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�������� and Nunez Community College signed a memorandum of understanding today establishing an articulation agreement that expands opportunities for students in the greater New Orleans area. The transfer agreement launched today will allow students to attain both an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies from Nunez and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Justice from Loyola, all within four years of academic study.

“Together, Loyola New Orleans and Nunez Community College will provide ever wider pipelines of opportunity for Louisiana students. Loyola provides the excellence of Jesuit education to students from 48 states, who join the 40 percent of our students raised here in Louisiana,” said Loyola University President Tania Tetlow. “This partnership with Nunez will help students prepare for careers in the critical field of criminal justice.”

The program is open to all students who meet the admissions qualifications of both institutions upon applying and who are pursuing the Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies at Nunez. After successfully completing the first two years of the prescribed undergraduate curriculum at Nunez, interested students will apply for admission to the Criminology and Justice program at Loyola, with a recommendation from Nunez. Upon admission, students will enjoy a seamless transfer experience. Typically, students in the program will spend two years at each institution. Academic advising will be provided to students at the respective institutions to ensure that accepted students meet academic requirements for both degrees.

“Students studying criminology and justice at Loyola gain research, critical thinking and ethical decision-making skills – hallmarks of a Jesuit education − alongside a comprehensive and critical understanding of the criminal justice system,” said Maria Calzada, Ph.D., Interim Provost at Loyola. “They also have the opportunity to study forensics on cutting-edge technology and to explore professional opportunities through internships and service-learning programs. This is a wonderful opportunity for students hoping to launch careers working in the criminal justice system.”

“I could not be happier to engage upon this journey of creating a partnership. We’re coming together today to really celebrate the hard work of commitment of our teams like building a bridge and a pathway to access our students,” said Tina Tinney, chancellor of Nunez Community College. “Although we call this an articulation agreement, it’s so much more than an agreement. It’s a partnership. And it's the beginning. We are just absolutely delighted because this adds health and mobility for our students.”

Institutional leaders described the relationship as a perfect fit. Nunez is currently the only public institution in the greater New Orleans area to offer a paralegal studies program; the program, which now has 70 enrolled students, was founded in 1996 and has a strong internship program. Eighty-seven percent of Loyola students are employed or enrolled in graduate study within six months of graduation. The university offers 87 percent financial aid and a 12:1 student-faculty ratio, increasing opportunities for student success.��

At the signing ceremony, President Tetlow underscored Loyola’s 100-year legacy of providing increased access to higher education within the local community and Loyola New Orleans’ status as a Top 200 national university, according to U.S. News and World Report, and one of nation’s Top 15 most inclusive universities, according to the Princeton Review.

Currently ranked by College Choice as one of the Top 15 criminology programs in the country, Loyola’s criminology degree program includes both undergraduate and master’s degree offerings, including a new online bachelor and master’s degree programs in criminology and justice aimed at working professionals seeking careers as professionally-trained criminal justice leaders, administrators, planners, researchers, and private security professionals. More than 1,000 undergraduates have matriculated from the programs since 1960; many have gone on to careers as lawyers, advocates, and high-ranking leaders in law enforcement.

“I am biased, because I am a Federal prosecutor myself and I love this world, but there are few fields that are as interdisciplinary as criminology and justice, where you have deeper public problems that need to be looked at from every angle of science, social science, culture, and understanding,” Tetlow said. “In this partnership, the way that you get students starting to understand the law and legal practice is the paralegal program − and then we at Loyola can teach them everything from forensics to understanding sociology. Hopefully, many of them will stay on that path and go to our law school as well, which − we’re very proud − started as a��night program, to be available to so many.” ��
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