GovState partners with Illinois State Police

Three people in business attire and a man in a Illinois State trooper uniform smiling with a signed partnership agreement

By Sarah Shoaf, Staff Writer

Pioneering the way for other universities, Governors State University (GovState) recently signed a partnership agreement with the Illinois State Police (ISP) to advance the education and career opportunities for Illinois State Troopers. The University is the first institution to form this kind of collaboration with law enforcement.

The partnership will allow graduates of the ISP academy to be eligible for up to 33 credit hours in transfer to a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Academy graduates who have college credit or served in the military may bring up to 90 credit hours in transfer toward the 120-credit hour bachelor’s in criminal justice.

“We were the only university in the state to award credit for prior learning as general education credits and those credits will be continually valuable to those troopers who have the steepest climb to the bachelor’s degree,” said Janet Brewer, Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), who worked on bringing this partnership to fruition. 

“GovState is leading the way and I’m very proud of that,” said Dr. Cheryl Green, President of GovState. Dr. Green was joined by CAS Dean Jason Zingsheim (left), Director of the Illinois State Police Brendan Kelly (second from right) and Deputy Director Colonel Marcus Gipson (right), an alum of GovState’s Public Administration master’s program.

“This is more than just an agreement between organizations,” said Dr. Green, who continued, “It's a blueprint for transformation, one that we hope will inspire similar partnerships across the law enforcement community.”

The partnership also includes credit for prior learning for those interested in pursuing a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Counseling and Psychology.

Brewer highlighted that this agreement between GovState and ISP is not transactional, but an ongoing collaborative relationship.

“We at Governors State will be providing course content in areas such as social and restorative justice,” said Brewer. “And we in turn will be learning from these state troopers who are working in the field, who are positioned to inform us about timely issues that will drive our research agendas and curriculum development.”

Director Kelly emphasized the mutual learning experience for all students, including the academy’s troopers who want to further their academic goals.

“This opportunity for our troopers will help their minds grow stronger as we continue to evolve with the changing law enforcement landscape and our interactions with the communities,” said Kelly.

Wrapping up the ceremony with the formal signing, Zingsheim acknowledged that not all learning happens on a college campus and how this collaboration aims to bridge that gap.

“We know that our ISP officers, sergeants, those with veteran experience and those without have wisdom born from experience,” said Zingsheim. “Here at GovState, we recognize that, we celebrate and honor that wisdom, and with the signing of this agreement, we are looking forward to transcribing that wisdom.”

Click here to read more on GovState’s partnership with ISP.