NSU to Host Violence Knows No Boundaries Conference, May 4

Ft. Lauderdale (Davie), Fla.  – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) will host the Violence Knows No Boundaries conference on May 4 at the college’s main campus in Davie, FL.  Each year, the conference tackles tough issues facing industry professionals. This year’s conference will raise awareness about sex crimes and sexual offenders, outlining the nature and extent of issues related to sex crimes.

The conference targets public safety and law enforcement personnel, mental health providers, and child protection and school based personnel. It will provide training and information allowing attendees to earn up to 6 Continuing Education Units for full participation in the days’ events.

NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies alumnus and Chief Psychologist for the United States Marshals Service, Michael Bourke, Ph.D., will serve as the conference facilitator. Topics will include:

• Overview of the current research on sexual offending including: etiology, course, basic diagnostic issues and defining characteristics.
• Myths about sexual offending and sex offenders.
• Behavioral and psychological characteristics of sexual offenders.
• Typologies of sex offenders.
• Risk assessment with Internet sex offenders.
• The use of polygraph in sex crimes investigations.
• Safeguarding, including: psychological self-care for sex crimes investigators, treatment providers, and others involved in sex crimes investigations.

The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on NSU’s main campus in Davie-3301 College Ave, 33314 – in the Carl DeSantis Building’s Knight Auditorium.

For more information visit: http://nsubso.nova.edu/conference/index.html. Questions may be addressed to Stephanie Mandel at stephanie.mandel@gmail.com

About Nova Southeastern University: Located in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited Florida University dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 29,000 students and is the eighth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The University awards associate’s, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, specialist, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences.  Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU was also awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification in 2010 for the University’s significant commitment to and demonstration of community engagement.   For more information about NSU visit www.nova.edu.

About the NSU / BSO Partnership – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) announced a partnership between the largest independent institution of higher education in Florida and the nation’s largest full service public safety agency in early 2008. This partnership, which includes the Sheriff’s Foundation of Broward County, was initially developed as a way to create educational opportunities for Broward County’s finest men and women, BSO’s 5,800 employees. The scope of the relationship has since broadened to include a multitude of other opportunities designed to improve the quality of life for public safety officials and citizens, on a local, national, and global level. Since its inception, this unique partnership has developed and fostered several programs and initiatives in the following areas, certificate & degree programs, conferences/professional development, research, and community outreach.  More information on the partnership can be obtained by visiting http://nsubso.nova.edu/index.htm.

About Michael L. Bourke, Ph.D. – Michael Bourke, Ph.D., is the Chief Psychologist for the United States Marshals Service and serves as the head of the USMS Behavioral Analysis Unit. Dr. Bourke has been a federal law enforcement officer since 2000 and was deputized by the USMS in 2008. Prior to joining the Marshals Service he worked as a clinical psychologist for various sex offender treatment programs within the federal prison system. He is a graduate of the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute, and he has conducted several hundred polygraph examinations of sex offenders. He is a regular consultant to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on matters pertaining to sexual criminality, interviewing/interrogation techniques, and psychological safeguarding of law enforcement personnel. He is an adjunct faculty member at Nova Southeastern University, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. In 2008 he received a Special Recognition Award from the United Kingdom’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), and in October 2009 he was awarded the Pro-Humanitate Literary Award. Dr. Bourke is an active researcher, and he currently serves on the editorial boards for two professional journals.

Media Contact:
Felecia Henderson, NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5315 (office), 954-383-4695 (cell), fhenders@nova.edu