color.”