MBU Hosts Criminal Justice Educators

This year is the first time Mary Baldwin has hosted the conference, and the theme is “Bridging Academia, Training, Research, and Practice.” The keynote speaker is Associate Professor Kathy Evans from the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice at Eastern Mennonite University, who will lead an interactive session on using restorative justice in the classroom. 

Mary Baldwin students, faculty, and administrators are also involved in the conference. Beth Easterling, co-director of the criminal justice program at MBU, and a First Year Research Award recipient will present on how undergraduate research helps bring scholarship to life at MBU, and three students will present on their research within criminal justice. Provost Ty Buckman will also speak about the administrative state of higher education in Virginia. 

“Having our VACJE membership together with students, Dr. Buckman, and Dr. Evans is a unique opportunity to share successes and explore ways to enhance our teaching and continue to offer the best educational experiences to students majoring in our field,” Easterling said.  

Among MBU’s most popular majors, criminal justice is offered as an undergraduate major both on the main campus in Staunton and through MBU Online.

The VACJE Conference begins with check-in and dinner on October 3, and the main sessions start at 9:30 a.m. on October 4 at MBU at the Wharf, 19 W Johnson St. For more information, see the conference schedule or email Easterling.