Mercyhurst College today announced that it has entered an agreement to lease seven of its intelligence studies courses to the Justice Institute of British Columbia to be used as a model around which the JIBC will construct its own intelligence studies program.
In the past, the Mercyhurst Institute for Intelligence Studies (MCIIS) has created training courses for use off-site, but this marks the first time it has leased the same courses it teaches in its Mercyhurst classrooms to another academic enterprise, according to Robert J. Heibel, MCIIS executive director.
Long recognized as the world's largest academic enterprise educating intelligence analysts for national security, law enforcement and business, Heibel said the MCIIS brand is well established and respected around the globe. He cited the success of last year's inaugural Global Intelligence Forum in Dungarvan, Ireland, which attracted representatives of 17 countries. Bolstered by that achievement, MCIIS will host the second installment of the annual conference July 11-13 in Dungarvan.
"I see this agreement with the Justice Institute of British Columbia as the beginning of future relationships with colleges and universities around the world interested in making our successful academic program the model for creating their own," Heibel said. "I think in the next few years, you'll see our blueprint extending far beyond the confines of the U.S., especially as we continue to network with countries at our Global Intelligence Forum."
The Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) is Canada's leading public safety educator, a public post-secondary institution that offers academic and professional programs leading to graduate and bachelor's degrees and certificates. More than 29,000 students from over 20 countries are enrolled in JIBC programs each year, according to the institution's website.
"We identified a need for this kind of curriculum, which is virtually nonexistent in post-secondary academic institutions in Canada and we turned to Mercyhurst, recognizing its world-renowned reputation as leaders in the field of intelligence analysis," said Mike Trump, JIBC director of justice and public safety.
Trump said JIBC's plan is to launch two one-year graduate certificate programs: intelligence analysis and tactical criminal analysis, based on Mercyhurst's curriculum.
Mercyhurst is providing JIBC a one-time non-exclusive license for the following courses: Intelligence Theories and Applications, Advanced Analytic Techniques, Competitive Intelligence, Law Enforcement Intelligence, Intelligence Communications, Analyzing Financial Crimes and Analytic Methodologies for Law Enforcement and Homeland Security. Materials include syllabi, overview matrix for each learning unit, assessment strategies and grading criteria, PowerPoint slides and suggested streaming media, audio or video components, if applicable.
"We are in the process of 'Canadianizing,' or populating the Mercyhurst course materials with Canadian content, including our laws and protocols, but all the practical application and theory behind the Mercyhurst curriculum will remain the same," Trump said, adding that he expects to open applications for the first cohort March 14 and begin instruction May 9.
Upon completion of the certificate program, JIBC graduates would be eligible to apply for Mercyhurst's two-year master's degree program in applied intelligence under an accelerated arrangement.