New St. John’s Partnership to Create Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies

Committed to equipping the next generation of homeland security professionals with the essentials needed to succeed, St. John’s University has partnered with the US Customs and Border Protection New York Field Office to create the Institute for Border Security and Intelligence Studies, to be housed at The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies.

Members of both organizations gathered on April 30 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in St. Augustine Hall, just a few steps away from the College’s Homeland Security Simulation Lab and the Sanford Family Cyber Security Lab. The parties will collaborate on a training program at St. John’s that will help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees identify intelligence challenges while also helping students cultivate professional development opportunities in a rapidly evolving field.

Among the St. John’s dignitaries to attend the signing were Simon G. Møller, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, University Distinguished Professor, and Provost Endowed Chair; Luca Iandoli, Ph.D., Distinguished Chair and Dean of the Collins College of Professional Studies (CCPS); and Keith Cozine, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security. 

Among those representing the CBP New York office were alumni Frank Russo ’95SVC, Director of Field Operations, and Sal Ingrassia ’92SVC, Port Director, John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“Training prepares people for the known, but education prepares people for the unknown,” said Dr. Cozine, who joined St. John’s faculty in 2012 after 15 years in the law enforcement and intelligence sectors. “Education is an essential element for future and current CBP officers because it is the unknown problems that CBP officers deal with every day. Our duty as an institute is to educate the current and future officers.”

St. John’s has long been a leader in homeland security and cybersecurity instruction. The University offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Cyber Security Systems and Homeland Security. The Collins College of Professional Studies also offers Master of Science degrees in Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Leadership and Cyber and Information Security.

The University also offers a pair of dual bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Cyber Security Systems, and a doctoral degree in Homeland Security. The institute will begin instruction at the undergraduate level, but Dr. Cozine hopes to eventually add a graduate program. 

CBP representatives were equally delighted to announce the partnership, focusing on intelligence gathering and threats to the homeland. CBP, established in 2003 from the former US Customs Service, is a division of the Department of Homeland Security; the New York Field Office is responsible for terrorism prevention and protecting lawful international travel and trade in the metropolitan area.

“The knowledge you will bring from St. John’s will be invaluable to us,” Mr. Russo told the assembled faculty and administration. “Protecting our homeland is an incredible challenge, and we cannot do that without your contribution. This partnership with St. John’s will allow us to shape the future.”

As part of the partnership, St. John’s students may have access to CBP’s New York Field Office, gaining valuable experience in real-time scenarios that could enhance their employability after graduation. CBP also will provide border security and intelligence experts to serve as guest speakers, student mentors, and advisers to faculty.

The University will identify students qualified to enter CBP internship programs and allow CBP access to the Homeland Security Simulation Lab to develop training exercises. St. John’s will also provide CBP with subject-matter experts to assist in developing education and training programs for CBP employees.

The partnership grew out of  Dr. Cozine’s conversation with former colleague George Pasiakos, Assistant Director, Field Operations, New York Field Office, on September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. “We wanted to create a training program for CBP officers that was research driven in addition to practitioner experience,” Dr. Cozine recalled.   

Further conversations produced an agreement that Drs. Iandoli and Møller believe will enhance student opportunities at St. John’s.        

“The creation of this institute produces many remarkable results,” Dean Iandoli said. “It provides our students with a prestigious industry partnership and provides faculty and students with an academic and professional space to advance knowledge in a critical domain for the security and well-being of the country.”

“All universities educate,” Dr. Møller added. “The great universities have partnerships like the one we are signing today that allow students to experience real-world situations and learn from experts in their fields.”