Fall 2021 Newsletter

FALL SEMESTER 2021

Research Roundup
Doctoral Program in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy

The Professional Security Studies (PSS) Department faculty and alumni are engaged in on-going scholarly and applied research. This update is published annually to inspire collaboration and curiosity among Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) faculty, students, and alumni.

Doctoral Program in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy

The Professional Security Studies (PSS) Department faculty and alumni are engaged in on-going scholarly and applied research. This update is published annually to inspire collaboration and curiosity among Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) faculty, students, and alumni.

Third-Year Doctoral Candidate Successfully Defends Dissertation Thesis

Travis Eddleman Defending His Dissertation

The D.Sc. in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy program at NJCU welcomes a new graduate. Mr. Travis L. Eddleman, who joined the D.Sc. program in Summer 2019 as a member of the 8th Learning Community (LC 8), successfully defended his dissertation in December 2021, thus brilliantly completing his doctoral degree in just two-and-a-half years. He currently works as a criminal investigator with the United States Marshals Service, who are charged by the U.S. Congress with enforcing federal sex offender registration laws under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Drawing on his professional experience and his review of the literature, he developed his dissertation topic over the course of several semesters and eventually structured his primary research question to address the presence and influence of social priming in research focused on those convicted of sexually based offenses.

When reflecting on his experience in the D.Sc. program, Eddleman emphasizes the importance of personal interactions at every phase of the doctoral process, including coursework, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation production. He insists that “the program design allowed me to continue my professional career while also attending classes in person at the university. This was very important to me. The personal interaction with the faculty and fellow students set me up for success from the beginning.” He appreciates the manner in which the program continuously builds throughout the various phases to help doctoral students develop topics, conduct research, and enter the dissertation proposal phase with a solid, well-developed research plan. “This program offered me the opportunity to become a scholar practitioner and examine an aspect of my professional career from an academic, research-based perspective,” Eddleman stated. “I was able to combine first-hand knowledge gained as practitioner in my field with the more scholarly methods employed in doctoral studies.”

The D.Sc. program wishes Dr. Eddleman a successful career as a scholar practitioner of civil security.

Second-Year Doctoral Student Publishes in Peer-Reviewed Journals

Joseph Brickley headshot

Joseph Brickley, a second-year doctoral student in the D.Sc. in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy, has managed to publish two papers in academic peer-reviewed journals while working full-time as a Cybersecurity Architect for L3Harris and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. During his first year in the D.Sc. program, Joseph published his first article, where he was a main co-author with Dr. Kutub Thakur, a faculty member in the Professional Security Studies Department. The article titled “A Comparative Analysis between Technical and Non-Technical Phishing Defenses” was published in the International Journal of Cyber-Security and Digital Forensics. It covers current issues in the civil-security domain surrounding the technical and non-technical phishing defenses. In his second year in the D.Sc. program, Joseph published a solo article titled “The Surprise Management Theory and the Chicago Fire of 2014” in the International Public Safety Association Journal. The paper covered emergency management leadership theories and their effectiveness. Joseph has submitted two additional solo manuscripts to academic peer-reviewed journals to be reviewed for publication. His research interests are user characteristics and their impact on confidence levels towards user phishing detection behavior. The D.Sc. program is proud of Joseph’s achievements and looks forward to what he will accomplish next.

D.Sc. Program Welcomes New Faculty Member

Jonathan Rosen headshot

Dr. Jonathan Rosen, who joined the Department of Professional Security Studies in Fall 2021 as a tenure-track assistant professor, has completed his first semester teaching a data analysis course in the D.Sc. program. Dr. Rosen earned his master’s degree in political science from Columbia University and received his Ph.D. in international studies from the University of Miami. Dr. Rosen’s research focuses on drug trafficking, organized crime, gangs, and security. He has published 20 books with Routledge, Lexington Books, Palgrave Macmillan, the University of Florida, and the State University Press of New York. He has published journal articles in Trends in Organized Crime, the Journal of Criminal Justice, Deviant Behavior, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, and Contexto Internacional, among others. He has participated in grant-funded research studies in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Mexico. In 2017, Dr. Rosen and his colleagues at Florida International University interviewed and surveyed nearly 1,200 active and former gang members in El Salvador. In the summer of 2021, he participated in a grant-funded study on criminal governance in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The D.Sc. program is happy to have Dr. Rosen as an instructor and advisor for doctoral students and looks forward to drawing on his expertise as an accomplished scholar.

The Master of Science in National Security Program Has a New Coordinator

laszlo molnar headshot

Dr. Laszlo Molnar, a retired diplomat and an associate professor at the Department of Professional Security Studies (PSS), is the new coordinator of the Master of Science in National Security Studies program at PSS. He stepped into this new leadership role in the summer of 2020. Dr. Molnar holds a Ph.D. in International Relations, studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and at the Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a certificate on The International Negotiation Process from the Harvard Negotiation Project and was Resident Fellow of the Institute for East-West Security Studies, NYC. Ambassador Molnar served as a career diplomat with the Hungarian foreign service for two decades, with the highest rank of State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). He was Consul General and Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations in NYC. His international diplomatic assignments related mainly to international security and nuclear nonproliferation. He was Executive Director of Cisco with responsibilities in government affairs, business development and cybersecurity. Dr. Molnar also was a consultant of the Paris-based Cybersecurity Advisors Network and a board member of the International Mediation Institute.

Faculty Research

Recent Publications

In the Works

  • Authorization Checks in Static Code Analysis: Development of Machine Learning Based Ensemble Solution for Intrusion Detection Systems.

Interest Areas
Cybersecurity: Biometric Authentication, Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) Security, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) Security, Algorithms and Protocols, and Internet of Things (IoT) Security and Privacy.

Recent Publications

In the Works

  • Protests and Response in Compaore’s Burkina Faso, 1990-2014: Why Would He Flee? (Coauthored with Graig Klein)
  • Conditional Democratic Peace: Political Competition, Governance, and Civil War.
  • Consencracy: An Institutional Key to Lasting Peace in Africa (Book Project)

Recent Conferences

  • Codjo, J. Managing Transnational Organized Crime in West and Central Africa : Useful Lessons from the American experience, October 2021; (Virtual).

Interest Areas
International & U.S. National Security: Civil Conflicts and Armed Rebellions, Government Response to Political Violence, African Security, Political Institutions & Governance in Africa, US-Africa Strategic Relations, France-Africa Strategic Relations, U.S. Security Cooperation, Civil Military Relations.  

In the Works

  • The development of a departmental level PACC assessment for the undergraduate PSS degree program at NJCU. This involves the development of a culminating level capstone project and rubrics to assess students in the capstone course (SECU 154 Careers in Professional Security Studies). The assessment will provide feedback for the development of curriculum within the courses taught in the degree program.
  • PSS Program Review: NJCU has undertaken the responsibility for providing direction in conducting regular reviews of its academic programs. The purpose of the PSS program review is to study this particular discipline, concentrating on not only its strengths and weaknesses but also serving to celebrate accomplishments. This PSS program review has offered the faculty and staff an opportunity to analyze a myriad of challenges, highlighting all annual comprehensive assessments along with an opportunity to plan for future initiatives. The report represented the PSS Department in the Middle States evaluation process.

Interest Areas

  • Learning Modalities: The concept of using a compilation of teaching modalities in a classroom is based on the understanding that a portion of the content will be presented in a manner suited to every type of learner within a given classroom. A common definition of learning style is the relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond a particular learning environment. The best practice model would therefore accommodate multiple dimensions of all learning styles. Developing a course of instruction that provides multiple learning styles would provide an instructor a greater chance of reaching a larger number of students in a class setting. The utilization of multiple sound learning modalities within a classroom will better serve the student. The ability to deliver relevant materials at all program levels has allowed the students to discover significant topics through critical thinking and problem solving. This ultimately lends itself to fostering an atmosphere of self-directed learning.
  • Other Topics: Domestic Terrorism, Extremism, Leadership, Policy, and Decision-Making Processes.

Recent Publications

Recent Conferences

  • Fisher, S., Klein, G. & Pupcenoks, J. Propaganda and Influence Campaign Operations, American Political Science Association (Virtual).
  • Fisher, S. & Nir, E. Domestic Extremism and Social Justice: Using Data to Chart a Course Forward. New Jersey City University Workshop.
  •  Fisher, S. Teaching Data Analysis with Tableau for non-STEM Students. Tableau 'Lunch and Learn Workshop' (Virtual).
  • Fisher, S. & Stanton, L. Military Partisanship. International Studies Association.

Interest Areas
International & National Security, North Korea, East Asia, Foreign Policy, Information Operations/Warfare, Digital Humanities, Open Source Intelligence, Sentiment Analysis.

In the Works

  • Ongoing applied research regarding best practices for curriculum, faculty development, and articulation agreements for university partnerships with community colleges.
  • Distance Education Accrediting Commission; Subject Specialist accrediting universities and colleges around the country in homeland/national degree programs.
  • MCC Criminal Justice/Homeland Security Advisory Board: research and development for program growth development.

Interest Areas
Student Learning Models, Human Behavior, Chaos Theory

Recent Conferences

  • Molnar, L. Global Security: The Broad Picture, September 2021; NJCU’s International Virtual Exchange Program.
  • Molnar, L. Overview of The Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament Regime; December 2021; NJCU’s International Virtual Exchange Program.
  • Molnar, L. Cybersecurity and International Implications; November 2021; University de Murcia, Spain (Virtual).

In the Works

Interest Areas
Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, International Negotiations, International and National Security, Nuclear Nonproliferation, Cybersecurity

Recent Conferences

  • Rennie, K. Crisis Communication and Reputation Management: Preparing for and Communicating Through Crisis Events, March 2021; October 2021; Performing Arts Readiness (virtual)

In the Works

  • Rennie, K., Cannon, D., Forde, J. & Byrum, K. The Practice Analysis: A Reality Check on Knowledge, Skills and Abilities of Entry and Mid Level Public Relations Professionals. Under Review: Public Relations Journal
  • On two research teams through the Commission on Public Relations Education to result in publication: Diversity and Inclusion and Public Relations Nomenclature

Interest Areas
Integrated Marketing Communication, Crisis Communication, Disinformation, Teaching Strategic Communication to Graduate Students in Non-Communication Programs, Diversity and Inclusion

Recent Publications

In the Works

  • Kassab, H. S. & Rosen, J. D., The Illegal Drug Trade and Global Security. Agenda Publishing | Columbia University Press (Under Contract).  
  •  Rosen, J. D. & Cutrona, S. Combating Gangs, Crime, and Violence in El Salvador: The Age of Bukele and Authoritarian Populism (under review at Crime, Law and Social Change).  
  • Cutrona, S. A., Rosen, J. D., & Lindquist, K. A. Not Just Money. How Organized Crime, Violence, and Insecurity are Shaping Emigration in Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala (under International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice).        
  • Cruz, J. M. & Rosen, J. D. The Long Arm of the Gang: Disengagement under Gang Governance in Central America (under review at the Journal of Conflict Resolution).  

Recent Conferences

  • Rosen. J. D., Cruz, J.M. & Alvarado, B. Promoting Desistance and Reintegration among Gang-Involved Youth, 2021; Youth Violence Prevention Virtual Learning Exchange, Democracy International.  
  • Rosen. J. D. Organized Crime, Impunity, and Corruption in Mexico, May 2021; Latin American Studies Association.  

Interest Areas
Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime, Gangs, and U.S.-Latin American security relations

Recent Publications  

Interest Areas
Cybersecurity, Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence, including wireless networking security, system’s security, information assurance and privacy, cyber-attacks, IoT security and privacy, cyber-physical systems and WBAN security, algorithms and protocols, cloud-computing security.

Recent Conferences

  • Deibler, M., Wiltsey, M., Reinardy, R., & Levine, L. Don’t Believe Everything You Think! Shifting Perspectives on Intrusive Thoughts in OCD and Anxiety, October 2021; Annual OCD Conference hosted by the International OCD Foundation (Virtual).  
  • Atkins, E., Ackerman, M., McClain, V., & Wiltsey, M. Domestic Child Abuse and Filicide: Parental Fitness Evaluations: Ethical Issues and Protective Measures – Part I, March 2021; 36th Annual Symposium in Forensic Psychology hosted by the American College of Forensic Psychology (Virtual). 
  • Atkins, E., Ackerman, M., McClain, V., & Wiltsey, M. Domestic Child Abuse and Filicide: Parental Fitness Evaluations: Ethical Issues and Protective Measures – Part II, March 2021; 36th Annual Symposium in Forensic Psychology hosted by the American College of Forensic Psychology (Virtual).

In the Works

  • Current Research Project: Cross-Institution collaboration with colleague Dr. C. Gabrielle Salfati from John Jay College of Criminal Justice involving a research study on the impact of the resilience training on individual and organizational outcome factors. Numerous presentations and papers expected to come from this project.

Interest Areas
Crime Scene Investigation, Analysis, and Reconstruction; Forensic Analysis; Investigations and Analysis; Forensic Psychology; Investigative & Police Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Positive Psychology/Resilience.

DSc Program Alumni Research

Current:
Director, American Military Families Immigration Services, NJ
Director, Hamburg Borough Board of Health, NJ

Recent Publications:

Interest Areas:
National Security, Bioterrorism, Biosecurity, Immigration, Medical Microbiology and Parasitology.

Recent Publications: