casnewsfall18

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Success in Graduate School, continued… Beginning in fall 2018, NSU students will be able to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice. Previously, students wishing to focus on criminal justice studies pursued a criminal justice specialization within NSU’s sociology degree. This new stand- alone degree in criminal justice will better prepare students for careers in the field, as well as related professions, by providing a more focused background in the specialized terminology of the criminal justice system, the criminological enterprise, and law and society. All majors will complete courses in introductory criminal justice, criminology, the research process and data analysis, and law and society. This core will provide students with the necessary foundation to pursue one of three tracks of their choice: Law and Policy, Law Enforcement and Homeland Security, or Corrections and Juvenile Justice. These tracks allow students to appreciate how the criminal justice system addresses the needs of offenders, victims, the families of victims and offenders, society and criminal justice professionals. With this contemporary approach to the academic discipline of criminal justice, students will be equipped to analyze increasingly complex issues and solve related problems facing 21st- century criminal justice professionals. In June, the S.D. Board of Regents approved a legal studies minor for NSU students. The new minor structures select political science, criminal justice and business administration courses into a cohesive, complementary program. It is tailored to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter a variety of professions in the legal field or pursue graduate study in law or related disciplines. Students will learn how to think analytically and how to understand the way specific legal regimes operate. They will also learn the organizational structure and function of government institutions related to such regimes. NEW LEGAL STUDIES MINOR NEW CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE pastoral ministry, along the way earning a master’s degree in theology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn. In 2013, he returned to his first love of history and earned a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2015, and then enrolled in the Ph.D. program there. Inspired by time spent on the Standing Rock, Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge reservations, Hanson has made Native American history his area of specialization. He teaches class in early American and Native American history at UNCG, while presently writing his dissertation, tentatively titled “Voices and Stories of the ‘Cleansed’: The Expulsion of the Choctaw Indians from Mississippi.” In spring 2018, Arlen won a UNCG teaching assistant award. HARRISON HOMELVIG graduated with a B.A. in communication studies in spring 2018. While at NSU, he participated in organizations such as Lambda Pi Eta, NSU choir and band, and served as the CAS senator on the Student Association. Homelvig is now continuing his education by pursuing a M.A. in communication studies at Kansas State University. His current research seeks to understand the different communication styles of various generations within the service industry. He also works within the department as a teaching assistant. He is excited about his work and hopes to apply for Ph.D. programs in the next few years. JOSEPH KERYAKOS, a former biology major and chemistry minor, was admitted into Pharmacy School at South Dakota State University. Keryakos came to Northern from Lebanon and was an active member of the International Club on campus. He graduated In Honoribus, completing an undergraduate research project titled “Genes and Their Linkage to Dental and Cardiovascular Health.” His research project is currently under review at a peer-reviewed journal. BROOKE NELSON graduated with honors in spring 2017 with a B.A. in English, a minor in German and a TESOL Certificate. While at NSU, she was vice president of the Student Government Association and managing editor of The Exponent. In summer 2018, she taught English in China to elementary students at Peking University Affiliated Experimental School and is currently pursuing her M.A. in linguistics at the University of South Florida where she received a graduate assistantship. ERIN NOEHRE, a spring 2017 graduate with a B.A. in English, is currently pursuing her M.A. in creative writing at Arizona State University where she received a University Graduate Fellowship. CHRISTIAN PIRLET graduated with a B.A. in history in 2006 and completed his M.A. at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion in 2013, writing a thesis on the subject of the Black Hills land acquisition. He is now pursuing a doctoral degree in Education (Ed.D.) at the same institution, while teaching history courses for the NSU Rising Scholars Program. Pirlet worked previously as a social studies teacher, head oral interpretation coach and assistant high school theater director for the Aberdeen Public School District. DONALD (DJ) POLLARD, a former biology major and chemistry minor, was accepted to attend the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, to become a doctor of dental surgery. Admittance to dental school is very difficult because of the limited number of schools offering graduate programs. Pollard obtained a thorough education at Northern, completing an undergraduate research project while maintaining a high grade point average. In addition, he was a successful athlete, playing basketball for Northern. KRISTINE (MAAG) WENSMANN, who graduated with a B.A. in sociology with a specialization in human services in December 2016, enrolled in the master’s of social work online degree program at Florida State University in fall 2017. JULIA WOLD, who graduated with honors in spring 2016 with a B.A. in English, went on to receive her M.A. in English from the University of North Dakota in spring 2018 and is currently attending the University of Connecticut where she is pursuing her Ph.D. in English.