Keith Womer (left), dean of the College of Business Administration at UMSL, talks with Casey Nolan, host of “Stay Tuned” on KETC, about what students can expect after graduation.

‘Tis the season to graduate. And many young people are looking to make their next move. But what is it?

Three University of Missouri–St. Louis scholars were recently featured on “Stay Tuned,” a weekly live program that airs on KETC (Channel 9). Keith Womer, dean of the College of Business Administration, Alan Byrd, dean of enrollment services, and Carl Hoagland, the Emerson Electric Endowed Professor of Teaching and Learning, took part in the show “Graduation Season: What’s Next?”

The program touched on the value of a college education, internships, marketable skills and dealing with student loan debt.

Carole Basile, dean of the College of Education at UMSL, talks to KSDK about education changes.

Schools throughout the United States will soon see standardized education changes with the incorporation of what is called the “Common Core Curriculum.”

Carole Basile, dean of the College of Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, talked with KSDK (Channel 5) education reporter Sharon Stevens about the changes and how it will affect the way educators are trained.

UMSL criminologist David Klinger discusses Boston bombings with KTVI (Channel 2). (Photo by August Jennewein)

As investigators continue to piece together information and evidence from Monday’s tragic Boston Marathon bombings, officials have discovered that Anti-Personnel Improvised Explosive Devices were used. These devices are easy to make and can cause serious damage.

David Klinger, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, spoke about the bombings with reporter Charles Jaco from KTVI (Channel 2).

“If it’s on the ground what’s going to happen is those munitions are going to go down and skip up about eight inches to 12 inches,” Klinger told KTVI. “That’s probably why we had all these traumatic amputations and your lower leg injuries.”

View the full video on the KTVI website.

Klinger was also interviewed about the Boston bombings on KPLR (Channel 11).

UMSL’s Dan Younger will discus historic photographs from the Great Depression during a lecture April 17 at The National Archives at St. Louis. (Photo by August Jennewein)

A presentation by Dan Younger, professor of art at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, will be featured on C-SPAN’s history channel.

Younger will examine how historical photographs impact time and memory and function as historical markers for the Great Depression and other periods in modern U.S. history.

His discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m. April 17 in the Multipurpose Room Auditorium of The National Archives at St. Louis, located at 1 Archives Drive off of Dunn Road in north St. Louis County.

C-SPAN will cover Younger’s lecture and air it at a later date on C-SPAN’s American History TV channel, which is on C-SPAN3. The discussion is free and open to the public. However, people are asked to RSVP as a courtesy (not required) at stlpublic.programs@nara.gov or call 314-801-0847. Place the word lecture in the subject line. All attendees must show a current photo ID and go through a security screening process. Free parking is available in the visitor parking lot.

Younger’s talk is in conjunction with a new exhibit at the National Archives at St. Louis titled “Through America’s Lens: Focusing on the Greatest Generation, 1920-1945.” It features some of America’s most memorable photographic images taken by photographers who served in the U.S. military and were employed by the Federal government. The exhibition is free and open to the public. It will be on display through Sept. 27.

Media coverage:
University City (Mo.) Patch 
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Cardinals fans are often called “the best fans in baseball.” And with a new season just underway, KSDK (Channel 5) once again turned to one of the best of the best fans to spotlight: Tom “The Hat Man” Lange.

Lange, a mail carrier at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, was recently featured twice on KSDK. For one segment, Lange discussed the elaborate Cardinals hats he’s created over the last several years to celebrate his favorite team. He also showed off some of his non-Cardinals hats, including a UMSL-centric hat (pictured) he made to celebrate the university’s 50th anniversary. 

Lange’s hats are currently on display in the UMSL Postal Services building on North Campus.

Visit the KSDK website to view a video featuring Lange before the start of the season and on the day of the home opener.

John Nations, president and CEO at Metro, announces on March 8 the completion of a nearly $10 million light rail interlocking project near the UMSL South MetroLink station. Joining Nations are (from left) William Ray of St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley’s office, Mokhtee Ahmad of the U.S. Department of Transportation and UMSL Chancellor Tom George. (Photo by Bob Samples)

John Nations, president and chief executive officer at Metro and University of Missouri–St. Louis alumnus, BS public administration 1985, announced on March 8 the completion of a nearly $10 million light rail interlocking project near the UMSL South MetroLink station. It will allow Metro to more effectively maintain the rail system while minimizing system delays.

Joining Nations were William Ray, special assistant to St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, Mokhtee Ahmad, regional administrator for Region 7 of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and UMSL Chancellor Tom George.

“The easier we can make it for students to come here to class, get those degrees, then we can get them out into the work force,” George told KTVI (Channel 2). “That’s what we do. We drive the work-force economy here at UMSL.”

Additional media coverage:
KSDK (Channel 5)
KMOV (Channel 4)
KTRS (550 AM)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch 

Richard Rosenfeld, Curators’ Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UMSL, discussed gun violence Dec. 26 on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC.

Lawmakers, government officials and the news media have discussed gun ownership policy in the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Richard Rosenfeld, Curators’ Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, discussed gun violence with journalist Ezra Klein Dec. 26 on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC. He talked about the policies that could decrease gun violence.

He suggested implamenting “hot-spot policing” tactics and restricting assess to high-powered weapons.

Hazaria Washington's outstanding basketball skills recently caught the attention of KSDK (Channel 5). The junior guard for the UMSL Tritons was featured in a recent story. (Photo by Danny Reise)

On the surface, Hazaria Washington is soft spoken and has a quiet demeanor. But get her on the basketball court, and she transforms into a fierce competitor.

Instead of being boastful about her athletic exploits, the University of Missouri–St. Louis junior guard lets her play do the talking. She’s averaging a double-double for the UMSL Tritons and a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds a game. And she was named UMSL’s first-ever Great Lakes Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

KSDK (Channel 5) sports anchor Renee Knotts stopped by campus to interview Washington, a communications major, and Tritons head coach Katie Vaughn. A feature story aired Nov. 29 on KSDK.

UMSL Criminologist Richard Wright talked with KMOV (Channel 4) about home invasions.

Richard Wright, Curators’ Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, talked with KMOV (Channel 4) about home invasions.

KMOV Reporter Russell Kinsaul said the news station has reported on stories of 30 home invasions this year, two of which occurred in the past week. Some incidents ended in injury and even death. Kinsaul sat down with Wright, an expert on robbery, burglary and theft.

Wright explained that home invasions are not a common crime because of the risk involved.

“It’s a dangerous offense with an unclear, uncertain outcome,” he told KMOV.

He added that when you compare 30 home invasions over the past 12 months with the number of other crimes in the region, it’s still a small scale. But Wright added that the infrequency of these types of crimes doesn’t lesson the severity of them.

“In all these encounters though there is the possibility for a fateful misreading and this is scary for both sides because of course offenders don’t know what victims are going to do either,” Wright told the news station.

UMSL Chancellor Tom George (second from right) discusses the hiring of St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom (second from left) during a press conference today at UMSL while St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay (left) and Finn Esbensen, chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UMSL, look on. Isom will join the criminology department Jan. 1.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Daniel Isom will bring 24 years of experience and expertise in law enforcement and administration to the University of Missouri–St. Louis when he joins the faculty next year.

Isom, who earned bachelor’s (1994), master’s (2003) and doctoral (2008) degrees from UMSL and has maintained a strong connection to the university throughout his career, will join the university’s nationally ranked Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice on Jan. 1.

“I am excited and honored to join the top-ranked department and my alma mater at the University of Missouri–St. Louis,” Isom said. “Over the past 24 years, I have had the pleasure to serve and protect the citizens of St. Louis on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. During my career, I have had the opportunity to work or manage every aspect of police operations and attend the top law enforcement training programs in the country at the FBI, Harvard University and the Senior Management Institute for Police.”

His faculty appointment will be a non-tenure track teaching position with a substantial service component involving law enforcement and other justice system agencies.

“Along the way, I have taught police officers in the academy and university students,” Isom said. “Research, analysis and evaluation have been the cornerstone of my philosophy of policing. Both law enforcement and education have been my lifelong passions. With this appointment, I have the opportunity to continue to serve the community through education and research in criminal justice field. It’s with the same duty to protect and serve I upheld as a police officer that I accept the position at UMSL and will continue to serve the community.”

UMSL’s criminology doctoral degree program ranks fourth in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. Faculty members are not only world-class teachers, but they’re internationally recognized researchers whose work is regularly published in the discipline’s leading peer-reviewed journals. Their expertise spans the major components of the criminal justice system, as well as criminal behavior, gangs, corrections, victimization, theft, law enforcement conduct and illegal drug markets.

Isom began his career as a patrol officer with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in 1988 and rose through the ranks while working in practically every unit, including mobile reserve, police academy, internal affairs, advisory and community outreach. He was named chief of the department in 2008.

“Dan Isom was my first choice to lead the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department,” St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said. “He has been the thinking-person’s chief of police for five years, applying technology and behavioral science to challenges of urban policing. He has made his city a safer place and his department a stronger one.  It will be my honor to call him ‘Professor Isom’ from now on.”

Faculty members said the addition of Isom builds on the university’s commitment to providing students with the best education possible.

“Chief Isom brings to our department the unique perspective and experience of a major city police chief and first-hand knowledge of the opportunities and challenges associated with ensuring public safety,” said Finn Esbensen, chair of the department and the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor in Youth Crime and Violence. “This hire further solidifies the university’s engagement with the City of St. Louis and the surrounding area. It will be great for our students.”

In addition to his new position at UMSL, Isom has been selected as one of eight scholars to participate in the 2013 Eisenhower USA Fellows program. He will travel to Germany in the spring for a monthlong professional fellowship. The program, named in honor of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, promotes exchange of information and ideas among leaders throughout the world. The organization has sponsored more than 2,000 fellows from 108 countries.

Media coverage:

KSDK (Channel 5)
KMOV (Channel 4)
KTVI (Channel 2)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Riverfront Times
St. Louis Business Journal
St. Louis Public Radio 90.7|KWMU
KMOX (1120 AM)