Mario Gaboury (right) receives the Order of Merit of the Polish National Police from
Mariusz Blaszczak, Poland's minister of Home Affairs and Administration. Looking on is the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish National Police, Gen. Jaroslaw Szymczyk.
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 University of New Haven 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."
