Colorado Christian University launches program in effort to prevent mass violence
Mass violence events like mass shootings are becoming a regular part of our society. That's why educators at Colorado Christian University decided to use their faith and knowledge to try to make a difference.
"Christians in specific have a long history of going into the worst places of that humanity has to deal with so this is a logical step for us to go into a problem we see and we can take our competency to this issue," said Dr. David Murphy the Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences at CCU.
He says they are ready to do their part to stop mass violence.
"We just looked at a question; "What are we really good at, and what can we do to help this problem?'" he said.
He says they already have a strong Criminal Justice program so they decided to launch a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in campus, event, and organizational safety program to stop mass violence before it happens.
"It's geared toward obviously avoiding and preparing for those," Murphy said.
They are one of a handful of programs across the nation focused on studying mass violence and the only one geared toward practitioners so graduates can use their knowledge to make an impact in their organizations.
"These courses are going to be focused on, "hey, what happened in these mass violent events? What did that mean? How could this organization have prepared for it better? How can you prepare for this better when you go out and service whatever field you're in?'" he said.
He says there is a huge need for these type of specialists right now and they want to fill it.
"Organizations, churches, businesses are going to be looking for people that understand how to plan for mass violence," said Dr. Murphy.
He hopes having these knowledgeable practitioners out in the world will save lives.
"If this program has any part in stopping just one mass violent incident in some theoretical future then it's all worth it," he said.
You don't have to be a student at CCU in order to take advantage. Anybody can enroll in their certificate program and it can be completed online.