Anne Arundel Community College.

Reese, Susan

ANNE ARUNDEL COMMUNITY COLLEGE (AACC) IN ARNOLD, Maryland, has been serving its community for more than 50 years, and today it offers 216 programs and more than 3,320 credit and non-credit courses. The college now enrolls approximately 50,000 students each year. This fully accredited school has received a number of national recognitions, including the Carnegie Foundation's 2015 Community Engagement Classification, and it has been on the Corporation for National and Community Service's President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for eight consecutive years. Also in 2015, AACC received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine and the Charles Kennedy Equity Award from the Association of Community College Trustees. AACC is the leader of a 10-college consortium that received a $19.7 million grant as part of the U.S. Department of Labor's Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program to provide training for high-demand jobs in science, technology, engineering and math.

Among the innovative and exciting educational initiatives offered by AACC is the Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute, which prepares students for careers in law, law enforcement, homeland security, intelligence analytics, corrections, fire safety and other criminal justice fields. The curriculum focuses on concepts, theories and principles, but it is also designed to help develop skills and critical thinking that result in practical applications when students enter this field. AACC describes the institute's courses as "dynamic" and reflective of "the constant changes in law and the new and most effective practices in law enforcement and correctional administration."

Students in the program benefit from instruction and seminars by attorneys, judges, police officers, federal law enforcement and corrections administrators in the state of Maryland. The institute sponsors public forums and professional training, and its seminars and lectures engage students in critical current issues and important events relating to the U.S. justice system, as well as other systems around the world.

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AACC offers a 60-credit-hour, comprehensive Homeland Security Management Associate of Applied Science degree. Students may pursue a general studies track in Homeland Security Management or more specified areas in Intelligence Analytics or Transportation and Border Security.

As part of general education classes, students are required to complete Introduction to American Studies, Computing and Information Technology or Introduction to Computers, World Regional Geography, and Emergency Medical Responder, among others. All degrees include the courses Introduction to Homeland Security, Terrorism/Counterterrorism, Introduction to Sociology, National Security Law, Survey of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Transportation and Border Security. Depending on the track students take, other courses could include Cybercrime, Intelligence Analysis and Security Management, War in the American Experience: Unconventional Warfare, Maryland and Terrorism, Intelligence and U.S. National Security, Introduction to Intelligence Analytics, Intelligence Support to the Policy Maker and Military, National Security Challenges of the 21st Century, Inside the Global Economy, and History of the United States 2. There is a Homeland Security, Emergency Management and Response Seminar, as well as opportunities for additional experiences through internships and guest speakers as part of an Engaged Scholarship series.

After successful completion of the program, students are prepared to enter into a host of related fields, including law enforcement, firefighting, emergency management, homeland security, port security, customs and airport security, corporate security and intelligence, transportation and border patrol, some medical emergency operations, immigration services, and intelligence analytics. Not only are many options open to graduates of the AACC program, but programs such as these also help ensure the safety of our nation and its citizens.

For more information about Anne Arundel Community College and its Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute, visit www.aacc.edu.

Susan Reese is a Techniques contributing writer. E-mail her at susan@printmanagementinc.com.