Gerontology minor added at Viterbo

The criminal justice program recently added a new minor, gerontology. Its mission is to broaden students' understanding of the life course by increasing the students' understanding of the process of aging

Marlene Fisher, associate professor of criminal justice, told Lumen that the new minor went into effect in the fall of 2009 semester. "I am excited about this new minor on campus because this is an opportunity for our students to expand their resume and gain knowledge in one of the fastest growing fields in which to find employment," Fisher said.

Gerontology's primary focus is on the psychological, biological, and social perspectives of the aging. According to the Viterbo homepage for the gerontology minor, "This minor is in the department of sociology, social work, and criminal justice and was developed to meet the emerging needs of the elderly based on changing demographic trends."

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the population over 65 will increase from 37.9 million in 2007 to 71.5 million in 2030. The population over age 85 will increase to 6.6 million in 2020. Current statistics show about one in every eight Americans (12.4 percent) is over the age of 65.

"As a sociologist, I am always interested in examining our program to determine whether we are meeting the needs of our students and our community," said Fisher. "Based upon the changing demographics in society, I recognized the need to expand into this area. I wrote a grant two years ago to the Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges to develop the minor and it went into effect this year."

According to the letter that was sent to prospective students at the start of the new minor, "The gerontology minor is one of the few interdisciplinary programs on campus. Here, you will be able to tailor your program to your major or your overall interests." This means that students have more freedom, based on a number of core classes and electives.

"This minor adds to our growing numbers of interdisciplinary minors on campus," Fisher said. "I believe all of these are significant efforts at our university to focus upon skills and knowledge which are vital to the careers of the 21st century. For the gerontology minor in particular, it is the only minor in the southwest Wisconsin region at a university offering programs in nursing or social work."

Students enrolled in the new minor are required to complete 1-3 volunteer credits or an internship, both dealing with the elderly.

The gerontology minor is not the only change hitting the criminal justice and social work department. "We are also in the process of hiring a new professor to replace Darrell Pofahl, who is retired at the end of the 2009 fall semester, and this new faculty member will focus primarily in the field of criminal justice. Losing someone who has had such a significant impact on me in my career is depressing, but I am hopeful that our new faculty member will also be a good colleague," said Fisher.

The criminal justice program, which started in fall of 1996, was originally chaired by Fisher.

 "The program began with only a handful of courses, and has expanded quite a bit and changed over the years since its inception," Fisher said. "In fact, prior to the addition of social work and criminal justice, most students who were interested in the fields of deviance and human services often majored in sociology. Prior to the addition of these programs, there were over 100 majors in Sociology on campus.

"Today, students who major in sociology tend to be interested in topics related to deviant behavior, but tend to be more generalists, and opt out of focusing specifically on issues related to criminal justice," Fisher said. "In fact, all of my degrees are in sociology, yet most of my courses related to deviant behavior in society."

"I try to keep in touch with alumni and a number of them are now on my Facebook page," Fisher said. "I am planning on creating a Facebook page specifically for graduates from our Sociology and Criminal Justice programs. It is wonderful to hear about what many of our alumni are doing now, including working with the DEA or the FBI, or policing in local communities. One of our alumni, Jessica Haines, was just hired by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections in Door County, which is a difficult task in this competitive economy."