Saint Rose welcomes new professor to popular and expanding criminal justice, behavior, and law program

In Summer 2022, Stephen J. Maher, an attorney, former military officer, and law enforcement leader, will join the faculty at Saint Rose. 

Currently a visiting assistant professor at Saint Rose, Maher is also an accomplished criminal prosecutor, civil litigator, investigator, and 30-year senior military officer who served in the United States Navy, United States Air Force, and Air National Guard, including multiple deployments during the Persian Gulf War and post-9/11 Global War on Terror. 

His expertise includes significant experience in social justice and environmental issues, criminal law, corrections, and re-entry, as well as emerging issues such as homeland security, intelligence, and human trafficking. 

“Steve will bring tremendous expertise to the department,” said Robert Flint, chair and professor of the Department of Psychology and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Behavior, and Law at Saint Rose. “He has a strong and demonstrated interest in human rights and social justice issues and has recently developed new courses, including a human trafficking study that will be offered this summer.”

Among other classes, Maher will teach evidence, experts, courts, and criminal law and procedure. He will also provide hands-on instruction with the College’s popular mock trial program. 

“I am thrilled and honored to become a faculty member at Saint Rose – a cornerstone of academic opportunity in the Capital Region, New York State, and beyond,” Maher said. “I am enthusiastic about the College, its students, its programs, and its future. I hope to contribute greatly to the student experience here.”

He further seeks to expand the Saint Rose criminal justice footprint and offer courses on cutting edge issues such as 21st century law enforcement practices, alternatives to incarceration, homeland security, and the use of artificial intelligence and technology in criminal justice. 

“Steve also has an extensive network of contacts throughout the United States. As he has done this past year, he will continue to bring in guest speakers from a wide variety of criminal justice disciplines, including New York State Supreme Court justices, FBI, New York State Police, United States Military, New York State Corrections and Community Supervision, NGOs, and nonprofits to campus,” Flint said. “He’s also committed to helping students identify career options and obtain meaningful employment upon graduation, while maintaining the commitment to a well-rounded liberal arts education.”

Maher secured the attendance of numerous government, private sector, and nonprofit employers to recruit Saint Rose students for jobs and internships at the College’s recent job fair. 

Maher’s appointment will add to a robust criminal justice program, which combines a strong academic foundation with real-world theory in action opportunities, including internships, research projects, and the popular Law Abroad program, where students spend a semester immersing themselves in the legal system of a foreign country. Students also live what they learn through hands-on learning opportunities with local law enforcement at the College’s Cold Case Analysis Center, the only center of its kind in New York State and one of six nationally.