Extended Campus Student Profile
November 2011: Allen Lawrence
The Office of Extended Campus Programs is pleased to introduce our Senior of the Month, Allen Lawrence. Allen is married to a nurse and is the father of a five year old daughter. He has been employed for 12 years with the Lenoir Police Department, and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant.
Finding the time and energy to attend college full-time is difficult, but Allen has been supported by his employers throughout his career. They have granted him leave time for classes, encouraged him to continue his studies, and have provided tuition assistance as well. When he was first hired, the department paid for his training in return for an agreement to stay on the job for two years. Once he got started in police work, however, he knew it was what he wanted to do.
“Basic law enforcement training is just that – basic. You get information about how to react, and that’s pretty much it. What I’ve been able to learn from Lees-McRae’s Criminal Justice classes at Western Piedmont are the theories of human behavior that explain the criminal activity I see every day, how everything fits together and what creates the situations that produce crime,” said Lawrence. “I feel like college has given me information I can really use on my job, and formal education also helps when I’m up for a promotion. The schedule is manageable too, since I have classes from 6 to 10 p.m. on Mondays and two courses online with only three Wednesday meetings a semester.”
Allen Lawrence will be graduating in the Lees-McRae College Class of 2012. He plans to remain with the Lenoir City Police Department and hopes to eventually earn a Master’s Degree in either Criminal Justice or Public Administration. Lees-McRae College is proud to have Lieutenant Allen Lawrence in our Extended Campus Criminal Justice B.A.A.S. Program at Western Piedmont Community College.