St. Bonaventure University

ST. BONAVENTURE FACULTY


Dombek, Andrew A.

Andrew Dombek, socioloty

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT
Sociology & Criminology
ACADEMIC SCHOOL
School of Arts and Sciences

TITLES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Lecturer, Sociology & Criminology
CONTACT
Office phone:
Send an email
OFFICE
Plassmann Hall 331
COURSES TAUGHT
  • CRM 101. Introduction to Criminology
  • SOC 301. Current Social Problems: Fieldwork Study
  • SOC 302. Current Social Problems: Fieldwork Study
  • SOC 308. Juvenile Delinquency
ACADEMIC DEGREES
  • Doctor of Philosophy Human Services – Specialization in Criminal Justice, Walden University, 2014
  • Master of Criminal Justice Administration, Norwich University, 2007
  • Bachelor of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology, Empire State College
  • Associate of Arts Degree in Behavioral Science, Jamestown Community College
OTHER EDUCATION
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
  • NYS Department of Corrections & Community Supervision – Correction Officer, Community Correction Center Assistant, Corrections Counselor, Facility Parole Officer, Field Parole Officer. July 1989 to December 2022. Retired after 33 years.
  • Adjunct in Sociology & Criminology, St. Bonaventure University. January 2019 to May 2022.
  • Adjunct in Criminal Justice, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. August 2014 to December 2018.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  • Ph.D. Dissertation: Probation Officers’ Work Environment and Its Relationship to Burnout
  • Master’s Thesis: Law Enforcement and Stress: Do Peer Support Groups Effectively Accomplish their Mission of Reducing Stress and Saving Agency Money?

Presentations

  • "Building a Resilient Community." Cattaraugus Community Action, October 11, 2018.
  • “Helping Helpers: A Safety Seminar.”  NYS Probation Officers’ 2016 Annual Conference, Niagara Falls, NY, July 27-29, 2016.
  • “I Hate my Job: Early Warnings of Job Burnout and How to Address It.”  Leadership Cattaraugus Conference - Invited Judicial Panelist, Olean, NY, October 20, 2015.

Honors/awards

  • Genesis House Television Program WVTT-CA Olean Invited guest, November 21, 2016
  • Narcan Opioid Overdose Prevention Training Southern Tier Program, May 18, 2016
  • Jamestown Community College Criminal Justice Program Reviewer, April 15, 2016
  • Senator Catharine M. Young 57th Senate District NYS Volunteer Recognition, April 12, 2016
  • Volunteer Recognition, Cattaraugus Community Action, April 12, 2016
  • Commendation Letter, Cattaraugus County District Attorney Lori Rieman, March 3, 2016
  • Leadership Award Cattaraugus Community Action, August 13, 2015
  • Promoter of Treatment Awareness Award, Cattaraugus Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, April 1, 2008
  • Promoter of Treatment Awareness Award, NYS Parole Region V Commendation, May 5, 2008
  • First Responder Honor, September 11, 2001 NYS Parole
  • Russell G. Oswald Award, June 2002 NYS Parole
  • NYC Relief Efforts Honor, 2002 NYS Parol
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

My professional career has been spent working with individuals from diverse social, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds.  It is my belief that a professor's role is multifaceted. First, a professor is a teacher.  He or she must convey information in an easily understood manner and utilize a variety of instructional approaches including, but certainly not limited to, current technological techniques and advances. Second, a professor serves as a mentor and advisor to students.  This role includes encouraging the students to become critical thinkers, researchers, and problem solvers.  Third, a professor is a role model to students.  Any career choice within the field of criminal justice requires the employee to demonstrate ethical and moral behavior, positive interpersonal relationships, and the ability to react firmly but fairly in all situations.  Through modeling, a professor vicariously imparts the importance of these characteristics.

A professor must be more than an educator or a researcher.  A professor needs to be a catalyst of positive social change.  By providing students with the opportunity to question current beliefs and explore new ideas, combined with a philosophy of conducting research that can aid society, a professor can become an agent of positive social change

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS/PROJECTS

My research interests have included studies of the effectiveness of peer support program, stress and the law enforcer, organizations’ communication impediments, deviance, law enforcement morale, the influence of poverty on incarceration and recidivism rates, the challenges faced by incarcerated individuals’ reentry into rural communities, autonomy in law enforcement, and a prospective archiving of material and case study on a local mass shooting in the late 1970s.

PERSONAL INTERESTS/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
  • Member, Ischua Fire Department
  • Board of Directors, St. Bonaventure Allegany County Sheriff Corrections Academy
  • Member, Cattaraugus County Criminal Justice Coordinating Advisory Committee
LINKS