Welcome to our Criminology, Law and Society website. I'm not sure what to brag about first - our high performing undergraduates (we think they are the best at UF), our graduate students and our new Master's program, the Ph.D. program that has just been approved by the state, the award-winning quality of our teaching, the scholarly productivity of our faculty, or the accomplishments of our alumni.

The Department of Criminology, Law and Society has reached a place in its development where it can be a full-service academic program that is unique and unparalleled. I may be immodest about our prospects, but I am not unmindful of how we got here - of the hard work of the many fine students we taught over the years, of the contributions of all the faculty members (past and present) who have been a part of our development, of the support of the college and university administration and our own office staff. Indeed, I consider myself fortunate to be here at this time to enjoy the fruits of the labors of those who have moved us forward. I welcome you to take advantage of the opportunities we now offer.

We benefit greatly from the quality of our students. We attract competitive graduate students from around the country. Our undergraduates are second to none because UF has high admissions standards and because our "selective admissions" into the major further "creams" the crop. We appreciate how our students contribute to the learning environment.

Our program is now larger and more interdisciplinary than ever. The professors have backgrounds in anthropology, criminal justice, criminology, education, history, law, psychology, social ecology, and sociology. Their teaching and research advances and integrates knowledge from all those disciplines to enrich learning. The faculty members continue to pursue the ideal of the teacher-scholar. We take pride in the many teaching recognitions our faculty members have earned and in the way in which their research complements their teaching. We strive for scholarship that will place students at the cutting edge. We want students to be involved in their education. If they so choose, they can be a part of the production of the knowledge used by the next generation. We encourage undergraduate research, and we are excited about the research possibilities of our new Master's and Ph.D. programs.

We have reached the point in our development where teaching, research, and learning can all come together in a fertile, rich culture that engenders intellectual growth. We have our place in the sun at Florida and we see a bright future. Come visit. Come see. Come learn with us about the intriguing complexities of crime and justice, of law and society.

Sincerely,
Lonn Lanza-Kaduce