MINUTES

Present: Leroy Baldwin (Atlanta Metropolitan College) leroybald@cs.com

Eugene Bouley (GA College & State U) ebouley@gcsu.edu

John Stuart Batchelder (N. GA College & State U) jsbatchelder@NGCSU.edu

Sutham Cheurprakobkit (Kennesaw State U) scheurpra@kennesaw.edu

Kevin Demmitt (Clayton College & State U) kevindemmitt@mail.clayton.edu

Leo Downing, (NGCSU) ldowning@ngcsu.edu

Dan Guerrant (Middle GA College) dguerran@warrior.mgc.peachnet.edu

Hill Harper, President (Valdosta State U) hharper@valdosta.edu

Jeff Lee (N GA Col & State U) jclee@ngcsu.edu

Chris Ludowise (GA Southern U) ludowise@gasou.edu

Evaristus Obinyan (Fort Valley State U) otatade@hotmail.com

Charles Ochie (Albany State U) cochie@asurams.edu

Sandra Stone (State U of West GA) sstone@westga.edu

Betsy Witt (Columbus State U) witt_betsy@colstate.edu

Meeting was called to order by Hill Harper, President, at approximately 11:45.

Minutes of the last annual meeting were approved without changes. Harper noted that they had been distributed through the CJAG web site as the minutes for this meeting would be, and thanked Lee Downing for maintaining this service. Anyone seeing any problem with the 2002 minutes should contact Harper.

The 2003 CJAG Program location and time were discussed, and it was decided to keep the meeting affiliated with the GA Political Science Association’s annual meeting for the time being. This has worked well for CJAG, and the number of panels and the attendance at them was up at this 2002 meeting. The turnout for the 2002 business meeting was good, but there were even more CJ faculty attending the panel presentations. The dates for the 2003 meeting were identified and it will be held in the Mulberry Inn in Savannah, as this one was. The dates and place and other information will be available on the CJAG information page.

The number of panels for the upcoming meeting will be four, it was decided. Chairs of those panels were selected and are Christine Ludowise, Eugene Bouley, Lee Downing, and Hill Harper. Members were urged to participate.

Downing was asked to discuss the CJAG web site and listserve, and did so. This is the principle means of communication between members of CJAG during the year. Downing cautioned people about replying to an email as though it would just go to him, for unless the email is specifically sent to him, it goes to everyone on the list, and this has caused some embarrassment in the past. He urged people to send him information for dissemination, and stated he would continue to try not to overwhelm us with email. The CJAG members who were present were asked to send him the email addresses of their colleagues who are teaching Criminal Justice full time in their schools to help keep the CJAG addresses current and to expand it. Harper said he would contact members to try to get as complete list of email addresses as possible, and he asked for those present to include their email addresses on the roster that was being circulated (see above). The address of the CJAG information page is www.ngcsu.edu/CJAG/cjag.htm .

Downing was asked to recapitulate the information covered in the CJ Advisory Committee Meeting and discuss that which was most important to CJAG. For a complete understanding of that meeting please review the minutes which are posted on the CJAG page. Cathy Hudson, the BOR representative for CJ, has urged us to seek expanding CJ courses in the system’s core requirements and has expressed a willingness to help us at the BOR staff level. This is a matter CJAG may eventually be able to do something about. Harper noted that the thrust of the remarks at the CJ Advisory Committee suggested that the BOR was going to increase expectations of faculty to do more with less. This is the sort of problem that CJAG may be able to help diminish by formulating standards and speaking to BOR and the legislature with one voice for CJ faculty. CJAG is more independent of BOR than the Advisory Committee and can deal directly with legislators whereas it would be inappropriate for the Advisory Committee to do so.

Other CJ professional association meetings and their times were announced. See the CJAG page for more information.

Leo Downing became president through the 2003 annual meeting as elected during the 2001 annual meeting. An election was held for the president for the succeeding year. Sandra Stone nominated Evaristus Obinyan, and the motion was seconded, and Eugene Bouley moved that the nominations be closed and the motion was seconded and the motion carried. The vote was held and Obinyan was elected President for the year ending with the 2004 annual meeting.

The formalization of CJAG in law was discussed. The time seems appropriate, now that CJAG has shown it can sustain itself, for the organization to seek legal status as a professional association. The principal advantage of this is to allow the organization to collect and disburse money. This would make possible the eventual independence of CJAG from the GA Political Science Association’s largesse, and Harper anticipates a time will come when they will demand that CJAG pay for its way. Currently, the meeting rooms CJAG uses are being paid for by the GPSA under the idea that the CJAG members’ registration fees are covering their costs. Harper said “This is a real benefit to the fledgling CJAG, and we owe GPSA a debt of gratitude for this support”. CJAG would also be able to collect money for awards for student presentations, plaques as warranted, etc., if the organization had legal status. And legal status could figure into greater clout in CJAG’s dealings with the state and with other organizations.

Harper asked for volunteers for a committee to gather the necessary information and draw up a charter and by-laws and develop the procedure for becoming a legal entity, for CJAG’s approval. The Committee for Formalization consists of Hill Harper, chair, Gene Bouley, Betsy Witt, Sutham Cheruprakobkit, Evaristus Obinyan. Harper said that he would also call on other members as needed and keep Lee Downing apprised of the Committee’s work.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:00.