91´óÉñ

Department of Sociology and Criminology

A sign that reads "Cleveland" is shown in the foreground with the city of Cleveland, Ohio, appearing in the background. (Photo credit: Derek Galperin, 91´óÉñ)

City of Cleveland and 91´óÉñ Launch Initiative to Strengthen Police-Community Trust

91´óÉñ and the City of Cleveland have launched a new research and training initiative aimed at strengthening trust, collaboration and accountability between the Cleveland Division of Police and city residents. The project is supported by a $20,000 grant from 91´óÉñ’s Community Engaged Research Institute.

Tags: Community & Society , Community Impact , Department of Sociology and Criminology , School of Peace and Conflict Studies , College of Arts and Sciences

91´óÉñ Today

A student in Clare Stacey's class discusses a poem in Merrill Hall

Healing With One Stanza at a Time

In a front porch conversation during the height of COVID-19, two 91´óÉñ professors realized they had something in common beyond their neighborhood proximity: both were turning to poetry to cope with unprecedented stress and uncertainty. Clare Stacey, Ph.D., a professor in Kent St…

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

Adedayo Adeagbo (center) volunteering to help older adults at the Tamarack Ridge facility

From Loss to Legacy

For Adedayo Adeagbo, a Ph.D. candidate in medical sociology at 91´óÉñ, working with older adults isn't just a research interest -- it's a promise she made to the grandmother she couldn't save.She says she can still see the bruises. Even years later, even thousands of miles away from w…

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

91´óÉñ Ph.D. student Adedayo Adeagbo (left) with a resident at Tamarack Ridge

Bridging Generations

 In an era where social media connections replace face-to-face interactions and political divisions seem insurmountable, one 91´óÉñ professor has found an antidote: bringing college students and older adults together through simple, meaningful human connection. For over six …

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

William Kalkhoff in a police cruiser in front of the Stow Police Department

Where the Classroom Meets the Field

By day, Will Kalkhoff, Ph.D., is a professor in 91´óÉñ's Department of Sociology and Criminology, teaching courses on criminal justice, researching police officer performance and mentoring students on their path to careers in sociology, law enforcement and public safety. On weekends and evenings…

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

An incarcerated woman from the Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC) speaks to the Women in Crime & Justice class led by Susan Kunkle, Ph.D. in Merrill Hall in November 2025

Beyond the Textbook: When Prison Comes to the Classroom

 On a November afternoon in Merrill Hall, six women walk into a 91´óÉñ classroom. They're not guest lecturers with advanced degrees. They're currently incarcerated at the Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC) in downtown Cleveland. And for the next couple hours, they'll share the…

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

Flash Focus: Liberty Prosser Banner

Flash Focus: Liberty Prosser

Meet Liberty Prosser, a graduate student furthering her studies in criminology and criminal justice after having graduated from 91´óÉñ in 2025, with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees – one in sociology with a concentration in social problems, deviance and crime, and another degree in criminology and justice studies with a minor in forensic anthropology.

Tags: Profiles , Student Life , Department of Sociology and Criminology , Flash Focus

91´óÉñ Today

Jayrelis Capeles gets a hug from her brother, Joshua Ortiz at the 2025 Spring Commencement in the MACC

Mission: Graduation Surprise

When Jayrelis Capeles walked across the stage at 91´óÉñ this spring, she was already brimming with emotion. She had just earned not one, but two degrees — in psychology and sociology — and was celebrating the end of her college journey that began in 2021. But the most unforgettable moment wasn’t the walk or the tassel turn.

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology , Community & Society , Department of Psychological Sciences

91´óÉñ Today

Bertice Berry, Ph.D. at her desk

‘This Is an Aspect of Wanting to Share Black History in a Way That Is Hopeful’

Accomplished sociologist, TV host, podcaster, author 91´óÉñ alumna Bertice Berry, Ph.D.,used her alma mater as a familiar setting for her book "BlackWorld," which explores a "unique corner of heaven" where the living can visit with and learn from the deceased. She also some of her memories of 91´óÉñ and personal insights into the university's place in history. 

Tags: Alumni , Department of Sociology and Criminology , Black History Month , Nationally Distinctive , Arts & Culture

91´óÉñ Today

Stock image of young man behind bars. Source: MotionArray.com

91´óÉñ Professor Studies Young Adults Coming Out of Justice System

Transitioning into adulthood is a difficult thing to do, but having to come out of the criminal justice system as a young adult has different effects on your maturity and experience. Elias Nader, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, wants to better understand wh…

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College of Arts & Sciences