Dr. James J. Ness, who formerly oversaw the criminal justice programs at Barton Community College, was recently appointed to the position of Dean of the new College of Criminal Justice and Security at University of Phoenix. Before beginning his long career in law enforcement and criminal justice education, Ness conducted his graduate studies at Southern Illinois, where he earned a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and a master’s degree in Administration of Justice/Law Enforcement. He later went on to become a tenured professor of law enforcement at the University.