Award honors Alumnus of the Year and Kansas City leader Alvin Brooks
The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology in the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) College of Arts and Sciences announced its first scholarship in mid-April. The scholarship honors Alvin Brooks, (B.A. ’59, M.A. ’73, UMKC College of Arts and Sciences) and 2009 UMKC Alumnus of the Year. Two volunteers have secured more than $10,000 from the community, and are hoping to secure additional funding.
Because Brooks’ lifetime body of work has revolved around public service, civil rights, urban progress and public safety, the scholarship bearing Brooks’ name is appropriately placed within the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. He has served as a Kansas City police officer, councilman and mayor pro tem. Since 1977, his community organization – the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime – has been dedicated to shaping a safer city for everyone.
The scholarship will provide financial assistance to undergraduate students who are majoring in Criminal Justice and Criminology. Like Brooks, students in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology pursue careers in public service, are acutely aware of social injustices and end up working to correct these injustices within the greater Kansas City area and elsewhere.
“We are so grateful to have the Alvin Brooks Scholarship within our department. Alvin is a Kansas City and national icon, whose passion and perspective to being an agent of positive change is unrivaled,” said Ken Novak, associate professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. “He is a role model for everyone – both in terms of what he has accomplished, as well as the way he lives his life – and I hope that students who receive the Alvin Brooks Scholarship will strive to be like Alvin throughout their lives.”
For more information on scholarships within the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences, visit http://cas.umkc.edu/scholarships.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience.