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鈥淭he best part of being a professor is the interaction with the students and working with them to achieve their full potential.鈥�

If you鈥檝e ever seen detectives, corrections officers, or even federal agents walking around campus, there is no need to be alarmed! These guests are more than likely giving a presentation or attending an event for the criminal justice department. Dr. Tracy Tully, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, and Faculty Advisor for the Criminal Justice Club, and Criminal Justice Honor Society, truly goes above and beyond in her positions at STAC to ensure her students leave her classes well-prepared for their future in this field.聽

Dr. Tully鈥檚 primary field of research is centered around juvenile delinquency and mental health. 鈥淢ore than half of those incarcerated in the United States have mental health issues, and this number is trending upward. The increasing number of individuals with mental health and substance use conditions in the criminal justice system has enormous fiscal, health, and human costs, therefore, making this a relevant and critical topic to research. Since juveniles are the greatest national asset and reserve, it is important to understand the correlates of delinquency. Juveniles account for over 16% of annual violent crime and almost 30% of property crime, indicating youth are responsible for a significant amount of annual crime. By researching juvenile delinquency, prevention, and intervention efforts can be established,鈥� says Dr. Tully.

Dr. Tully teaches a variety of courses in the Criminal Justice Department at STAC including Introduction to Criminal Justice; Criminology; Forensic Psychology; Women in the Criminal Justice System; Race, Crime and Gender; Research Methods. Through her courses, Dr. Tully covers essential material and encourages her students to engage in meaningful discussion. STAC Student Georgina Thomatos says, 鈥淧rofessor Tully has all the qualities a student could hope to find in a teacher. She teaches with a precision and accuracy that only those who have absolute mastery of the subject can demonstrate and this means that her students recognize the difficulty of the subjects she teaches but do not let themselves get intimidated. I admire Dr. Tully intellectually, professionally, and as a person for the passion she puts into her work. She has always made me feel supported with each challenge and obstacle that might surface during my journey through college.鈥�

Dr. Tully looks forward to her teaching every day because STAC is truly student-focused. She establishes positive teacher-student relationships in her courses and through her active roles on campus including both the criminal justice club and honor society. She mentioned that high-quality teacher-student relationships are critical in determining student engagement and success. Professors are able to build close relationships with their students. It鈥檚 rare for a college to have the family-like feel that STAC has. 鈥淲hat I value most, is working with colleagues who are kind and thoughtful on top of being experts in their fields,鈥� says Dr. Tully.

When she is not on campus teaching or organizing an event for the criminal justice club or honor society, Dr. Tully enjoys hiking, cooking, and reading, her favorite genre is non-fiction mysteries. Some fun facts about her are that growing up she collected聽I Love Lucy聽memorabilia, she loves animals and grew up with a Golden Retriever and she also took martial arts (Kung-Fu) growing up! Dr. Tully is just one of STAC鈥檚 amazing professors that makes an awe-inspiring impact on her students every day.