MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Jennifer C. Gibbs, associate professor of criminal justice in Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Public Affairs, was awarded the 2024 Teaching and Mentorship Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Policing.
Gibbs will receive the award at the society’s conference in San Francisco, California, in November.
“I'm grateful to my colleague, Dr. Siyu Liu, for nominating me for the Teaching and Mentorship Award,” Gibbs said. “I also appreciate the opportunities that Penn State Harrisburg offers faculty to engage students both within and outside the classroom. Students are why we're here, and I hope they enjoy learning in my classes as much as I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for police research.”
In her nomination letter, Liu, associate professor of criminal justice at Penn State Harrisburg, detailed the many ways Gibbs integrates police research into her teaching and mentorship — by assigning research projects, advising graduate and undergraduate students working on thesis projects, and bringing motivated students into her own research.
Among many projects, Gibbs has connected students with the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute to help conduct a training needs and wants assessment of local law enforcement; introduced a student to a local police department, where the student helped establish a mental health liaison internship program; and connected a graduate student with Baltimore Police for a study on violence against police that led to a published article. She regularly invites diverse guests to classes and helps coordinate a law enforcement networking event on campus.
“Jen views her role as a teacher-scholar as sharing with others her passion for asking and answering questions about police,” Liu wrote, adding that Gibbs is grateful for the opportunities to work with criminal justice students. “They inspire her to improve her teaching and make research more engaging to better serve our community.”
Gibbs, who holds a doctorate in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland, joined Penn State Harrisburg in 2013. Her research interests include recruitment and retention in policing, police wellness, and terrorism. She is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the Police Staffing Observatory at Michigan State University.