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The New York State Probation Officers Association (NYSPOA) has signed a partnership agreement with Russell Sage College to meet the needs of the community corrections workforce.
The Workforce Development Partnership provides NYSPOA members with a 10% tuition discount and deferred tuition payment for qualifying graduate programs offered at Russell Sage, including its fully online master’s degree program in Criminal Justice and Community Corrections.
“Two dozen correctional facilities have closed in New York state since 2011, according to state data, and more offenders are serving sentences in the community,” said Jeff Golden, M.S., J.D., director of the M.S. in Criminal Justice & Community Corrections program and an assistant professor at Russell Sage. Golden has served as a federal law clerk, prosecutor, mediator, division chief of a state law enforcement agency, chief of policy for a state juvenile justice agency, and a law enforcement, corrections, probation, and parole academy instructor.
“This shift in criminal justice places a strain on the probation and parole workforce and drives the need for more community corrections professionals,” Golden said. “We’re dedicated to helping to fill that need through accessible degree programs.”
In 2023, Russell Sage launched the nation’s first online M.S. in Criminal Justice & Community Corrections, which prepares students for the significant changes in the criminal justice field. This affordable 36-credit master’s degree includes courses in institutional corrections and offender rehabilitation, offender reentry and reintegration, community corrections, restorative justice, abnormal psychology, forensic mental health and the law, and more.
“We are always seeking to add value to our members,” said Daniel Connor, NYSPOA president. “Our field is constantly evolving, and we’re happy to partner with Russell Sage College, which created a program built around the work that we do, bringing more professionals into the field and helping current professionals further their education at an affordable cost.”
Some of the other programs that may appeal to NYSPOA members include the master’s programs in Mental Health Counseling and Community Psychology, Organization Management, Forensic Mental Health, and the Flex MBA.
About Russell Sage College: Russell Sage College serves more than 2,700 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs on co-ed campuses in Albany and Troy, New York, as well as online. The Russell Sage experience includes The Gator Gateway, a curated, supported pathway to success for all undergraduate students, and noted programs in the health sciences, education, and the visual and performing arts. A Russell Sage graduate will forever “Be. Know. Do.” enhancing their lives and the lives of those around them.
About NYSPOA: The New York State Probation Officers Association was established in 1967. It is the only statewide professional organization of probation officers in New York. The NYSPOA assumes the responsibility of developing public relations, education programs, legislation, and standards that highlight, enhance, and promote the professionalism of probation officers’ duties. The NYSPOA Board is comprised of talented and passionate officers who represent the 57 probation departments across the state.