Patrick Kennedy Presents $200,000 in Federal Funding to Roger Williams University

Congressman wins support for the University's Justice System Training and Research Institute

BRISTOL, R.I., Oct. 18, 2006 - In the midst of a busy campaign for reelection, Congressman Patrick Kennedy visited Roger Williams University to celebrate a $200,000 federal appropriation he secured for the Justice System Training and Research Institute at the University's School of Justice Studies.

"We've all seen the great work the Institute does for police officers in the state, New England and even the world," Roger Williams President Roy J. Nirschel said. "Congressman Kennedy's leadership made it happen. You are not going to find a more dedicated Congressman or a greater friend to the University than Patrick Kennedy."

The current award will support the Institute during 2007. "What happens at Roger Williams needs to happen everywhere," Congressman Kennedy said. "The Institute is becoming a leader in law enforcement training. I'm proud to be here today to keep the Institute going."

In 2001, Congressman Kennedy helped Roger Williams create the Institute by delivering $1 million in federal dollars to get the program started. Since that time, the Institute has gained an international reputation for the quality and scope of its training programs serving top- and middle-tier law enforcement managers.

Joining Congressman Kennedy, President Nirschel and Institute Director Robert W. McKenna at today's ceremony were several law enforcement and criminal justice professionals who have benefited from the program:

• Police Chief Joseph E. Young, Sr. of Winthrop, Maine, president of the New England Association of Chiefs of Police (NEACOP)
• John D. Coyle, executive director of NEACOP
• Deputy Chief Terry Hazel of the Middletown, R.I., Police Department, a graduate of the Institute's Command Training Series
• Lt. Kadir Ozkan of the Turkish National Police, a current criminal justice graduate student who has completed coursework with American policing colleagues while on assignment to study at the Institute
  

Roger Williams University established the Institute to provide training and professional development for all areas of law enforcement. It will use the funds to continue its efforts in research and professional development for police departments.

Roger Williams University is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as 10th among comprehensive colleges in the north. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Roger Williams is a premier liberal arts university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts and sciences, architecture, business, construction management, education, engineering, historic preservation, justice studies, legal studies, visual arts studies and law. The university enrolls more than 5,000 students at the main campus in Bristol, R.I., The Roger Williams School of Law and at the Providence Metropolitan Center for Education and Law. Roger Williams is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.