APRIL 20, 2022 — The UTSA Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice is using a recent grant from the university to offer a two-day experience intended to immerse students into the field.
Mike Davis, assistant professor of practice, will take a group of 35 students to different areas in San Antonio to interact with various members of law enforcement. The opportunity was made possible by the First-Year Student Experience and Faculty Engagement Mini-Grant program, which is designed to increase overall student-faculty interaction outside of the classroom, to enhance first year students’ sense of connection and belonging to UTSA and to develop impactful relationships among faculty and students.
The first event will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 21, at the Alamo Area Regional Law Enforcement Academy. Students will spend the day with representatives from police agencies across the region—including the San Antonio Police Department SAPD), the Texas Health & Human Services Inspector General, the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) Homeland Security Division, the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Probation office and many more.
Students will learn about the plethora of careers available to them as graduates, as well as ways in which different areas of law enforcement work together.
“As a UTSA graduate from both the Bachelor and Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice programs, I am excited to be part of this effort to help students who are looking into various fields within the area of criminal justice,” said Marcela Medina, AACOG public safety manager and financial analyst. “I can attest that there are many career options for students and that they will fully utilize their education in so many ways.”
According to Davis, a professor in the UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy (HCaP) many of the professionals who are participating in these events are executive level administrators who are enthusiastic about volunteering their time to mentor students.
“I would like for our students to get to a point where they start looking beyond graduation and begin exploring the rewards, challenges, expectations and the overall nobility of the criminal justice vocation,” he said.
The second immersion event will begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at the SAPD academy and memorial wall. Community representatives will talk about National Police Week and students will be able to interact with Police Honor Guard Members.
“I am excited to help our students meet with many of the practitioners who they read or hear about in the classroom,” Davis said. “I am hopeful that as our students grow their education at UTSA, they can also gain a better understanding of the various occupational opportunities they could explore when they graduate.”
This immersive experience ties into HCaP’s mission to affect change for complex social issues to improve the well-being of San Antonio.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
