Criminal Justice Doctoral Student To Study In Poland

Minerva Sanchez

Minerva Sanchez, a doctoral student in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University, has been selected by the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Program to receive a grant which will enable her to study in Poland.

The program is funded by the U. S. Department of State.

Sanchez plans to use the results of the research she conducts in Poland in her dissertation on organized crime.

"Poland serves as a transient country employed by organized crime between Europe and Asia," she said. "Now that it has joined the European Union, it has the potential for playing the role of a regional leader again by taking important political and economic initiatives."

Sanchez said she selected Poland to conduct her research because of its appealing history.

"Poland was partitioned by Russia, Prussia and Austria in 1772," she said. "Having gained its independence in 1918, Poland was overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II.

"Serving as a Soviet satellite country following the war, labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union 'Solidarity' that eventually became a political force and swept parliamentary elections and the presidency by 1990," she explained.

"During the early 1990s, a 'shock therapy' program has been attributed to transforming the country's economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe," she said.

In 1999, Poland joined the NATO alliance and in May 2004, it officially joined the European Union along with other member countries.

To prepare herself for the trip, Sanchez has been taking language lessons with the Polish Society of Houston, Inc.

While she is in Poland, she will live in the university student hotel at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. The Fulbright Scholarship covers transportation fees, language/orientation courses, living expenses, book and research allowances, and supplemental health and accident insurance while overseas as part of the award.

Applicants for the scholarship submit a two-page narrative describing their proposed research. The National Screening Committee, consisting of specialists in various fields and area studies, meets in November and December to review all applications and recommends candidates for further consideration.
Applications of recommended candidates are transmitted to the supervising agencies abroad for further review, particularly as to placement at foreign universities.

Final selection for Fulbright Grants is made by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, taking into account the recommendations of the national committee, availability of funds, approval of the supervising agencies abroad, and other program requirements.

Sanchez received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice and her master's degree in public administration from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

She has worked on several research projects, including the evaluation of the Corpus Christi's Crime Control and Prevention District and a Corpus Christi's Park and Recreation Department program called "Weed and Seed."

"It was called 'Weed and Seed' because its purpose was to weed out crime in neighborhoods and seed in goodness through the development of after school programs and job opportunities," Sanchez said.

She has evaluated a municipality's cultural diversity training program, and she worked for the city manager of Portland, Tex. She has also made several presentations at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology regarding training law enforcement officers cost free, citizens' perception of fear of crime, and cultural diversity in policing.

Sanchez currently serves as a research assistant to the director and assistant director of the Law Enforcement Management Institute Training Program at Sam Houston State University.

Her trip to Poland will not be her first travel abroad. In January 2003, she served as an ambassador from Sam Houston State University and the Law Enforcement Management Institute Training Program to the Turkish National Police in Ankara and Istanbul.

The Fulbright Program provides grants each year for graduate students, scholars and professionals, and teachers and administrators from the United States and other countries.

The program has provided more than 250,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study and teach in each other's countries, exchange ideas, and develop joint solutions to address shared concerns.

Fulbright alumni include Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, governors and senators, ambassadors and artists, prime ministers and heads of state, professors and scientists, Supreme Court Justices, and CEOs.

-END-

Media Contact: Julia May
August 3, 2004
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.