David A. Schroeder, assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven, has been named to the Oskar Schindler Humanities Foundation Endowed Professorship at UNH for 2013-2015.
Schroeder explained that the OSHFEP provides support for research and course development focusing on what constitutes good human behavior, what makes for good human behavior, and how should we as a society foster such behavior, “as tolerance and the utility of pluralism have been of great interest to me throughout my life, the OSHFEP provides for the continued exploration and refinement of how and why we make determinations about other people, especially those who don’t share our culture or history.”
Schroder also serves as an assistant dean in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at UNH, and is a facilitator-trainer with the Museum of Tolerance in New York City.
He has also conducted numerous training programs and participated in multiple seminars regarding the use of tolerance and ethical behavior in the workplace, in correctional settings and in academia. He has regularly taken groups of UNH students, faculty and staff to the museum for half-day training sessions.
As the Schindler professor, Schroeder said he intends to work closely with the Museum of Tolerance New York in developing internship programs, a special topics course, and oversee independent study projects with undergraduate and graduate students.
Schroder served as a private investigator in Orange County, Calif., before moving to New York where he earned his Ph.D. in criminal justice in 2007. While in California, he maintained a caseload in the area of civil rights including representing Rodney G. King against the city of Los Angeles and conducting investigations for the Office of the Civil Rights Monitor.
Schroeder joined the UNH faculty in 2008. He previously served as an assistant professor at Western Connecticut State University and as an adjunct professor at ASA Technical College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, both in New York.
The Oskar Schindler Humanities Endowed Professorship was established through a major gift in honor of the inauguration of Steven H. Kaplan as the sixth president of the University of New Haven.
Schroeder’s application was based largely on his work with the Museum of Tolerance New York (MOTNY). “I have been involved with tolerance curricula, and facilitating tolerance trainings for almost a decade. My work with the MOTNY began with a day long curriculum specifically focused on law enforcement’s interactions with the public and how to enhance those interactions in a pluralistic environment like New York City,” he said.
“I feel honored to have been chosen for such a professorship and truly grateful that I work in an environment that encourages research and study into good human conduct with such a professorship,” Schroeder said.
