Mansfield University Home PageDr. Robarge, Chair of the Department, to Retire in August 2009
Dr. Mark Robarge, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice Administration, has submitted his letter of resignation to Mansfield University, effective August 28, 2009.
Dr. Robarge came to Mansfield University in 1981, and has been chair for approximately the last 15 years. He took his B.S. (1973), M.A. (1974) and Ph.D. (1979) from the State University of New York, at Albany, one of the nation’s premier universities in criminology. He taught Survey of Policing, Judicial Criminal Process, Research Methods in Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Organized Crime, Native American Justice and a variety of other courses during his 28 years at Mansfield. Dr. Robarge was also a former president of APSCUF, the Mansfield Chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties during his tenure here.
If CJ alumni or current students want to contact Dr. Robarge to wish him well in his retirement, or if they would like to ask him for a letter of recommendation, please contact the department secretary, Ms. Gayle Kreitzer, at 570-662-4661 or e-mail her at gkreitze@mansfield.edu. She will provide you with his contact information.
Dr. Peter Keller, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, said this about Dr. Robarge: "Professor Robarge has a long history of devotion to the Mansfield University Criminal Justice Administration Program. He developed many warm personal relationships with his students over the years. His leadership as department chair has played an important role in making our program widely known and well regarded across the Commonwealth. The variety of interesting alumni positions in fields related to criminal justice administration is a testament to the vision of Professor Robarge and the other program faculty."
Mark was considered by all a fair professor, caring advisor and confidante, and strong advocate of the student. But perhaps the best accolades come from students, who knowing Dr. Robarge was nearing his retirement, said this of him in their essays entitled “Positive Experiences Within the Criminal Justice Department” in their Senior Seminar class during the fall 2008 semester. Here are but a few of their comments.
"He was just a great guy to chat with and really made you feel important, even though he had a lot of other students that he was an advisor to. [He] was one of the main reasons that my experience with the department of criminal justice was such a positive one from start to finish."
"Not only is he a great instructor, but a kind, understanding, and well informed individual. What makes Dr. Robarge stand out is his honesty and willingness to find out the real truth…"
"He has gone above and beyond any of my expectations; both in the classroom and in his office. He provides a very comfortable, laid back classroom environment. I am sure that almost anyone in America would feel welcomed, casual, and comfortable to learn in his classroom."
"It seems like he knows almost everything and has always pointed me in the right direction."
"He takes pride in his job and enjoys it and it is apparent by the way that he conducts his day to day routine on campus. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go to him with questions or concerns that I had throughout my college experience. I know that he will be severely missed…"
"I am honored to have had him in my academic life here at Mansfield University, and I wish him the best, simply because he gave the best."
"He always seems like he is in a good mood. He always has a smile on his face. […] When I see him smile, that puts me in a good mood too."
"He will bend over backwards to help any student."
"He has been a great asset to the department, and it is a shame that this is his last semester here."
"Robarge has been a best friend to the students, talking with them casually about classes and adding a touch of personal experience that I will never forget.”
"He was very laid back about everything and actually cared about how I was doing […] I know he did that for every student that went to him and it made me feel good that a professor could care that much about all of his students."
“I feel bad for the incoming classmen that will never have had the chance to meet him, so he can change their lives the way Dr. Robarge has changed mine."
"He has a certain ease about him that makes him such a great advisor."
"Dr. Robarge was always available, extremely knowledgeable, and very approachable. I think it’s the professors that actually take the effort to get to know their students and educational goals that set departments apart from each other."
"Dr. Robarge has really inspired me to not let anything or anyone stand in the way of achieving my goals in life. I thank him very much for that."
Dr. Robarge will travel in 2009-2010 with his wife Cynthia and afterwards will relocate to Michigan.
Thornsley Honored at "Outstanding Senior Mentor" Reception
On April 16th Dr. Scott Thornsley was one of several MU faculty honored with a plaque and certificate as the 2008-2009 Outstanding Senior Mentor in Criminal Justice. December 2008 summa cum laude graduate and 2008-2009 “Outstanding Senior in Criminal Justice” student Justine Taylor recommended Dr. Thornsley for the award.
Justine Taylor drove from Harrisburg, where she is attending graduate school full-time at Penn State-Harrisburg and working full time for the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office and said this about Dr. Thornsley in her presentation:
Dr. Thornsley was in the truest sense a “mentor” to me…Without his guidance and encouragement, both in the classroom and outside of it, I definitely would not the student I am today, and I say that with complete sincerity. He always went above and beyond what was required of him to help me in both my academic and professional goals…Even though I have since graduated and left Mansfield, I still remain in contact with Dr. Thornsley, and he continues to provide advice to me on how to realize my aspirations. These small gestures have certainly added up over time, and no words can express how grateful I am for each and every one of them. I recommend Dr. Thornsley for this award without reservation, for it is the least I can do to show how much I appreciate what he has done for me.
Tom Schuster to Add More Courses for the 2009-2010 Academic Year
With the June 1st retirement announcement of Dr. Mark Robarge, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice Administration, regular part-time instructor Tom Schuster has agreed to take on an additional two courses for the Fall 2009, and most probably the Spring 2010 semester. Mr. Schuster has agreed to teach Survey of Policing, offered on Mondays, from 6:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Police Organization & Administration, offered on Wednesdays, from 6:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. That is in addition to his Thursday night class Probation & Parole.
Mr. Schuster is an alumni of Mansfield University with a degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and has his M.S. in the Administration of Justice from Shippensburg University. He is currently Chief of Bradford County’s Adult/Juvenile Probation & Parole Office.
Friend to MU CJA Department Retires from FBI
Mark P. Thompson, a long time friend to Mansfield’s Criminal Justice Department, retired from the FBI on April 24, 2009, after 21 years of service. Special Agent Thompson was last stationed in the Elmira, New York Office. His specialties included being a polygraph examiner, a member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, a Team Leader for Buffalo, New York’s Hazardous Materials Response Team, and a Special Agent Bomb Technician. More recently, he served as a field counselor for the FBI’s Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia for 6 months.
Former Special Agent Thompson was gracious with his time and experiences, as he frequently spoke to classes. In October 2008 he orchestrated a special tour for MU CJ students at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and in April 2008 he arranged for MU CJ students to attend, free 
of charge, a daylong seminar held at Elmira College on the topic “School Shootings and Mass Murder”. The lecture was delivered by FBI Supervisory Agent Dr. Mary Ellen O’Toole, who is perhaps most famous for interviewing Gary Leon Ridgway, the Green River Killer.
Pictured is Special Agent Mark P. Thompson with a group of Mansfield students at the FBI’s Training Academy in Quantico, in October 2008.
Tioga County District Court Administrator Nancy L. Clemens Joins CJ Faculty
Nancy L. Clemens, the District Court Administrator for the Tioga Court of Common Pleas since 2002, has been appointed a part-time instructor in criminal justice beginning in the Fall 2009 semester.
Ms. Clemens will teach the course CJA 3324: Judicial Criminal Process, which will be taught on Tuesday evenings, from 6:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Ms. Clemens current duties as court administrator include “…the overall responsibility for the delivery of continuous and efficient court services and provides technical assistance and administrative support to the various departments of the Court.”
Prior to her current position, Ms. Clemens was an adult/juvenile probation officer with the Tioga County Probation Office in Wellsboro from 1995-2002, and from 1987 to 1991 she was the Executive Officer and Facility Commander in the Military Police Corps in the U.S. Army, in Fort Richardson, Arkansas.
Ms. Clemens holds a B.A. in psychology from Bloomsburg University and a M.S. in the Administration of Justice from Shippensburg University.
Click here to learn more about her.
Bradford County Public Defender Helen Stolinas Joins CJ Faculty
The Department of Criminal justice Administration is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Helen Stolinas, Esq., to their faculty. Ms. Stolinas will join the department’s teaching faculty as a regular part-time faculty member. Ms. Stolinas will teach courses in Criminal Law and Evidence & Criminal Procedure.
Click here to learn more about her.
August 2008
Dr. Scott Thornsley was a featured commentator for National Public Radio in early August, speaking to the issue of why so few states provide compensation for individuals who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes. Dr. Thornsley mentioned the work done by Dr. Tim Madigan of the Sociology Department and the results obtained from Mansfield University’s 2006 & 2007 annual state surveys, which reveal that 75% of Pennsylvanians favor compensating wrongfully convicted individuals.
Dr. Thornsley regularly speaks to the issue of compensating individuals who have been wrongfully convicted in his classes, which led to his writing an editorial in Harrisburg’s Sunday Patriot-News in February 2006. Students in Dr. Thornsley’s corrections classes routinely write to Pennsylvania state lawmakers and editorial boards across the state about this issue and others.
This is the third time that Dr. Thornsley has been heard on National Public Radio since coming to Mansfield in 2008.
June 2, 2008
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Dr. Thornsley was interrogated at an evidentiary hearing before a federal judge for the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania in Scranton. Dr Thornsley testified about Pennsylvania's practice of hearing life-sentenced inmates before the State Board of Pardons. Click here to read more. |
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June 5 2005
Dr Thornsley, chairman of the Advisory Committee, to investigate Pennsylvania's seriously ill and geriatric inmate population presented his committee's report to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The report culminated a two year investigative effort under the jurisdiction of the Joint State Government Commission. The report was required under Senate Resolution #149 of 2002.
May 5, 2005
Dr. Thornsley appeared before the state Board of Pardons representing life-sentenced inmate Kevin Smith. This was only the third time the Board of Pardons granted a public hearing to a life-sentenced inmate since 1996. The Board voted 4-1 to recomment Smith to the govenor for a commutation of his life sentence. However, a unanimous vote is required.
March 2004
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Dr. Thornsley has been highlighted as one of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education's 10 Most Interesting Professors since March 2004. The State System employs over 5,600 professors. |
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April 2003
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Dr. Thornsley, along with Mark Fuhrman (former LAPD Detective of the OJ Simpson case), was a keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Institute for Law Enforcement Education's annual conference. |
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February 2003
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Dr. Thornsley spoke with newly elected PA Governor Ed Rendell during a private reception in Wellsboro. Dr. Thornsley was a member of Governor Rendell's Transition Team that prepared confidential reports on both the PA Department of Connections and the PA Board of Probation and Parole. |
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October 2002
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Dr Thornsley appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert after the Washington D.C. sniper spree incident. Dr Thornsley was one of the country's most frequently quoted analysts, appearing on hundreds of newspapers, national public radio station, as well as on CBS, NBC and CNN television. |
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