TAMIU Annual Report 2021

There’s a new doctorate in the house at TAMIU. In May, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved TAMIU’s doctoral degree program in Criminal Justice. Course offerings started this Fall for the Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, the University’s second free-standing doctoral program in its 50+ year history. The first Ph.D. in Criminal Justice cohort includes Mika Akikuni, Vanessa Almaraz, Carlos Alvarez, Belinda Latsky- Campbell, Citlaly B. Palau, Rachel Simon, Briana Underbakke and Melanie Worsley. TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said the degree addition moves the University closer to designation as a doctoral-granting institution. “TAMIU continues its ascendancy by creating richly relevant degree programs that address critical local, regional, national, and international needs. The addition of this doctoral degree also elevates the University’s academic status, accelerating our classification as a doctoral-granting institution,” he said. Dean Dr. Claudia San Miguel noted TAMIU joins a limited group of four universities in Texas offering a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice. She maintains TAMIU’s program is distinguished based on both its research location and cost-effective delivery. “Laredo is a significant convergence point for examining local, state, and federal Criminal Justice issues,” she said, “In conjunction with our historically popular and rapidly growing BS/MS in Criminal Justice programs, and its cadre of Ph.D.-trained scholars, TAMIU is poised to combine scholarly practice, student interest, faculty expertise, successful technological pedagogy, and Laredo’s unique criminal justice activity to create a rich, doctoral opportunity.” TAMIU ADDS NEW DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE Ph.D cohort members left to right: Mika Susana Akikuni, Belinda Latsky-Campbell, Citlaly B. Palau, Rachel Simon, Vanessa Alamaraz, Briana Underbakke and Carlos Alvarez. NEWS 9