University of Maine at Presque Isle officials are pleased to announce that the UMPI chapter of the Criminal Justice Honor Society has officially been chartered as Chapter Mu Nu.
Dr. Charles Johnson, Alpha Phi Sigma Advisor and Assistant Criminal Justice Professor, comments, “It is indeed a privilege to have a chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma at UMPI for those students who strive to be the ‘best and the brightest’ in the area of criminal justice. There are fewer than 400 Alpha Phi Sigma chapters in the United States, and Mu Nu is the only chapter at a college or university in Maine. This unique opportunity for our criminal justice students is an excellent example of the kind of offerings that UMPI strives to provide for its campus community.”
Founded in 1942 at Washington State University, Alpha Phi Sigma is the only national honor society for criminal justice students. According to its official website, the society recognizes academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students of criminal justice and is open to those seeking a juris doctorate. A significant benefit extended to Alpha Phi Sigma members is that upon entering federal government service, they receive an honorary pay-grade bump one level higher than their competitors. Academically, Alpha Phi Sigma members represent the top 10 percent of students in their field.
“The honor society will grow into its role as an organization concerned with identifying the needs of criminal justice agencies and the public at large in an effort to offer support and assistance,” Dr. Johnson explained. “Members of an Alpha Phi Sigma chapter in Texas recently sponsored mentoring for children of incarcerated people in an effort to help to break the offender cycle. Mu Nu members will be seeking out similar needs in Maine.”
Alpha Phi Sigma (Mu Nu) Founding Chapter Members include: Dana Austin, Jennifer Benn, Sheila Blair, Jeremy Brock, Richard Clavette, Nate Cronkite, Christina Hall, Sam Johnson, Ryan Kilcollins, Andrew Levesque, Assistant Advisor Dr. Lisa Leduc, and Advisor Dr. Charles Johnson.
For more information about Alpha Phi Sigma (Mu Nu) or to learn more about UMPI’s Criminal Justice program, please contact Charles Johnson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, at 207-768-9598.
