Brian W. Donavant, Ph.D.

Curriculum Vitae 

What area do you teach?

• Policing; Criminal, Constitutional, and Procedural Law; Criminal Investigations & Forensics; Leadership; Applied Research

Education/Degree(s)

• Ph.D. The University of Southern Mississippi (2007)
       Dissertation:  Efficacy of Distance Learning for Professional Development of Police Officers
• M.Ed. William Carey College (Hattiesburg, MS; 2002)
• B.A. Memphis State University (1987)

Your philosophy of teaching:

I believe genuine education occurs best through situations and revolves around one simple concept: it’s all about our students. Everything we do centers upon them – what students need; what students expect to gain from the experience; and how to best advocate for resources to help them succeed. Today’s students must be able to tackle real-world issues and address challenges that do not have simple solutions. I believe we are limited only by our imagination in how we help them do that!

Why did you decide to teach?

I was heavily involved in police training in the last half of my law enforcement career. Offering the benefit of my experiences to aspiring professionals in a college setting and providing real-world insights into their chosen careers was just a natural evolution for me. 

Career Path

I began my career with the Bartlett Police Department (TN), where I served in patrol and with the Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and as Narcotics Unit Commander. I retired as a Lieutenant with the Gulfport Police Department (MS) after serving in a variety of patrol, investigative, and administrative roles, including commander of the Communications Division, Mounted Patrol Unit Commander, and Training Director. I hold Police Instructor certification from the U.S. Department of Justice and served as Training Director for Gulf Coast HIDTA, overseeing training throughout the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I also hold Police Instructor certification from the Mississippi POST Commission, am a certified Mounted Police Instructor, and received the Hurricane Katrina Service Award.

I started teaching at a community college while still with the police department. Before coming to SEMO, I served as a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Tennessee at Martin, where I was president of the Faculty Senate, chair of the UT System Faculty Council, and a member of the UT Board of Trustees. My research interests include college access and completion, adult degree completion, curriculum development and assessment, experiential learning, and police training. In addition to my current roles as professor and department chair, I hold Class A Peace Officer, and General and Specialist Police Instructor Licenses from the Missouri POST Commission, and oversee all operations for the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy.

Professional Highlight

The first and last days of every job I've had... and every day in between! I've been incredibly Blessed throughout my career. It's about working with and serving people to create a body of work that keeps building upon itself, and I'm excited to continue this at SEMO! Helping develop Missouri's first 90-hour degree program that focuses and streamlines students' educations and helps reduce college debt has been especially rewarding.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions

• National ACT College and Career Readiness Postsecondary Champion, ACT, Inc. (2019)
• Faculty Excellence Award, University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (2013)
• Hurricane Katrina Service Award, Gulfport Police Department (2005)
• High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) of the Year, U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (2002)
       For innovative training programs as Training Director in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama

Organizations with which you are involved:

• Fraternal Order of Police
• Missouri Police Chiefs Association
• Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission
• American Association of Adult and Continuing Education
• Southern Criminal Justice Association

Best Advice for Students

Engage! No matter what you do in college, and after, ENGAGE! Theodore Roosevelt said it best:

“ It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”