Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences
Named after Erie native Tom Ridge, 43rd governor of Pennsylvania and first Secretary of Homeland Security, the Ridge College brings together complementary academic disciplines that stress critical thinking, data analysis and collaborative decision-making. Serving as a Center of Excellence for distance and online learning, the Ridge College takes the lead in exploring, designing and developing new ways to deliver professional education. A Ridge College education helps make sense of the complex behaviors of people, organizations and governments through the application of principles, theories and technologies in innovative and exciting ways.
of our grads secured jobs or enrolled in grad school within a year of graduation
undergrads in Ridge College
number of law schools our grads have matriculated to in recent years
It takes 5 years to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s through Ridge College’s 4+1 programs in Data Science and Criminal Justice Administration
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During the 2015-16 academic year, more than 70 Intelligence Studies students received contracts to conduct intelligence work for actual U.S. intelligence agencies and private companies.
The Ridge College’s Institute of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences provides research and analysis products to clients such as the Department of Defense, the European Union, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble
Applied Forensic Sciences Professor Heather Garvin played a pivotal role in the Rising Star Expedition and the discovery of Homo naledi, a new species of human ancestor.
The Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics has earned a national reputation for the skill and professionalism of our Political Science students, as they collect and analyze political data and provide unbiased assessments of public opinion.
As associate dean of the National Intelligence University, College of Strategic Intelligence, in Washington, D.C., Duncan E. McGill was charged with overseeing the Master of Science program in Strategic Intelligence and the Bachelor of Science program in Intelligence, along with seven graduate certificate programs. He managed the academic, personnel, financial and administrative affairs of the college while communicating its vision and goals to the intelligence community, U.S. Department of Defense and the academic community.
His research focuses on science and technology issues affecting U.S. national security, among them cyber, weapons of mass destruction, emerging and disruptive technologies, and the IED capabilities in Iraq.
McGill is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, serving as a Nuclear and Counterproliferation Officer. He also held joint duty assignments outside the Army at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Over the years, his deployment and operations travel have taken him to more than two dozen countries, among them Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, Japan, Germany, the UK and Egypt.
McGill earned his doctorate in Biological Defense from George Mason University, his Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, a Master of Arts in Procurement Management from Webster University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri.
Dr. Randy S. Clemons has been appointed Associate Dean of the Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences. Dr. Clemons was the Dean of the School of Social Sciences for the last six years and before that the Chair of the Political Science Department, where he is a Full Professor. He has served Mercyhurst in a wide-range of roles such as Faculty Senate President and on Rank and Tenure. In 2007 he won the “Distinguished Teaching Award” at Mercyhurst. He teaches and researches in both the international relations and public policy arenas and has presented papers at more than 30 conferences across the nation. Co-author of the textbook Public Policy Praxis (with a 3rd edition being released in 2016) and multiple book chapters, his recent research has appeared in the Journal of Public Administration; Foreign Policy Analysis (forthcoming), World Medical & Health Policy; Risks, Hazards, & Crisis in Public Policy; and Electronic Hallway. Additionally, he is an expert in simulations, has received grants in, and has been a professional consultant and facilitator in, the areas
of leadership, community development, and strategic planning/futuring – most recently working with the Erie County Department of Human Services’ Office of Mental Health / Intellectual Disabilities.