College of Criminology and Criminal Justice programs and students were selected to represent Florida State University programs of excellence during incoming Senate President Joe Negron’s State University System Listening Tour on April 18.

As part of the visit, criminology students Heather Loveridge, undergraduate criminology major, and Ph.D. students Cresean Hughes, Sergio Garduno, and Julie Mestre Brancale, gave visiting Senators a snapshot of the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The students shared their experiences in undergraduate and graduate programs, discussed research they were conducting through the College, and addressed their career goals and how the College is preparing them for their future.

Dr. Thomas Blomberg, dean of the College, and Dr. Patricia Warren, associate professor and director of the undergraduate program focused on the College’s mission of bringing research to life and how that mission impacts its students and makes the College unique in its field.

Additionally, Dr. Warren highlighted the many ways the College is working to ensure its graduates are career ready, from partnerships with other programs on campus giving them a wider skill set for a constantly evolving marketplace, to initiatives such as the College’s Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program and the 3+3 Program with the College of Law, which can save motivated students tuition and get them into the workforce earlier. Warren also discussed the emphasis the College has placed on internships by hiring a full time internship director to assist students in finding internships that will give them real world experience and potential employment.

Serving as an ambassador of the tour was a huge honor for the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice which was selected based upon its high national rankings and its leading reputation in the field.

The visit to FSU was part of a four-day listening tour of the Florida’s State University System. Negron and Senate colleagues are traveling the state to hear directly from students, faculty, and administrators at each of Florida’s 12 state universities.

“While the formal committee process affords Senators the opportunity to hear from certain stakeholders, there is no way to replace the experience of visiting a university and listening to students, faculty and administrators,” said Negron.

To see criminology photos from the Senate Listening Tour, please visit our Facebook page.

For more on the State University Listening Tour be sure to view the Florida State video report.