AVÌìÌÃÍø

Mario Gaboury, of Old Saybrook, dean of the AVÌìÌÃÍø's Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, received the Order of Merit of the Polish National Police in Warsaw, Poland. 

July 25, 2016

The medal, awarded on July 16, was in recognition of "distinguished service in the sciences, higher education, the criminal justice system, and the promotion of educational cooperation between the Republic of Poland and the U.S.A." 

The medal was presented by Mariusz Blaszczak, the Polish Minister of Home Affairs and Administration, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish National Police, Gen. Jaroslaw Szymczyk. 

Gaboury also accepted a second Order of Merit medal on behalf of the late Richard H. Ward. Ward, a former dean of the Lee College, was an associate vice president at the university when he died suddenly on Feb. 17, 2015. Gaboury will present Ward's medal to Ward's widow, Michelle, who lives in Bethany. 

Ward was a champion of international cooperation and inaugurated a training program for the Polish National Police at the AVÌìÌÃÍø in 2008. 

The training program has taken place annually since then. Since 2010, 29 students and alumni of the university have studied in Poland, and 37 high-ranking police executives have visited the U.S. 

The Lee College also is exploring further collaborations with the Polish National Police in forensic science, fraud investigation and cybercrime. 

"The new projects will provide experiential education opportunities to our students and increase opportunities for international scholarly activities for faculty," Gaboury said. "The program also reinforces the Lee College's role as a major contributor to international criminal justice and security-related areas and will offer the Polish National Police access to cutting-edge information."