Rural Public Safety Administration (BS)

Vision Statement

The Rural Public Safety Administration program seeks to provide a transformative education that leverages real-world experience, creating ethical public safety professionals to serve their communities and beyond.

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Mission Statement

The Rural Public Safety Administration program at UMFK combines practical skills and a critical understanding of public safety to provide graduates with the foundation to serve their communities as professionals of the highest caliber.

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Program Description

The University of Maine at Fort Kent offers a baccalaureate public safety program founded upon the liberal arts and sciences that focuses on building practical skills and techniques and the reason these are employed in the field.  Over the course of study, students gain knowledge and skill in behavioral and social sciences, which provides graduates a competitive edge for employment and advancement in a multitude of public safety professions including police officers, state troopers, sheriff’s deputies, game wardens, customs and border protection, corrections, emergency management and many others.  The Rural Public Safety Administration (PSA) program fosters personal and professional growth, with emphasis on ethical and critical thinking.

Graduates will complete a minimum of 120 credit hours including general education core, PSA prerequisites, and PSA required courses, as outlined in the program plan.  By following proper advising and the Rural Public Safety Administration program plan, students have the option to obtain an associates of arts with a concentration in criminal justice while pursuing their bachelor’s degree.

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Program Goals

• Promote the development of the skills, values, and responsibilities required by public safety professionals to meet the needs of the greater community;
• Provide a baccalaureate public safety education that responds to, and fosters the development of, professionals prepared to meet the needs of an ever-changing, multicultural society;
• Prepare graduates to undertake fair and unbiased perspectives in their professional endeavors, taking into account culture, policy and societal expectations;
• Develop and utilize creative and innovative educational methodologies that serve the learning needs of a diverse student population;
• Develop, foster, and maintain collaborative partnerships with the community and other institutions.

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Program Outcomes

The Rural Public Safety Program will periodically interface with regional public safety agencies to ensure current industry standards are being met within the offered curriculum. Faculty members will pursue continuing education opportunities to maintain relevance in the field of public safety. Additionally, graduates of the UMFK PSA program will be prepared to fulfill their roles in society by demonstrating the following cornerstones of public safety administration.

Professionalism: Graduates will demonstrate the professional bearing and deportment required for success in a career in public safety and law enforcement.

Safety: Graduates will identify public safety issues and concerns, analyze these issues and present viable solutions.

Practitioner: Graduates will display understanding and implementation of real-world skill sets related to public safety including police procedures, forensic science, investigation, interviewing, case preparation, courtroom testimony and report writing.

Critical Thinker: Graduates will assess complex situations and coordinate the allocation of resources, effectively manage those resources and apply principles of utilization management.

Effective Communicator: Graduates will communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. Graduates will possess the skills required synthesize information into clear and meaningful analysis and convey this information in the form of reports, visual displays and oral briefings.

Ethical Leader: Graduates will display forward-thinking and solution-oriented leadership abilities that will serve them in their chosen fields. Graduates will approach each issue and situation from a fair and ethical standpoint.

Teamwork: Graduates will understand the importance of collaboration and possess the ability to manage the efforts of interagency collaborations, balancing priorities and effectively delegating workloads. 

Advocacy: Graduates will recognize and appreciate cultural and socioeconomic factors that predicate public safety concerns and will understand a variety of options for responding to these issues.

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Student Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete the Rural Public Safety Administration major, each graduate will demonstrate achievement of essential student learning outcomes.

1. Students will understand the history and current context of law enforcement and public safety, in terms of society, policy and professional duties through the study of statutory and case law, the application of critical thinking skills and use of case studies (Professionalism, Critical Thinker, Ethical Leader).
2. Students will demonstrate practical skills required for public safety and law enforcement professionals including problem solving, conflict resolution, effective interpersonal communication and the importance of maintaining professional bearing by demonstrating professional values, engaging in community service, and discovering solutions to societal issues (Professionalism, Effective Communicator, Safety, Practitioner, Ethical Leader).
3. Students will critically evaluate the origins of crime, society’s response to crime and crime’s impact on society from multiple perspectives through interdisciplinary activities, continuing education, and identification of threats to public safety (Critical Thinker, Advocacy).
4. Students will understand the invaluable role of various levels of public safety personnel in the larger context of homeland security through the study of national security threats and by applying an all-hazards approach to public safety (Critical Thinker, Teamwork, Ethical Leader).
5. Students will identify ways in which oppression, privilege, discrimination, and social and economic disadvantage contribute to inequalities and injustices within criminal justice systems through interdisciplinary studies and activities (Critical Thinker, Ethical Leader, Advocacy).
6. Students will explain the necessity of ethics and integrity in the public safety sector, with emphasis on ethical displays of discretion and decision-making through the use of case studies and by participating in interdisciplinary field experience (Professionalism, Practitioner, Ethical Leader). 
7. Students will display professionalism in all aspects of behavior and communication by maintaining respect in all interpersonal interactions, managing workloads and meeting deadlines (Professionalism, Practitioner).
8. Students will demonstrate writing proficiency through comprehensive evaluations and analytical report writing (Practitioner, Effective Communicator).