[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/training-officers-and-legal-professionals-for-ministry-2\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/training-officers-and-legal-professionals-for-ministry-2\/","headline":"Training Officers and Legal Professionals for Ministry","name":"Training Officers and Legal Professionals for Ministry","description":"Students in the Criminal Justice Department practice fingerprinting. Faulkner\u2019s Criminal Justice (CJ) and Legal Studies (LS) department does more than provide an education for students looking to become officers or legal professionals. It provides students with a spiritual foundation and…","datePublished":"2023-01-20","dateModified":"2025-07-08","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/CrimeLab2-1-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/CrimeLab2-1-scaled.jpg","height":2560,"width":2373},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/training-officers-and-legal-professionals-for-ministry-2\/","about":["Current Students","Highlights","News"],"wordCount":950,"articleBody":"Students in the Criminal Justice Department practice fingerprinting.Faulkner\u2019s Criminal Justice (CJ) and Legal Studies (LS) department does more than provide an education for students looking to become officers or legal professionals. It provides students with a spiritual foundation and confidence to embark into the workforce ready to serve as Christ served.Whether a student is struggling to pay for textbooks, has a concern in their family or is overwhelmed with anxiety, the professors and staff of the CJ\/LS programs make sure their students are cared for in all areas of their life, not just in the classroom. While working at a Christian university, Cathy Davis, CJ\/LS department chair, makes it a point to find those freshmen and new students who are declaring a major in CJ or LS and mentors them as soon as possible to show them Christ\u2019s love through her example. \u201cThe biggest thing we try to do to ensure our students\u2019 success is to start those relationships early on in their college career so we can learn where they want to be and what they want to do after graduation. Starting them early on the right academic track enables them to reach their goals when entering the workplace,\u201d Davis said. Students who enter Faulkner\u2019s CJ\/LS department have the opportunity to create a completely customizable educational track depending on what career they want to pursue, whether that\u2019s becoming officers with the state troopers, the sheriff\u2019s office, the police department or a paralegal, an attorney or any other related field.\u00a0Davis, who has been in the department 10 years, makes sure she and her team are providing their students with every tool they will need for success. One key component is to listen. Leaving their office doors open so students feel welcomed to come in and sit. They take time to listen to students\u2019 concerns, questions about their faith or simply about what\u2019s happening in their lives.\u201cWe really focus on learning about the students, encouraging them to come to us sooner rather than later,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWe all have an open door policy so that our students are very comfortable to come into our offices to say hi, talk about class, or share whatever\u2019s on their mind.\u201dPresident Mitch Henry, who will continue to teach in the CJ\/LS Department has taken his students in small groups to lunch to pray with them and hear from them directly. \u201cI\u2019ve had students come up to me and say they\u2019ve never been in a place where the people care for them as much as we do here,\u201d Davis said. \u201cFor example, when they\u2019re talking before class with their peers and we don\u2019t interrupt the discussion, but rather chime in to whatever topic they are discussing, we learn what they care about and what\u2019s happening in their lives. We begin to build that comradery and they build that comradery with each other, which will serve them well when interacting with future coworkers and to share their faith.\u201dDavis and her team proactively reach out to make sure students are doing well. It\u2019s something students can\u2019t find in most other universities. \u201cIt comes naturally to us here at Faulkner, but we can\u2019t imagine the full impact that has on a student,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWe get thank you notes, emails and phone calls from alumni years later telling us how grateful they are to Faulkner, excitedly thanking us for the job they are now in and sharing how they are being Christ in the workplace. To hear students reflect on how you personally have changed them is incredible and confirmation we are doing the right thing.\u201dAnother unique aspect of Faulkner\u2019s CJ\/LS department is making sure adjunct professors are either recently retired or currently working in their field. This enables them to share real-world and current experiences to their class from fields that are constantly changing with new laws and policies. It helps students learn the most up-to-date information they will need to succeed in their field upon graduation. Additionally, a Legal Studies degree from Faulkner is one of approximately 250 American Bar Association (ABA) approved programs nationwide. This ABA approved program for Montgomery\u2019s campus can connect to Faulkner\u2019s three satellite centers in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile as well as anywhere in the world via Zoom connect rooms. Options are available for full-time and part-time students with flexible day, evening, weekend, and online classes to prepare students for paralegal employment with law offices, corporations, governmental agencies, and other entities in real estate, business,\u00a0 family, probate, civil, and criminal law. Additionally, a bachelor\u2019s degree in legal studies allows graduates to apply for law school.\u00a0The CJ\/LS department has been preparing students for more than 20 years to launch their careers as vocational ministers.\u00a0Degrees Available from Criminal Justice and Legal StudiesAssociate of Science in Legal StudiesBachelor of Science in Legal StudiesBachelor of Science in Criminal Justice \u2013 includes one-year online hybrid program for completing the junior and senior level requirements.\u00a0Master of Science in Justice Administration fully online 10 course degree can be completed in as little as 13 months.Earn Your Criminal Justice or Legal Studies Degree from Faulkner UniversityLaw enforcement officers and legal professions are among the most stable, yet exciting and personally rewarding, careers. If you\u2019re ready to start your journey or advance your established career, contact us today. For more information on how to enroll, our admissions portal can help you get started based on your current status as a high school student, adult student, prospective law student, or prospective grad student."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Training Officers and Legal Professionals for Ministry","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/training-officers-and-legal-professionals-for-ministry-2\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]