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With Special Thanks

Kudos go to three (of many!) experienced John Jay alumni in the Kings County District Attorney's Office who volunteered as panelists for the CUNY Black Males Initiative's program organized by the Office of Student Development: Tom Ridges BA'95, JD, Senior Assistant District Attorney of the Homicide Bureau; Kevin James, BA '01, JD, Senior Assistant District Attorney; and Danielle Wallin, BS'04, MA'08, Paralegal/Gun Part. For your generous commitment of time spent advising our students, we send our special thanks.

                          Jerylle Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations


College News

The Class of 2009

The Class of 2009
"This is the moment you have all been waiting for," said President Jeremy Travis (third from left) to more than 2,700 graduating students at John Jay's 44th commencement ceremonies held on May 29 at the Madison Square Garden Theatre. Honorary degrees were conferred on: Ted Koppel (left), a preeminent journalist and winner of five Peabody Awards who is the former anchor of ABC's Nightline; Patricia Hill Collins (right), the Wilson Elkins Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland whose scholarship, research and activism has focused on the examination of the intersecting power relations of race, gender, social class, sexuality and nationality; and David Levering Lewis (second from left), the Julius Sliver University Professor in the Department of History at New York University who has dedicated his intellectual life to the understanding of America through ground breaking studies of its major movements and the people who have led them. Guest speakers also included Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Anthony Weiner. The 2009 class gift was given to New York Cares, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting volunteerism and community service in New York City. The valedictorian was Heike Zelnhefer. The salutatorian was Renee Petrucelli. For more about them, see Student Highlights.

New York City Police Studies Certificate Program
This certificate program, "Police Leadership and Supervision in a Multiracial, Multicultural City," is now celebrating eight years at the College. It provides NYPD police officers and supervisors with skills designed to better understand the diverse population in which they serve. Twelve college credits, which can be applied to a degree at the College, are awarded for a package of four undergraduate or graduate courses within the program. Officers and supervisors attend classes on their own time and enjoy the financial benefit of having their tuition, textbooks and student fees paid from a New York City Council budget item allocated to the NYPD and administered by John Jay. During the past eight years, over 4,000 NYPD students have taken courses in the program.

Registration will take place in North Hall, 445 West 59th Street on:

July 27, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Room 1311N
July 28, 9:00 AM - 6:00PM Multipurpose Room, 2nd Floor

Officers who are new to the program should bring proof of immunization for measles, mumps and rubella. For more information, contact Mr. Rafael Quiles, Program Coordinator, Office of Admissions, at rquiles@jjay.cuny.edu or 212.237.8868

What's Going On?
Would you like to share your recent career and/or personal achievements with your fellow alums and the John Jay community? Let us know what you're doing these days. Your submissions will be considered for inclusion in the alumni class notes section of the upcoming fall edition of the John Jay Magazine. Just click here and fill in the information.


Events

VIP Protection Course
Monday through Thursday, July 13-16, 2009    
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The Criminal Justice Center has developed a program for individuals tasked with providing physical security for persons at risk such as corporate executives, professional athletes, entertainment celebrities, political personalities and their families. The program is designed to enhance the development of protective skills to create an understanding of tactical and psychological elements in a variety of situations. The training covers practices used by the NYPD, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. The trainers for this hands-on program are former federal and local law enforcement professionals with extensive experience. Materials will be provided for each session.

The cost is $550. John Jay alumni receive a 10% discount. Group discounts are available.

For more information and to register, click here or call 212.237.8638.

John Jay College
BMW Building
555 West 57th Street, 6th Floor
New York City


Play Ball...

Play Ball!

John Jay Alumni, Friends & Family Day (2009)
Staten Island Yankees vs. Brooklyn Cyclones at Richmond County Bank Ballpark

Sunday, July 26, 2009                            2:00 PM - 7:00 PM

On Sunday afternoon, July 26, 2009, the John Jay Alumni Association celebrates its third annual Alumni, Friends & Family Day with the Staten Island Yankees with a special rate for all alumni! In the Battle of the Boroughs, the SI Yankees take on the Brooklyn Cyclones at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. The park is just a short walk (3 min.) from the FREE Staten Island Ferry and is easily accessible from the Verrazano Bridge (10 min.) or the Goethals Bridge (10 min.). For our flyer and order form, click here.

Here's what you get for the special John Jay rate of $16:

  • An invitation to the ALUMNI BOARD's WELCOME TO 2009 GRADUATES. (Please enter the Right Field Gate and proceed to seats behind the 1st Base Dugout.)
  • ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT freshly grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, soda & water
  • FREE limited edition Staten Island Yankees cap
  • FREE PlayBall game program for each member of your group
  • All kids 12 years & under can run the bases for FREE after the game

Tickets are subject to availability and may be purchased online with a major credit card (Visa - MasterCard - AMEX - Discover). If you would like to attend, please order online at http://siyanks.com/groups (special order code: JOHNJAY). Please include your name, degree, year, email, daytime phone, and number of tickets. Or, you may fax the order form and payment to the Staten Island Yankees - Attention: John Jay Alumni Day (fax: 718.273.5763). The deadline for orders is Friday, July 17 and tickets are going fast, so place your order soon. For more information, please contact Tom Kurtz, Group Sales Coordinator at 718.313.1317 or Sunil Persaud at 646.557.4674 or cpersaud@jjay.cuny.edu.

Richmond County Bank Ballpark
75 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301


Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Sunday, September 13, 2009                              9:00 AM

Did you know that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime? You can help make a difference. Join us in the fight against breast cancer by participating in the 2009 Komen Race for the Cure. The JOHN JAY JAYWALKERS are once again registered as a team. Alumni, faculty, staff and students have participated in this worthwhile event for the past 16 years and in 2006 and 2007, the JAYWALKERS had the largest team in the College/University category.

Click here to sign up.

For more information, contact the JAYWALKERS Team Captain, Irene O'Donnell, at iodonnell@jjay.cuny.edu or 212-237-8540.

Central Park West
New York City

Alumni Spotlight

Marcos A. Crespo (BA '03)

In a landslide victory, alumnus Marcos A. Crespo (BA '03) was elected to the New York State Assembly representing the 85th Assembly District in the Bronx in a special election held on June 2. Crespo won the seat vacated by Ruben Diaz, Jr. who was elected as Bronx Borough President last April. Born in Puerto Rico, Crespo, who moved with his family to New York City at an early age, also spent three years living in Lima, Peru. He enrolled at John Jay in the fall of 1996 majoring in government. While a student, he participated in the New York State Assembly Internship Program where he was assigned to work with then Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr. During his internship, he learned the "ins and outs" of State government, developed relationships with many elected officials and developed strong bonds with the communities of the 85th District. In 2004, he accepted a full-time position as the Executive Assistant to Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz, Sr. During the five years he worked in this position, Crespo was directly involved in drafting and introducing legislative initiatives, coordinating grants and sponsorship opportunities for hundreds of community and non-profit organizations, and working on constituent matters in the district office. He had the backing of both the Democratic and Working Families parties.

Student Highlights

With Highest Honors

With Highest Honors
With a desire to be of service to others, Heike Zelnhefer (left)
left the corporate world to attend John Jay where she majored in forensic psychology and worked in the College's Peer Counseling program. Graduating with a GPA of 4.0, the German immigrant was the valedictorian for the Class of 2009. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in social work at the NYU Silver School of Social Work and hopes eventually to work with the victims and survivors of domestic violence. Renee Petrucelli (right), the salutatorian, enrolled at John Jay after serving for a year with AmeriCorps in the New York City public schools. She participated in the Vera Fellows Program - an internship and academic program for students committed to social justice and community service. She plans to pursue a master's in education and criminal justice and hopes to serve as a correctional educator. She majored in criminal justice with a cumulative GPA of 3.983.

The Fyfe Fellows

The Fyfe Fellows
Oliver Pu-Folkes (left), a student in CUNY's criminal justice doctoral program at John Jay, is the latest recipient of the Fyfe Fellowship. This award is given annually to a student who has served as a law enforcement officer and is writing a dissertation on a topic related to policing. Oliver has served as a New York City police officer and spent his first 7 years on patrol. Along the way, he attended Hofstra Law School and subsequently served as a staff attorney assigned to the Police Department's Legal Bureau. He was promoted to sergeant and has worked in various units including Field Training, Prostitution Enforcement and Patrol. Currently Pu-Folkes is "on loan" to the New York City Sheriff's Office where he holds the position of First Deputy Sheriff/Commissioner responsible for the management of all the Sheriff's offices. Oliver is planning to write his dissertation on a comparison of different methods of police response to emotionally disturbed persons. The fellowship is named after the late James Fyfe, an internationally known expert on police use of force. Fyfe, who was a Distinguished Professor and alumnus of John Jay, also served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police Training for the NYPD. Fyfe's sister, Dorothy, who made the presentation noted, "This is exactly the type of research my brother conducted and I am very happy to recognize a young scholar who is carrying the tradition forward." Also on hand were the two previous Fyfe Fellows, Kevin McCarthy (middle) and Charles Lieberman, PhD (right).

Office of Alumni Affairs, 555 West 57th Street, Room 608, NY, NY 10019 - Phone 212.237.8547, Email: alumni@jjay.cuny.edu, http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/alumninews