Professor selected for academic fellowship in Israel

GREENVILLE, NC —   Mark Jones, a professor of criminal justice studies at East Carolina University, will travel to Israel this summer as a fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

The program, “Defending Democracy, Defeating Terrorism,” features an intensive, 10-day course on terrorism and the threat it poses to democratic societies. The program is taught in conjunction with Tel Aviv University and takes place May 27 to June 7.

Forty-five fellows were accepted from colleges and universities across the United States. The course of study takes place in the classroom and in the field and features lectures by academics, diplomats, military and intelligence officials, and politicians from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States. It also features visits to military bases, border zones and other security installations to learn the practical side of deterring terrorist attacks. The fellowship aims to train participants as resources on the subject of terrorism.

“After September 11, 2001, I, like a lot of academics in criminal justice and other disciplines, felt compelled to develop my knowledge on this topic,” said Jones, who teaches a graduate course titled “Criminal Justice and Terrorism.”

“I hope that what I learn there can be imparted to the students I teach here at ECU,” he said. “I also hope this will enhance my research agenda, both by learning more about the subject and through the contacts I will make.”