Message from the Chair - Spring 2025

Happy new year and welcome to the spring 2025 semester. I hope that each of you are settling into your schedules, starting to get engaged in your new set of courses, and working towards your goals and ambitions for your degree and future. 

This semester, I’m excited to report that we will be having monthly student events in the HSS building on Wednesdays from 3-4:30 pm. I write to invite you to our first such event: Welcome Back CJS students on Wednesday, February 12 at 3pm in HSS 204. Please see the attached flyer. I hope you’ll mark your calendars and come! 

This first event will be an opportunity for us to come together, break bread (there will be food provided), find out how to get involved in the Criminal Justice Student Association (CJSA) and learn more about the department, including the minors we offer. We will send information about the subsequent events scheduled for 3/12 and 4/16 in future communications.

At the event, I will also discuss further these helpful advising tips for getting through your degree:

• Many of you will reach the end of your requirements before you meet the 120 units for a degree. I encourage you to minor in one of our minors—Juvenile Justice or Prison Reentry Studies—or on of the many minors on campus. This will help you to use the extra units you’ll need to take towards furthering your eventual career.
• If you have questions about career advising or your time at SF State, please reach out to me or one of our many advisors. We all love working with students, and our advising hours can be found on our website.
• It’s always great to further your education with experiential learning—please check out our internship page and stay attuned to communications from the CJS office for opportunities.
• If you have any questions about the curriculum or your degree progress through the major, including questions about potential course substitutions, issues with your degree progress report, or a need to file a petition, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at eabrown@sfsu.edu. I can likely answer your questions and if not, I can help you find the answer. Please reach out to me—I love working with students and it is the best part of my job. 

I hope you all have an amazing semester, and I look forward to seeing you at a future department event, hopefully this coming Wednesday, 2/12 at 3pm in HSS 204. Remember, food will be provided, and you’ll get a chance to meet other CJS students and faculty. See you there!

Kindly,

Liz

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Elizabeth Brown (she/they)

Professor and Chair, Department of Criminal Justice Studies