Dean Deanna Shields to Present Presidential Lecture
As part of the Fairmont State University Presidential Lecture Series, Dr. Deanna Shields will present "Citizenship in the 21st Century: Fostering Educational Commitment."
"Fairmont State University received a social justice grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission earlier this academic year. The student, faculty and community interest generated from the lectures, workshops and student research that were products of this grant was astounding. The lecture that Dean Deanna Shields will present builds on this exciting topic," said Dr. Maria Rose, FSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The 20th annual lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 15, in Multi-Media Room A of the Ruth Ann Musick Library on the main FSU campus. The Presidential Lecture Series was established in 1989 to provide faculty the opportunity to share their work with colleagues and members of the community. A reception in the library lobby will immediately follow the lecture. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.
"Most policymakers, educators and even parents agree that college should prepare students for effective and successful citizenship. The college classroom is the ultimate venue for creating a well-informed citizenry and teaching students that being free requires being responsible," Shields said.
"It is true that students should leave college with the knowledge and skills associated with a broad range of general information in addition to expertise in their chosen fields. However, no student should ever leave college without a solid knowledge of the history and position in the world of this great nation, the rights and protections we are afforded as citizens, and an eagerness to take on and commit to the duties and responsibilities of citizenship."
The Presidential Lecture is one of many events offered during the week of the Inauguration of FSU's 13th president, Thomas L. Krepel, Ph.D., with the theme "Fairmont Forward." For a complete list of Inauguration week events, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/inauguration.
"The topic of civic engagement speaks to Dr. Krepel's vision and mission for our university," said Dr. Christina Lavorata, FSU Associate Provost.
Dr. Deanna Shields joined the Fairmont State faculty in 1982. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice from Marshall University and her Ph.D. in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she served as a teaching associate and was the recipient of the IUP Foundation Fellowship. Shields is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) and the West Virginia Criminal Justice Educators' Association, having previously served a two-year term as president. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in corrections, criminology, research methods, deviant behavior and victimology, and has coordinated the internship program for criminal justice, which includes the United States Marshals Service Centralized Student Career Experience Program.
Shields has been selected for Who's Who Among America's Teachers on several occasions and was presented with the William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence at Fairmont State in 2000. She has served for many years as a national advisor and member of the Executive Board of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, for which she was selected as the Alpha Phi Sigma Advisor of the Year in 2003. She and her students have traveled throughout the United States and have won many state and national awards, including national officer's positions, state and national paper competitions, crime scene competitions, scholarships and national chapter awards for educational leadership, community service and unity. Shields has served as coordinator of the criminal justice program and as chair of the Department of Social Sciences. She currently serves as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. She is married to Charles Shields, a member of the criminal justice faculty, and they have three children: Garrett, Kathryn and Andrew.
Dr. Deanna Shields
