Items

• Teaching at John Jay College in its Early Years: An Oral History Interview with William Walker

  This 1988 interview with Professor William S. Walker was conducted by Professor Jerry Markowitz in preparation for Educating for Justice, a history of John Jay College. Walker, a professor of sociology and criminology, was among the original faculty at John Jay from its opening in 1965 until his retirement in 1979. Prior to his time at the college, Walker taught at other CUNY schools including Brooklyn College and Queens College, and was involved in the city’s earlier efforts to educate its police force throughout the 1950s. Though Walker largely focuses on his experience with John Jay’s students, he also describes the early years of the college and its original faculty. As an African American professor, Walker offers a unique perspective, having educated a mainly white police force during the turbulent 1960s. In the interview, he reflects on this experience with several stories, including one about of the assassination of Martin Luther King and another about inviting inviting Louis Farrahkan to his class of primarily police officers. Despite the challenges, he concludes that it was a “privilege” to educate the officers. As Open Admissions in the 1970s led to a growing number of minority students attending John Jay College, Walker offers his observations on the interactions between the police students and the larger student body on campus. He comments on the challenges of the implementation of Open Admissions and the efforts he made to mentor and emplasize education to African American students who were interested and involved in the black power movement.
• "Maybe I had a little something to do with making this all possible" - An Oral History Interview with Mayor Robert F. Wagner on the Creation of John Jay College

  In this October 5, 1988 interview, Robert F. Wagner, Jr., New York’s mayor from 1954 to 1965, speaks with Professor Jerry Markowitz in preparation for Educating for Justice, a history of John Jay College. Wagner recounts New York’s early efforts to meet the rising demand for higher education opportunities for the city’s police force throughout the 1950s and 1960s. These efforts proved insufficient and, as Wagner describes, it required the collective action of law enforcement leaders, city officials, and CUNY to ultimately create a dedicated school named the College of Police Science. Though the interview centers on John Jay College, Wagner also reflects on the founding of CUNY in 1960, its initial vision, funding issues, and his relationship with several college presidents. As Wagner discusses, his commitment to CUNY did not end with his mayorship as he went on to serve on multiple committees created to protect the interests of the city's university.
• Oral History Interview with Provost Basil Wilson for a History of John Jay College of Criminal Justice

  This 1999 videotaped interview with Basil Wilson, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, was conducted by Professor Jerry Markowitz for Educating for Justice, a history of John Jay College. Appointed provost in June 1990 during an “extremely turbulent” period in the college’s history, Jamaican-born Basil Wilson reflects on the student activism of the time as well as the efforts he led to quell the “fury” on campus. Attributing the concerns largely to the unmet needs of a changing student population, Wilson discusses the importance of diversity both in student and faculty bodies, the effects of shifting admissions standards, and the importance of “consensus” between students, faculty, and administration. Wilson also considers the college’s growing national reputation, its “stepchild” status within CUNY, curriculum choices, and its creation in 1994 of an experimental program in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Towards interview’s end, Wilson provides an assessment of the college and his aims for the institution’s development in the following decade. He ends with, "They [CUNY] really thnk you can build greatness on a pittance. You can't."
• "...The importance of going on and getting education for police" - An Oral History Interview with Mayor John Lindsay

  Mayor Lindsay is interviewed in his Manhattan office on October 26, 1988 by Professor Jerry Markowitz for Educating for Justice, a history of John Jay College. Lindsay discusses the importance of accessible higher education, and educating police officers. He also maintains that higher education is a fundamental right and that it is an effective way to address strained relations between the police and local communities. He also thoughtfully considers the contentious issues surrounding Open Admissions and race relations in the city.
• Fifty Years of Educating for Justice - 50th Anniversary of John Jay College of Criminal Justice - digital exhibition

  This digital exhibition celebrates the 50th Anniversary of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "From its evolution as a small school serving New York’s uniformed services, John Jay has grown to an internationally renowned liberal arts university offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The College not only changed in response to historical developments both in New York City and the world, it has shaped these developments by contributing to public policy debates in such areas as criminology, penology, human rights, and ethics."