Waynesburg University and Grove City Area School District entered into a dual enrollment articulation agreement effective Oct. 1, 2019. The agreement will provide Grove City Area High School students an opportunity to earn college credit for courses in criminal justice and forensic science.
“We are extremely excited to be partnering with Grove City Area School District and Grove City High School to provide a new dual enrollment program at the high school facilities,” said Dr. Shari Payne, vice president for enrollment at Waynesburg University. “We think that exposure to our top-notch faculty, like James Tanda, who previously served as a Special Agent with the ATF, will expose students to a broad array of occupations in the law enforcement community.”
Waynesburg will make two, three-credit courses available: FSC 105 Introduction to Forensic Science and CRJ 109 Criminal Justice Administration.
We are proud to partner with Waynesburg University through a Dual Enrollment agreement that will enable our students to learn directly with Waynesburg University faculty members within our high school.”
The forensic science course is a broad-based survey of forensic science, its application to criminal and civil investigations, and offers an introduction to crime laboratory organization, crime scene investigation and the recognition and handling of physical evidence.
The criminal justice administration course is an overview of the American criminal justice system dealing with the role, functions and administration of the police, courts and correctional institutions; and previews police power, the trail process and sentencing structure.
Upon successful completion, students will be awarded Waynesburg University credit.
“Grove City Area School District has a commitment to providing flexible learning pathways to meet the needs of all students, and as such, creating opportunities for enrichment, career exploration, and transition to higher education are essential to our success,” said Grove City Area School District Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Finch. “We are proud to partner with Waynesburg University through a Dual Enrollment agreement that will enable our students to learn directly with Waynesburg University faculty members within our high school.”
To be eligible, students must be full-time high school juniors or seniors at Grove City Area High School, have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and receive written permission of the school principal, parent/guardian and Waynesburg’s director of the High School Enrichment Program.
Grove City recently developed a new and flexible school day scheduling system that is better suited for creative partnerships, such as the one with Waynesburg University.
“Waynesburg University is an example of a partner that is willing and able to be creative in developing programs that can reach students within their public school, while also maintaining the standards of delivering higher education courses,” added Finch.
James Tanda, instructor of criminal justice and coordinator of the Online Master of Arts in Criminal Investigation Program, will teach both courses on site at Grove City.
“The opportunity to teach college classes at Grove City Area High School provides a tremendous benefit to the Grove City students, and as well, Waynesburg University’s [criminal justice] and [forensic science] programs,” said Tanda. “Students who might not otherwise be exposed to these college courses from a nationally ranked Criminal Justice Administration Program will now have an opportunity to explore these fields of study and the many careers related to both disciplines.”
Waynesburg will provide an orientation to help prepare students for academic and attendance expectations, class locations, technology requirements, identification badge usage and any other important information.
“As a Grove City Area High School and Waynesburg University alumnus, I am very excited about this partnership,” said Adam Jack, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences. I've had numerous opportunities to speak to and engage with the students, teachers and administrators at Grove City Area High School, each time becoming more impressed with their passion and fore-thinking.”
As part of the agreement, Grove City Area School District faculty and staff members may attend professional development opportunities offered by or at Waynesburg University. Additionally, Waynesburg will provide an Education Partner discount of 10% off tuition to any faculty or staff members who enroll in courses through the Graduate and Professional Studies Program.
The agreement will last through April 30, 2021, at which time both parties can opt to renew the agreement.
Interested students should contact Bob Barnhart, admissions counselor and director of the High School Enrichment Program, at rdbarnha@waynesburg.edu or 724-852-3346.
