Trooper David Kuzmick is the first to graduate through a partnership between Marywood University and the Pennsylvania State Police Academy.
LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Graduation got underway a little early at Marywood University.
“I was a criminal justice major. I left in my junior year to go into the Pennsylvania State Police Academy,” said Tpr. David Kuzmick, Pennsylvania State Police.
Pennsylvania State Trooper David Kuzmick left school to pursue a career he’d always wanted.
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After graduating from the State Police Academy in Hershey and several years spent on the road enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth, Kuzmick finally got to go back and finish his education thanks to a partnership between schools like Marywood and the state police. “So not only did I get to complete my dream of becoming a Pennsylvania state trooper, but I also got to complete my dream of being a college graduate,” he said.
Kuzmick is one of the many troopers who now get the chance to finish or obtain a college degree after passing the police academy. An option for those looking at a career in law enforcement and universities wanting to offer more for students.
“But we’re seeing the promise of that partnership fulfilled through the success of our first graduate to complete this unique academic pathway,” said President Lisa Lori of Marywood University.
Back in 2023, the state police dropped the longstanding college credit requirements to become a state trooper. Since then, the number of applicants has gone up. Just one month after the state changed its policy, there were more than 1,700 applicants compared to 1,200 that typically applied in a six-month hiring period.
While this program, offered through Marywood, still requires students to be enrolled, Pat Seffrin, the director of Marywood’s Center for Law, Justice, and Policy, thinks the new program can boost recruitment numbers for both institutions. “They need to be enrolled in our BA program for criminal justice, complete at least 90 credits, and then at that point they can apply for the Pennsylvania State Police Academy. If they successfully complete the academy, they’ll be awarded another 30 credits. So essentially their senior year would be completed at the academy,” he said.
Kuzmick says he cherishes the chance he got to go back to school and plans to use his degree to be an even better state trooper. “Having a college degree while being a Pennsylvania State Trooper is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not many people get to put on this uniform on a daily basis, but those who do it, they do it with pride. So having this opportunity on top of getting to do that on a daily basis is a feeling like no other.”
He may even find a place to hang his diploma in his patrol car.