A partnership between Marywood University and the Pennsylvania State Police Academy has produced its first graduate.
During a ceremony on Marywood’s campus Monday afternoon, college and state police officials recognized Trooper David Kuzmick, 24, of Blakely, for becoming the first student to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree through the Marywood–Pennsylvania State Police Academy partnership.
The partnership enables eligible Marywood criminal justice majors to complete their bachelor’s degree while training at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, college officials said.
Kuzmick enrolled at Marywood to pursue a criminal justice degree in the fall of 2020 after graduating from Valley View High School.
A patrol trooper for about three years, who currently works out of the Troop M Bethlehem barracks, Kuzmick left Marywood during his junior year to take the test for the State Police Academy.
After being accepted, he left Marywood without completing his senior year. However, that wasn’t the end of his academic journey.
“I was informed within the (state police) that we were signing college agreements with universities across the commonwealth and that Marywood was one of them,” Kuzmick said in a phone interview Monday. “Marywood reached out to me because they know that’s the career field I went into, and with the assistance of Capt. Mike Joyce, Trooper Clint Long and my station commander, Lt. Jason Troutman, we had the opportunity to have the ceremony today and I was finally able to finish out my degree.”
Students earn 30 undergraduate credits after successfully completing the academy, which are applied directly to criminal justice elective requirements, Marywood officials said.
The Pennsylvania State Police maintains full authority over academy admissions, training and graduation, officials added.
Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Kuzmick, center, holds his degree from Marywood University, with President Lisa A. Lori, J.D., left, and Patrick Seffrin, Ph.D., Marywood Professor and Director of its Center for Law, Justice and Policy, right. (COURTESY MARYWOOD UNIVERSITY)
To be eligible for the Marywood–Pennsylvania State Police Academy partnership, students must be enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program at Marywood, complete at least 90 undergraduate credits before applying to the academy, be at least 20 years old when submitting the academy application, meet all Pennsylvania State Police Academy admission requirements and successfully complete the State Police Academy.
Kuzmick encourages anyone interested in becoming a state trooper to consider the Marywood program.
“Take every opportunity to take advantage of this program because it’s here to benefit people,” he said. “This is a career that not many people get to experience, but it’s also the most rewarding career, arguably, that anyone will ever experience. Having the opportunity to get your college degree and enroll within the Pennsylvania State Police, that’s an opportunity like no other.”
Patrick Seffrin, Ph.D., a professor of criminal justice and sociology and director of the Center for Law, Justice and Policy at Marywood, also vouched for the benefits of the Marywood-PSP partnership.
“Essentially, (your) senior year is completed at the academy as opposed to here at Marywood,” he said. “It’s a really smart deal for anyone who is even remotely interested in law enforcement.”
Seffrin noted the partnership became official last summer when Marywood staff and faculty met with Pennsylvania State Police officials who have been trying to set up partnerships with universities.
“Their overall strategy is that they’re trying to get more cadets, who are college-bound or college-enrolled students, to consider the Pennsylvania State Police Academy as their career,” he said.
Kuzmick credits the rigor of the educational programs at Marywood for instilling the skills and discipline needed for him to excel as a trooper.
“Marywood, in a sense, did prepare me for the academy when it comes to time management skills and report writing,” he said. “And, on the instructor’s side, they have real-world experience within the criminal justice field. We took several field trips out to the Pennsylvania State Police Academy during my time at Marywood and it strengthened my drive to become a trooper by getting to see it from a firsthand perspective.”