Dr. Robert Michael Worley
Professor in the Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice
Began working at Lamar University in 2014
Interviewed by Lizbeth Sanchez on 03/22/2023
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Dr. Robert Worley with Ms. Krista Melton, Assistant Attorney General of Texas
‘I became affiliated with Lamar University in 2014. I was at the American Society of Criminology Conference a semester or so before we applied and met Dr. Sanaz Alasti, and she, in a way, recruited me and enticed my wife Vidisha and me to apply for two positions at Lamar University. So, I've been here now for close to ten years.’
‘One of the ways that it's impacted me is that my wife and I are at the same university. In the past, we had worked at different universities, and that required a lot of travel and commuting on my part, so it's nice that we can both be part of the same community, the same university. It was much more convenient when we came to the university as well. The dean at the time, Dr. Brenda Nichols, and the provost, Dr. Steve Doblin, both of them have retired. But they were very helpful in hiring us and allowing my wife and me to go up for the position of Associate Professor fairly early. In fact, we went up for it immediately when we got here, and that was helpful. And then also with research, they've been very helpful as well. I had a research project where I was interviewing offenders that had been convicted of serious felonies, and I was able to get it through the human subject’s review process quickly. They also gave me very good feedback when I was conducting the study. Also, I received a grant from Lamar University in the amount of $5,000 that helped me conduct this research.’
‘I have found that the university tends to be very research oriented with students. Lamar University has a full-time staff member that works with McNair Scholars. I've worked with McNair Scholars as well, and we've gotten approval to go into the Jefferson County Jail and interview inmates. I've also been a part of thesis committees where one student interviewed victims of domestic violence at a safe house. And so, the fact that this university is so supportive of research is very important. And we also have a really good master’s in criminal justice program where we have up to 100 students in our classes, and most of these students tend to be practitioners, and usually pretty high-level practitioners like lieutenants, captains, and chiefs of police organizations. It's really been a pleasure just to get to interact with some of these folks in the course of my teaching. The fact that it's a Carnegie One Research University is also something that we're particularly proud of and really think this is a great place.’
‘The chair of my department, Dr. Stuart Wright, is on Wikipedia and is known internationally for some of his work on terrorism and new religious movements. And so just to be able to work with him and some of these other exceptional scholars, is an honor.’
‘I have found that the university tends to be very research oriented with students. Lamar University has a full-time staff member that works with McNair Scholars. I've worked with McNair Scholars as well, and we've gotten approval to go into the Jefferson County Jail and interview inmates. I've also been a part of thesis committees where one student interviewed victims of domestic violence at a safe house. And so, the fact that this university is so supportive of research is very important. And we also have a really good master’s in criminal justice program where we have up to 100 students in our classes, and most of these students tend to be practitioners, and usually pretty high-level practitioners like lieutenants, captains, and chiefs of police organizations. It's really been a pleasure just to get to interact with some of these folks in the course of my teaching. The fact that it's a Carnegie One Research University is also something that we're particularly proud of and really think this is a great place.’
‘The chair of my department, Dr. Stuart Wright, is on Wikipedia and is known internationally for some of his work on terrorism and new religious movements. And so just to be able to work with him and some of these other exceptional scholars, is an honor.’