JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FACULTY & STAFF
The faculty for the Bachelor of Arts in Justice, and Master of Arts in Justice Administration, have unique and extensive experience in the areas in which they teach. In addition to the on-campus faculty, Justice also seeks out instructors from across the country who have special knowledge and expertise in areas of interest and need for our students. Thus, a candidate for either degree will have access to a wide range of instructors with varying backgrounds and strengths.
Mike Daku , Director, Justice Department
(907) 474-5717
mjdaku@alaska.edu
Professor Daku serves as Director of the Justice Department. As a member of the Justice Faculty, his areas of teaching and expertise have included Juvenile Delinquency, Corrections, Program Management, and Substance Abuse issues. He has lived and worked in Fairbanks since 1978, and has extensive experience in the management/supervision of offender-based treatment programs dealing with both adults and juveniles. He is also an avid outdoorsman and runner.
Mike at the crux of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Race.
Jeff Bumgarner (Master's Degree Program Only)
Dr. Jeff Bumgarner has several years of law enforcement experience, having served as a deputy sheriff, police chief, and federal agent. He holds a B.A. in political science (University of Illinois), an MA in public administration (Northern Illinois University) and a Ph.D. in organization development (University of Minnesota). He has authored or co-authored 5 books (covering the topics of profiling, federal law enforcement, and emergency management), and has authored several articles relating to police practice. In addition to his position as a graduate faculty member in the Justice Department at UAF (where he has served since 2001), he is an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Minnesota, Crookston.
Gary Copus (Emeritus)
(907) 474-6678
Dr. Copus received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, Columbia campus. He also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master's in Criminology from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. Dr. Copus has conducted research around questions of interest at both the national and local levels. His local research has included examining crime rates in rural Alaska, and on the role of Village Public Safety Officers. His research interests have also been focused on questions of Native Alaskans who are imprisoned in the State Department of Corrections. Currently his interest is in online delivery of Justice courses including rural Alaskan communities. Current teaching areas include Introduction to Justice, Research Methods, and Ethics which are all being delivered online.
In the past, Dr. Copus was also active in the aviation community as a private pilot, ground school instructor for the Community College and as a flight instructor. He also served in the Civil Air Patrol as a Mission and Instructor Pilot.
Dr. Copus with his Cessna 180 on a remote lake in Alaska.
Rob buys a friend a drink.
Brian Jarrett
(907) 474-6790
Professor Jarrett is a lawyer and professional mediator and abitrator in both the United States and Canada. He also holds a Ph.D. in Sociology. His interests include Mediation, Arbitration Dispute Systems Design (DSD), Restorative Practices and Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ). In recent years he has originated work in Integral Mediation, which promotes interdisciplinary practices in mediation. His practice ranges from work with local communities to international organizations. In both his written work and classroom teaching, Professor Jarrett works to bridge theory and practice in the field of Dispute Resolution.
Jeff May
(907) 474-5715
Originally from Montana, Professor May moved to Alaska in 2000. He received his Law Degree from the University of Montana and he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Justice and Master’s Degree in Justice Administration earned from that same University. Before joining the faculty, Jeff worked as a law clerk for Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Mark I. Wood and he continues to engage in law practice as his University schedule permits. Jeff currently teaches courses in Justice Ethics, Criminal Law, Procedural Law, and civil liability concerns in justice administration. Jeff’s free time is spent with his family with whom he enjoys having time in the outdoors camping, hunting, and fishing.
Jeff with his 2012 60+ inch moose.
Lou Brown, Administrative Assistant
(907) 474-5500
Lou received her Bachelor's degree in Italian with a French minor in 1984 from San Francisco State University. This means she lived too much of her life California but came home to Alaska for the first time in 1988. Before coming to UAF on 2004, she worked primarily in the non-profit arena writing grant proposals and volunteering for groups advocating for everything from small business opportunities for the Deaf to creation of an early college high school. At UAF, she was development coordinator and a Title III program manager or the Interior-Aleutians Campus, and, later held a similar position with the College of Rural and Community Development Health Programs. Now, she has had the good fortune to come to the Justice Department. Lou joined the Justice team in early 2012 and has been playing catch up ever since.