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WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY , FBI JOIN FORCES TO OFFER FIRST DEGREE IN FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have signed a unique agreement that will allow the school to offer the world's first degree programs in forensic identification.
Under the agreement, West Virginia University will develop and grant degree programs in the area of fingerprint and biometric technologies to law enforcement officials worldwide, including those at the nearby FBI Fingerprint Identification Facility in Harrison County.
The facility, the single largest repository of fingerprint information in the United States, opened in April 1995. It employs over 3,000 people and supports over a billion dollars in high-tech criminal justice system projects.
The memorandum of understanding was signed earlier this month by FBI Assistant Director for Criminal Justice Information Services Charles W. Archer and WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr.
Hardesty noted that Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-WV, was the catalyst for the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Complex being built in West Virginia and for earmarking funds to upgrade high tech FBI systems to include state of the art fingerprint identification.
"Thanks to Sen. Byrd's efforts, West Virginia now will develop the first degree- granting university program in forensic identification to go with the world's most modern fingerprint repository," Hardesty said. "This combination will go a long way toward making our school and our state the nation's leader in criminal justice."
The FBI's Archer predicted that the new degree program will make WVU a world leader in teaching and training future law enforcement employees, and will help national efforts to reduce crime and enhance the safety of law enforcement officers and the citizens of the U.S.
"This partnership between WVU and the FBI further illustrates West Virginia's commitment to enhancing the crime-fighting capabilities of the Criminal Justice Information Services and to supporting law enforcement nationwide," Byrd said.
WVU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Gerald Lang said the multidisciplinary degree program in forensic identification will be offered at the bachelor's and master's levels, and will be housed in the Provost's Office in order to give the program the high level of support it requires to get off the ground.
"This will be a specialized, competency-based degree," Lang said. "We will be drawing on the many talents of our University faculty -- computer science and electrical engineering, biology, medicine, occupational medicine, dentistry, statistics, physics, mathematics, chemistry, biochemistry, human resources and education, law and others. It will be a one-of-a-kind program in forensic identification and biometrics that is not offered anywhere else in the world."
Lang said the degree offerings will be available by fall 1998, pending the approval of the FBI, the University and its Board of Trustees.
Michael T. Yura, WVU counseling-psychology professor and the point person in this new partnership, said WVU has been working with the FBI since 1993 when workers first started migrating from Washington to Morgantown.
"In the beginning that meant locating services and housing for the employees that would be moving here, including many minority employees," Yura said. "Now, we have a new way for WVU to serve the country and the world through these new degree programs." Yura said the new program will include long-distance education via satellites -- to sites around the world.
The International Association for Identification recently announced it will require that all persons employed in the area of forensic identification must earn a bachelor's degree before they can be employed as an identification specialist. The FBI and the IAI will collaborate with WVU in outlining the skills necessary to meet the requirement, which takes effect in the year 2005.
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(NOTE: This WVU press release and accompanying photos are available for downloading from WVU's web site -- http://info.news.wvu.edu/news/. Sound bytes associated with this story are available by calling 1-888-639-5569 or 304- 293-4645 locally.)
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