Faculty Profile - Lawrence Hibbert

Front Row: Captain Venetia Coffey (UI&U alumna), Officer Michelle Johnakin (UI&U learner),
Lieutenant Wally Haywood (UI&U alumnus). Back Row: UI&U Professor Lawrence H. Hibbert,
Coordinator, UI&U Law Enforcement Initiative; UI&U Professor Alan Bertison, affiliated faculty;
Major Danzel Brooks; Captain Bob Knight.

As a young police officer in his native Jamaica, Lawrence Hibbert learned first-hand that those in law enforcement share a special bond, born out of their unique experiences on the job.

Now, as the director of the Florida Center’s B.S. in criminal justice program, he incorporates what he learned as an officer into his work at UI&U.

“What sets our program apart from others is that all of our faculty have worked or are working in law enforcement. They understand what their learners are going through, things the ordinary person wouldn’t necessarily understand,” said Hibbert.

Soon after moving to Miami from Jamaica, Hibbert enrolled at Union’s Florida Center and earned his bachelor’s degree in business management in 1995. He then went on to graduate with his master’s degree in dispute resolution from Nova Southeastern University, and then returned to Union, in 2000, as adjunct faculty in the criminal justice program. He became the program’s director in 2006.

The program is now the center’s fastest growing, in part through the establishment of off-site classrooms in police departments across southeast Florida.

“It’s starting to really catch on,” said Hibbert, of the off-site program. “We’ve just started a new program in Fort Lauderdale, but already it’s very successful,” Hibbert continued as his phone began to ring. “In fact, that’s an officer from Fort Lauderdale calling right now.”

Word of mouth seems to be the best form of advertising for the center’s CJ program. Police officers look out for one another and help each other out, explained Hibbert, and they often recommend the Union program to others in their department.

“As long as the officers are happy with our program, we’ll continue to grow,” said Hibbert. “There are new developments on the horizon because we deliver such a great education to our officers.”