SJNY RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM

March 10, 2026 BK LI

BROOKLYN and PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – March 10, 2026 – St. Joseph’s University, New York (SJNY) is pleased to announce that the University’s Department of Criminal Justice was selected among 2,350 potential programs to receive the prestigious National Criminal Justice Month Program of the Year Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). 

This award recognizes criminal justice programs across the country that participate in a variety of criminal justice, community and social awareness events for Criminal Justice Month. At SJNY, students in the program participated in extracurricular and experiential events across both campuses, including trips to the U.S. District Court to witness a naturalization ceremony and federal detention hearing, hosting informational law school workshops with SJNY alumni and guest presenters from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Intelligence Bureau. 

SJNY students also led campus-based events including criminal justice bingo, a mock interview workshop, a clothing drive and club elections. With more than 200 students attending various criminal justice events at SJNY throughout the month, student and faculty participation helped advance justice education, civic engagement and career readiness.

Many of the events at SJNY were coordinated by Jason Ostrowe, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice. As an active member of the ACJS, Dr. Ostrowe submitted the application for Program of the Year Award on behalf of SJNY.

“This award only begins to recognize the hard work and dedication of our students,” said Dr. Ostrowe. “This achievement would not have been possible without their willingness to excel. They’re the ones who made it happen.”

Criminal justice is SJNY’s fifth largest declared major. Students who graduate from the program often pursue longstanding careers as law enforcement officers, advocacy and policy experts, and practicing attorneys.

As the largest association for criminal justice scholars, practitioners and advocates for over 60 years, the ACJS recognizes approximately 2,350 criminal justice and criminal justice-related programs across North America. 

Students from SJNY attended the ACJS’ 63rd Annual Meeting in Philadelphia to accept the award, accompanied by criminal justice faculty who presented their latest research at the conference. 

For more information about SJNY, visit sjny.edu. 

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK
St. Joseph’s University, New York has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan region with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the University provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual rigor, spiritual depth, social responsibility and service. With campuses in Brooklyn and on Long Island, and many online programs, the University offers more than 100 majors and minors, special course offerings and certificates, accelerated dual degrees and affiliated and pre-professional programs.