~ Comments and News From our Graduates ~

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The nearly 2,100 graduates of our department's degree programs (from 1970 to 2004) have careers in many fields of endeavor. The following articles feature some of our graduates and the very interesting and rewarding work they are doing.

If you graduated with a degree in sociology, anthropology, and/or crime and society (or Criminal Justice Studies), please consider sending us an email about your work, your observations about your years at Missouri State and/or in your degree program or about anything else you'd like to share with our readers. We'd like to include your comments and your picture in an upcoming issue of the newsletter.

Sociology Graduates | Anthropology Graduates | Crime and Society Graduates

 

Sociology Graduates

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The Unexpected Path to City Management
by Dean Thompson
City Administrator, Republic, MO

When I declared Sociology as my academic major at Missouri State, I never imagined my coursework would lay the foundation for me to become the CEO of a municipality or help develop skills necessary to survive a combat environment. My original intent was to pursue a career in law enforcement or fulltime military service; however, my future career path would lead me in a different direction.

In 1990, I received my BS in Sociology from Missouri State and a commission as an officer in the Army Reserve.  During my senior year at Missouri State, I became fascinated with law after taking Dr. Donald Landon’s Sociology of Law class. Following a brief period on active duty in the Army, I pursued this interest and received a Legal Studies degree from Drury College. I then began working as a Legal Assistant for a local law firm.

My career path would soon change after being introduced to the City of Republic, Missouri, Code Book by my wife’s cousin, Doug Boatright (Missouri State class of 83). Doug was serving on the Republic Board of Aldermen at the time and later served two terms as Mayor. The Code Book fascinated me because it represented the evolution of governance policies created by the community over the course of one hundred plus years. I decided to run for the Board of Aldermen and defeated the incumbent by four votes. Not a landslide win, but a victory nonetheless. That same year I entered the Public Administration Masters program at Missouri State and was later hired as the City Administrator for Republic.

I recently celebrated my tenth anniversary as the Republic City Administrator and my nineteenth anniversary in the Army Reserve. One axiom I have found to be true in both of my professions is that it’s all about people. My Sociology background has provided me the ability to understand perspectives of people involved in issues regardless of their position. I may not agree with a stance an individual or group takes on an issue; however, I respect their opinion and strive to gain an understanding of the factors contributing to the development of their position. This approach leads to a better understanding of the true issues at hand and assists with crafting better public policy.

In the past ten years, I have been blessed to be a part of helping shape the development of Republic. City departments and services have been streamlined or created to meet the growing demands of our community. Within the last five years, the City has invested over $30 million of capital projects including a new wastewater treatment facility, community center, municipal court, police and emergency management facility, aquatics facility and multiple public works projects.

Two hot topics in the news lately have been the Brookline/Republic consolidation and the Terrell Creek development. The Village of Brookline and City of Republic are considering the possibility of consolidating the two municipalities into one. If approved by voters in April of next year, the municipalities will merge and we will use funds from economic growth to help fund development of infrastructure to the area. The consolidated municipality will also be better equipped to manage development and address environmental issues. Brookline encompasses approximately four square miles and Republic approximately six.

The Terrell Creek development is a 2,200 acre planned community development adjacent to the City of Republic. Property rights issues, the environment, and historical preservation of the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield are some of the controversial issues surrounding the development proposal. In the future, the Republic Board of Aldermen will determine if the development is allowed to connect to water and sewer services creating the potential of approximately 2,600 new housing units.

The consolidation proposal and Terrell Creek development are both complex issues with long-term ramifications that are not projects cities of our size typically face. In the future, issues similar to this will be more prevalent in our area as growth continues and the availability of developable land diminishes.

Some of the skills gained by studying Sociology also assisted me while I was deployed to Afghanistan.  Understanding how people in their culture live, work and play was essential to building relationships and survival. It was imperative that we had an understanding of every aspect of our operational environment.  While operating in a combat environment, we were able to assist the Government of Afghanistan with the Constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) elections and registration to adopt a new Afghan Constitution, opening the first Afghan National Army recruiting station and implementation of the Bonn Accords. To accomplish our mission, we lived and worked with Afghans on a daily basis and prior to entering their country, learned their history, religion, customs and courtesies.

I have been very fortunate to experience people, places and events from around the world. Because of events occurring during the past decade, many people believe I planned my career path. To the contrary … it chose me. I vividly remember the day my high school freshman class counselor provided each of us a questionnaire containing about fifty miscellaneous questions. We were informed a computer would analyze our answers and provide a list of jobs for us to consider pursuing in the future. Immediately I thought the exercise was going to be a big waste of time. I didn’t know where I was headed in the future so how could a computer?

My belief was confirmed when I read through the list of jobs targeted by the analysis.  Sociologist, police officer, attorney and soldier topped my list. I had no intention of ever pursuing any of the jobs targeted. Ironically, I have held positions in or associated with each profession on the list since leaving high school! It was not by design but so far has been a wonderful journey. Before I close, I also need to publicly thank Dr. Michael Carlie for his help and frankness as my advisor.  He helped layout the path I needed to take to graduate and provided much needed counseling when I started to lose my way.     

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You've Got Mail!
by Max Pachl

I can remember back when my sole focus on attending college was to just get the sheepskin so that I would be able to grab a better-than-average job. To that end I chose what I thought was a relatively easy study course, sociology. Little did I know that it would prove to be invaluable in various job and employment situations over the next 19 years, in many ways that I wouldn’t have imagined. 

I should mention that my degree was obtained over a 12 year period. Marriage ended my full-time attendance after only 2 years. After that I attended night classes off and on over a 10 year period, funny how raising a family can eat into your study time, your wallet and even your dedication level…but I digress.

My first full-fledged “real” job was with the juvenile court in Wichita, Kansas. I started out as a lowly detention worker and catapulted into the enviable position of Manager, Detention Services. I never got much of a raise in that job, but they sure knew how to give out titles. Note of caution here, titles aren’t worth a thing when it comes to feeding your kids. If you’re offered a position, make sure it has some real substance, like…., oh, I don’t know….Money? Experience is a great teacher, but you have to let them know your time is worth compensation. I enjoyed my work immensely and have reflected on it as including some of the best and some of the worst times of my life.

I continued to work for the Greene County Juvenile Court system for 4 years in the early '80s. Again, it seems our judicial system is a bit lax in getting the idea that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Too many who live a life of crime at those early ages prove to become career criminals.  After obtaining my degree, and having 9 years of experience, I was struck with an all too real fact: as a juvenile officer with 4 dependents I still qualified for food stamps. Thinking that this wasn’t the greatest way to live I moved on to greener pastures.

I’ve now worked for the US Postal Service for 20 years.  I started as a letter carrier, moved to computerized maintenance, then to purchasing and public relations. My tenure in safety is in its 6^th year and I’m constantly seeing new applications on how to read people, how to listen to people and how to treat people. You might think that the lessons of over a quarter of a century ago would be lost and forgotten, but you’d be wrong.

The lessons I learned from sociology in particular have assisted me in not only finding avenues of communication and networking, but they have helped me to lend a better ear to really hear what is being said and left unsaid; to see what is being presented and what is being hidden; to question and delve into the depths where others choose to accept the surface presentation.

Sociology isn’t one of the “glamorous” disciplines, but it’s kind of like going hunting with your buddies. They’ve got shotguns, bows and arrows and can strike down a target or two as long as they take careful aim. You, on the other hand, have a net. Yep, just a net. And with a net you’re going to be able to catch things that you can study and examine and learn from. Sociology can do that It did that for me!

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Livin' High on the Hill
Jodi Flurry is Still Movin' Up!
from Jodi Flurry

My name is Jodi Flurry and I was a student in the Sociology department who graduated in December 2002. After graduation, I moved to Washington DC to intern for Congressman Sam Graves, and I never left. I was hired full-time as the Congressman's scheduler and eventually moved to the position of legislative correspondent. I was in his office until March and then I left the Hill to work in a small lobbying firm as the administrative/executive assistant.

While I miss working on Capitol Hill - it is a very exciting place to be - I am also in school and the ten- to twelve-hour days were not very conducive to studying. So the new job is a lot more relaxed and easier to coordinate with class.

As for school, I am working on my Master's of Public Administration at the American University in Washington, D.C., with an emphasis in social policy and public management. It is an excellent program and because it is in D.C., many of the professors have extensive experience serving in the government. I am scheduled to graduate in December 2005, which is very exciting. I don't know what I will do after that, but I don't think I will stay in D.C. for too long. It is a great city to live in when you are young and single, but I am a Midwestern girl and I miss having space.

My interest areas include the elderly and the socially disadvantaged, so I think eventually I would love to work for a non-profit organization addressing something in that realm. No plan for a doctorate right now - I just want to finish one degree at a time.

Despite the fact I want to move back to the Midwest, I love where I am now. If you are familiar with D.C., I live on Capitol Hill, just a couple of blocks from the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the National Mall. I saw the huge protest marches following the start of the war in Iraq, watched the funeral processional of President Reagan in June, worked on the Bush-Cheney campaign in Pennsylvania, and the list goes on.

I am so thankful that I attended Missouri State and was part of the Sociology Program. American University is quite different and I am glad that I was able to attend Missouri State for my undergraduate institution. Hopefully, one day, I will make it back to Springfield.

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Changing One Life at a Time -  for the Better!
from Ed Dorris

As you may know, although the department is now called the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, it used to be the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work. When the Social Work program was expanded to include a Master's Degree, it moved out as a School of its own (The School of Social Work). Ed graduated from the Social Work program in 1976. Here's what Ed has to say ...

I am very proud of my accomplishments at the University and within the Department. I can't say enough about the practicum experiences the department provided (and still provides). I chose to participate in two field experiences. For my first practicum experience I choose a Missouri Division of Youth Services (DYS) group home where I worked with teenage boys in a number of challenging situations.

My second field experience involved working with teenage girls at The Regional Girls Shelter Home which, at the time, was on the  campus of Missouri State. It's no longer there. I can't say enough about these field experiences. They helped me decide what I wanted to do with my professional career. I would suggest this cooperative learning experience for students who aren't quite sure of what they want to do when they grow up or graduate, which ever comes first.

 

I am currently a Facility Manager ll with the DYS in Springfield, Mo. I manage the Community Learning Center, which is a moderate care facility for boys age 11 to 17 years. I have been in this position since 1997 and I have been with DYS since 1977.

My career path has taken me on many different journeys starting with The Training School for Boys in Boonville, Mo. I was a young 24-year-old working with the toughest and most challenging youth the state had to offer. Back then ,the kids had to address all staff as "Mr." or "Miss" because it was felt they needed to have some figure of authority in their lives. That, in itself, was a little strange since I wasn't that much older than a lot of the residents!

The Training School for Boys was a very large institution and was run like a mini-prison. I learned some valuable lessons there about the need to create a structure for the residents and, more importantly, about where I wanted to work and what type of setting I would be most comfortable with as I chartered my own career path.

The DYS has afforded me opportunities to transfer and work in a number of different settings. which speaks to the needs of employees as well as the mission of helping all kids be as successful as they choose. I have worked with girls at our Delmina Woods Youth Facility as well as a 10-year tour of duty as a staff member at an Outward Bound Outdoor Program. A lot of time here was spent in tents teaching about life while backpacking, canoeing, rappelling off 100 foot cliffs, and many other stress challenge situations. All kids started at the same time and were released after a 36 day successful completion of their programs.

Next came a five-year stint with DYS Case Management system working with the local juvenile courts and the families when the youth are first committed and when they return home. I feel strongly that all of my experiences with DYS prepared me for my current position at the Community Learning Center. The phrase everyone uses when they talk to me about my work is, "I'll bet that is a very rewarding job," and it is. More importantly is the concept of thinking more about finding a job that one truly loves and enjoys going to each day. I have that and have tried to make the most of shaping the lives of the youth entrusted to us.

I always remember that all they know is what they have been taught. They think their way of doing things is OK. How can someone working with such kids be effective instilling a new message? I do that by saying many of the same things over and over in a thousand different ways. What one says and does counts. In that way, we can make a difference in working with young offenders.

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Pamela Robertson - Enjoying the Good Life!
about Pamela Robertson

Pamela Robertson graduated from Missouri State in 2003 with a B.S. in Sociology and a minor in Gerontology in December 2003. She completed her senior paper on rural community resource availability for older adults with the idea that this was an area of study she wanted to further pursue.

Pamela moved to Fort Collins, Colorado in July or 2004. The following month Pamela secured a position in the Center for Housing and New Community Economics (CHANCE), a university sponsored technical assistance center through the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The center promotes the transition of individuals with disabilities from institutions into communities. Because this center is in its early stages, she is the administrative manager and a research assistant to the director.

Within a year Pamela plans to enroll in the Colorado State University Department of Sociology’s master's program and focus on rural sociology and disabilities. This will afford her the opportunity to focus her efforts at CHANCE solely on research.

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Anthropology Graduates

No articles for this issue. If you'd like to be featured in the next issue,
please contact the editor at your convenience.

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Crime and Society Graduates

Both of the Crime and Society graduates featured below entered the field of law enforcement. We also have many graduates who have careers working in the courts, in community-based corrections, and in institutional corrections.

Andrew Bell:
Protecting Lives on Missouri's Highways and Byways
from Andrew Bell

In December of 1999, Andy graduated from Missouri State with a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications. He studied criminal justice and was an active member of the Criminal Justice Society, our student organization. Upon graduation, Andy completed an internship with the Missouri State Water Patrol and, after the internship, was gainfully employed by the Missouri Water Patrol, completing their training academy in March of 2001.

Andy was assigned to the Lake of the Ozarks as a patrolman, enforcing Missouri boating laws and investigated several incidents including boating accidents, property thefts, burglaries, assaults, and boat thefts. He experienced several unique challenges and was intrigued with the boating life. According to Andy, the work was seasonal and limited his abilities to grow as an law enforcement officer, so he resigned from the Water Patrol in September of 2002.

On October 20, 2002, Andy began his career as a Missouri State Trooper. After completing his second academy, he was assigned to Cass County (MO) as a trooper. For the past two years Andy has had a unique and exciting career. There is much more to the job than just investigating accidents and writing speeding tickets.  During the last two years, he made several arrests including approximately 70 DWIs, 60 drug arrests, and 200 other criminal arrests. This year alone Andy has been involved in five vehicle pursuits. On the other side of the spectrum, changing a tire or providing traffic control may not seem glorious, but, as Andy sees it, it is an essential part of community service.

A simple task such as checking on motorists on the side of the highway is well received within the public motoring community. For Andy, every day presents new challenges and offers opportunities for ambitious law enforcement officers like himself.  Andy views his position with the Missouri Highway Patrol as a career, not a job. There are several divisions and ranks within the patrol that allow for greater career growth and he is looking forward to advancing in his career. 

To those of you who are still seeking your role in law enforcement, Andy would encourage you to get involved in the Criminal Justice Society and be an active member. Plan trips to different departments who offer ride-along programs. Talk to your friends in law enforcement and ask them specific questions. 

For example, the Water Patrol was a fun job, but it was not a career for Andy. That's not to discredit the Water Patrol, but, as Andy said, "It was not for me."  Andy's tip for students? "You must do your research and find what career is right for you. Public service is a demanding task. Law enforcement officers across the nation are challenged every day. Law enforcement is essential for public safety within our communities. As more immigrants migrate to the U.S., law enforcement will have to evolve. Policing our own culture presents it own challenges, policing other cultures will be extremely difficult. I encourage learning the Spanish language and developing cultural awareness skills. This will not only help officers understand other cultures, but it will keep officers safe. Good luck and may you find the career of your choice." Wise words.

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Protecting Our Borders:
Justin Hargis, United States Border Patrol
from Justin Hargis

Hello, my name is Justin Hargis and I am a graduate from the Missouri State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology. I graduated in 2001 with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Criminal Justice. My time spent at the University was rewarding and a lot of fun. As you may know, students in the Sociology and Anthropology curriculum are lucky to have such a fine group of instructors to teach us and guide us towards our future careers.

I have been lucky enough to find myself in one of the most rewarding and exciting careers possible in the world of law enforcement. I am a Border Patrol Agent with the United States Border Patrol (USBP)stationed in Eagle Pass, Texas. The USBP now falls under the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, which is under the United States Department of Homeland Security. Allow me to tell you a little bit about what I do, because I know I had very little knowledge of the Patrol before going to the Academy.

The Border Patrol is responsible for patrolling the U.S. land border between the United States and Canada, between all the Ports of Entry for both illegal entries into the U.S. by foreign nationals and for the smuggling of contraband, primarily narcotics. For the most part this effort is focused on the nearly 3,000 miles of southern border between the United States and Mexico. 

The Border Patrol currently has roughly 10,000 active Patrol Agents and our work environment is often harsh and unforgiving. At my station in Eagle Pass, it is not uncommon in the summer months for temperatures to climb well north of triple digits, and for most of the summer it will stay that hot until two in the morning. As for the terrain, I am lucky because I work at a station located on the river ... which keeps us cooler and also makes for a much more interesting work environment. More on that later.

On any given day there are roughly 25 to 30 Agents who "work the line" (border) in my station, which covers 64 miles of the Rio Grande River. The majority of our work is done by line Agents who patrol certain assigned areas of the river. We do this in a number of ways, the most basic being sign cutting, which is what we call "tracking." This finds us searching for signs of passage - be it footprints, broken branches, grass trails or any number of other, more subtle clues. Our job is aided by remote sensors placed throughout our area. These are generally seismic devices that detect passing traffic. When these devices are activated they send a signal to our radio operators informing us of the activity. We also have more than forty remote cameras used to detect movement.

Eagle Pass is one of the busiest stations in the Patrol, given its size. We catch around 2,000 illegal aliens every month just at this station. We also have numerous narcotics seizures, primarily marijuana. The majority of the narcotics coming through Eagle Pass are carried over by illegal aliens who wade the river carrying the drugs in bundles weighing up to eighty pounds each.  Apprehending this traffic is generally the most exciting part of the job, but also the most dangerous. The cartels in Mexico do not like to lose their products and work hard to protect them. Needless to say, shootouts are a far too common occurrence in this kind of work. 

A large portion of our work is done under the cover of darkness, so we are equipped with state-of-the-art night vision equipment. Most Agents will tell you that, when chasing a group, light and noise are our worst enemy.  When possible, we use our NVG’s to see in the dark and most of the Agents have earpieces for their radios to keep them silent. If we use a flashlight, the odds are that aliens will see us before we see them. It would take away our advantage of surprise.

As I mentioned above, the job is often exciting. We are generally miles from civilization, in the dead of night, with no backup closer than 15 minutes away. There have been many nights that I have been laid-up on the riverbank, M-4 rifle in hand, watching the river on a pitch-black, moonless night, waiting to see what crosses my way. Just last week an Agent doing just that found himself in a nasty situation as the aliens crossed directly toward him loaded down with narcotics. As the agent jumped the group on the riverbank, another person on the Mexican side of the river opened fire with a rifle. The Agent returned fire, seized the narcotics and scrambled for cover.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Our work is all outdoors, so if you like to be away the office this is a good place to work. Other than being assigned a general area to patrol, we have no constraints on how we do our job. In my station, we typically work in pairs and what we do in the field is up to us. We have a great deal of autonomy. The work itself is often dirty, hot and tiring, but we are well compensated. Within two years an Agent can expect to make over $50,000 a year. That, plus Federal health and retirement benefits, helps makes the Border Patrol an attractive career in law enforcement.

While this is by no means a recruitment article, I realize some of the newsletter readers may be seeking a career in law enforcement. While no one who truly wants a career in law enforcement is in it for the money, it is a painfully sad thing to see when looking at salaries for most local law enforcement agencies. Considering the hard work and danger involved, law enforcement officials are grossly underpaid. Given that knowledge, Federal law enforcement is often an attractive career to explore, especially for individuals with a college degree. It is nice to get some sort of return on all that money spent on one's education! There are literally hundreds of job options within the Patrol. We have bike patrol, Air Operations, undercover, intelligence, K-9, boat patrol and many, many more.  As the slogan says, it is truly a career with borders, but no boundaries.
 

Would You Consider Joining our Community Advisory Board?

As an alumni of one or more of our programs, you are invited to become a member of our department's Advisory Board. As an Advisory Board Member we would seek your feedback on new courses and programs we are thinking of creating. You could also provide input useful for our current students and you would be available (at your convenienc) for responding to various questions we may have about careers, trends in criminal justice, etc. If you are willing to be a member (involving no fees or dues and just about an hour of service a year), please email us (sociologyandanthropology@missouristate.edu) and let us know.

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Can we feature you in a future issue?

If you would like to be featured in a future issue, please email your comments to the Editor. A picture of your lovely face should be included (digital, if possible, or bring/mail one to the SOC/ANT office and we'll scan it in.

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