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.
James G. Breckenridge, Ph.D., has been appointed as the Dean the Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Science. Dr. Breckenridge is the former Dean of the Walker School of Business and was appointed as the first chair of the Department of Intelligence Studies at Mercyhurst University. He designed the curricular requirements and gained accreditation for the new major in Intelligence Studies in 2002, the graduate program in Applied Intelligence in 2004, and the Graduate Certificate program in 2005. During his military career, his leadership responsibilities ranged from commanding the U.S. Army’s first unit to engage in combat since the Vietnam War (in Beirut, Lebanon 1983) to serving as a Professor of Military Science. During his military career he taught Middle Eastern History and served as the course director for the World History program at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Dr. Breckenridge is a founding board member of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE), a former President of the Fairview School Board, and a former member of the Transportation Committee of the Erie Chamber of Commerce.
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.