The Sheriff's

Deputy

Erika Adams, '08

Erika Adams didn't choose MBU lightly.

The mother of a 13-year-old son and full-time sheriff's deputy was looking for a place that would challenge her to pursue innovative excellence as a law enforcement officer. She needed a place where her professors would equip her not only with sound theoretical knowledge, but also with practical tools that would allow her to advance in a competitive career. That wasn't all.

She also needed an institution that offered classes close to her work in Lincoln County, Mo., an outlying area of St. Louis about 45 minutes south of MBU's West St. Louis County campus. And she needed those classes to be offered at times-primarily at night-that would work with someone who didn't have a lot of time at all.

"I was looking for a lot," Adams admitted. "I found that at MBU I was able to complete my degree at locations and times that were convenient, but, most importantly, I learned a lot about the law enforcement from professors and peers who are in the field."

Adams graduated from MBU in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. She's currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling at MBU.

In many ways, Adams is representative of a significant number of students at MBU. She's a non-traditional college student both in age and life experience. Already established in her career, Adams decided to pursue her undergraduate degree at MBU because it provided her additional knowledge to her on-the-job training. And it provided her a means to secure that knowledge.

For the last year and a half, Adams has worked as a deputy for the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department. There, she primarily works as a bailiff for the Lincoln County Courthouse-helping to ensure the safety of Missouri's 45th Circuit Court.
She attributes the positive experience she had at MBU, at least in part, to excellent teaching.

"The learning environment was exceptional," Adams said. "We learned a lot of information, but we always discovered how we could relate the information we learned in textbooks to what we're doing in the field."

The vast majority of instructors in MBU's Criminal Justice program are working in the field. For example, the program's coordinator, Fred Crawford, is the Chief of Security for the Parkway School District and a retired police captain with St. Louis County. As an active, experienced law-enforcement professional, Crawford regularly brings to his classroom a wealth of real-world experience and workplace contacts.

Those professional contacts-like police detectives and crime-scene investigators whom Crawford regularly invites into his classes as guest speakers-provide context for academic lessons and networking opportunities for students after graduation.

"Going back to school was a challenge," Adams said. "But I found that I thoroughly loved it at MBU and learned a lot about how to better protect and serve my community."