Alan McKelvie retires from Justice Center

Alan McKelvie, Senior Research Associate for the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC), retires May 30.

Mr. McKelvie joined the Justice Center in 2002 and served as the AJSAC Director from 2002 to 2012.

Dr. Myrstol invited to be UAA Difficult Dialogues Fellow

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Justice faculty, has been invited to be a UAA "Difficult Dialogues" Fellow for the 2013-2014 academic year.  He and other Fellows will be leading and facilitating discussion among faculty from UAA, satellite campuses, and UAA's partner in this initiative, APU.

Discussions focus on "Start Talking: A Handbook for Engaging Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education" which explores productive ways to engage difficult dialogues in the classroom and other academic settings.

For more information on UAA/APU Difficult Dialogues Initiatives, visit the website. Dr. Myrstol also served as a Difficult Dialogues Fellow for 2012-2013.

Dr. Cory Lepage named to editorial board of UAF Alaska Journal of Dispute Resolution

Dr. Cory Lepage, Justice faculty, was named to the editorial board of the Alaska Journal of Dispute Resolution earlier this year. The Journal is published yearly in hard copy by the UAF Department of Justice.

The 2012 issue was released in March and includes articles on restorative justice in Alaska, forgiveness as healing in traumatic violence cases, and reentry mediation for pre-release prisoners in Maryland, among other topics.

For more information, or to obtain a copy, contact Prof. Brian Jarrett, Managing Editor, UAF Department of Justice

Justice Center closed Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day

Fort Richardson National Cemetery

The UAA campus and the Justice Center will be closed on Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day. We will re-open on Tuesday, May 28 at 8:00 a.m.

Justice Center closed Tuesday, May 14, for UAA Development Day training and education

Development Day 2012

The Justice Center will be closed on Tuesday, May 14, for UAA Development. Day.

The office will re-open at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15. 

The day is intended to celebrate staff and their accomplishments at UAA and lay the foundation to prepare employees for next year’s strategic priorities. It is also a forum to offer professional and personal advancement and learning opportunities.

Dr. Chamard's JUST 332 students make presentations on environmental crime prevention

Dr. Chamard's students in JUST 332-Environmental Crime Prevention made presentations about two Anchorage "hot spots" on May 1 to fellow students and members of the Anchorage Police Department (APD) Community Action Policing (CAP) Team.  Areas of frequent police calls for service are called "hot spots." This course examines how crime can be prevented through environmental design, use of defensible space, and problem oriented policing. Such things as lighting and changes in the layout of physical space can reduce crime by creating areas that invite more public interaction and sending signals that the area is not abandoned or unobserved.

Student presenters l to r: Kristen Crain-Robinson, Christina Cyphers, Kyle DeBoord, Yevgenii Kisarauskas.

Student teams presented issues and proposed solutions to problems of crime and social disorder associated with two different "hot spots" in Anchorage: a grocery store and a cluster of bars downtown. Each team spent hours making first-hand physical and social observations of the location, interviewing stakeholders, and researching crime data on the area. Presentations included an outline of the problem, findings, analysis, and proposed solution(s).

Student presenters l to r: David VanDenBerg, Christopher Dominey, Christopher Wesson.

After the presentation, a student talks to Justice faculty and a CAP Team member.
L to r: Dr. Troy Payne, Kyle DeBoord, and Officer Araceli Jones.

Prof. Fortson's JUST 487 students present mock oral arguments to Alaska Supreme Court Justice Bolger

Alaska Supreme Court Justice Joel Bolger (left at desk) listens to Kirsten Robinson (at podium) present her oral argument.
Far left: Prof. Ryan Fortson takes notes on the student's presentation.

 Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, held mock trial arguments in his Justice 487 - Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes course on May 3 as the final project of the semester.  Students participated in a  moot court  - a mock appellate court proceeding which involves the presentation of oral argument before a judge or a panel of judges. Students were divided into teams and prepared arguments for hypothetical cases.  Their arguments were presented before Alaska Supreme Court Justice Joel Bolger who rendered a decision after each case was presented.

Prior to the oral arguments, students prepared briefs on their cases and submitted them to their opposing counsel team and to Prof. Fortson and Justice Bolger. Earlier in the semester, the students also participated in a simulated trial, conducting opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments.

L to r: Students Kirsten Robinson and Tanna Severson, Prof. Ryan Fortson, Supreme Court Justice Joel Bolger;
students Vanessa Chung and Monte Hernandez.

L to r: Students Kristen Speyerer and Sarah Horton, Prof. Ryan Fortson, Supreme Court Justice Joel Bolger,
students Jennifer Seeley, Jeanene Walker, and Josie Grande.

Congrats from the Justice Center to our 2013 Justice and Paralegal Studies grads - best wishes for the future!

Justice major Kelsey Waldorf delivers the 2013 student commencement address on May 5.

2013 Commencement at the Sullivan Arena

MPA with criminal justice emphasis candidates at hooding ceremony
on May 5. L to r: Gregory Stocker, Khristy Parker, Kristin Schubert.
Not pictured: Shana Valente.

Justice Center faculty at commencement - l to r: Dr. Ryan Forston, J.D; Dr. Brad Myrstol; Prof. Deb Periman, J.D.;
Dr. Allan Barnes; Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D.; Dr. Sharon Chamard; Dr. Cory Lepage.

Congratulations to our 2013 Justice and Paralegal Studies graduates! 

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
with Criminal Justice Emphasis
Khristy L. Parker
Kristin N.Schubert
Gregory J. Stocker
Shana K. Valente

BACHELOR OF ARTS
Justice
Amani F. Azzam
Michael J. Batch*
Michael J. Castro
Samantha L. Cestnik
James A. Cusick
Mary Katherine A. Dombroski
Sean T. Eichrodt
Stevie L. Foster
Joel L. Fulsang
Christopher W. Hardwick
Jeremy D. Holmes*
James A. Hunt
Shawndean Hutchison
Joshua V. Johnson
Luisa F. Jones
Jason A. Kalarchik
Yevgenii V. Kisarauskas*
Dawn C. Leonard
Patrick R. Liddle**
Kyle J. Mansfield
Jonathan P. Martin*
Robert L. Moore
Charlotte K. Morthorpe
Phillip L. Parmenter
Ariel A. Poston
Luljeta Rahmani
Kaitlin R. Simenson*
Samantha Sinnott-Simonis
Laura R. Smith
Robbin E. Smith
Jessica Y. Sparks
Eric L. Steely
Miranda Studstill
Munkh-Erdene Tsend-Ochir
Cheng Vang
Shiloh M. Vreeman**
Kelsey C. Waldorf***
Casey M. Whetham
Ambrosia S. Wilkerson*
Isabell K. Wilkinson**
Ailee A. Wood*
Melissa Yang
 
PARALEGAL STUDIES CERTIFICATE
Louisa C. Good
James A. Hunt
Bobbie J. Manson
Erika M. Moore
Sarah M. Moser
MaryAnn T. Roman
Alicia M. Spencer
Tebany Yune
Jon E. Zufelt

*cum laude    **magna cum laude   ***summa cum laude

Prof. Fortson speaks at installation of Alaska Supreme Court Justice Joel Bolger

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, spoke on behalf of the Anchorage Bar Association at the April 26, 2013 installation of Alaska Supreme Court Justice Joel Bolger.

Prof. Fortson is a member of the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Bar Association.

Photo caption:
Back row standing: Superior Court Judge Steve Cole (Kodiak), Alaska Court of Appeals Chief Judge David Mannheimer, District Court Judge Alex Swiderski (Anchorage).  
Seated: Alaska Supreme Court Justices - Justice Dan Winfree, Chief Justice Dana Fabe, Justice Peter Maassen.  
Front row: Robert Bolger, brother of Justice Bolger; Carol Bolger, sister-in-law; Jackson Bolger, son of Justice Bolger; Cheryl Bolger, spouse of Justice Bolger;  Justice Joel Bolger, Stephanie Bolger, daughter of Justice Bolger; Prof. Ryan Fortson; Don McClintock, Alaska Bar Association Board of Governors.
Photo by Barbara Hood, Alaska Court System

Dr. Myrstol awarded promotion and tenure

Dr. Brad Myrstol

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Justice Center faculty and director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC), has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor and awarded tenure in the Justice Center in the UAA College of Health effective July 1.

Dr. Myrstol holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Indiana University and has been a Justice Center faculty member since 2009. Click here for a list of his recent research.