Marlon Lynch, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police at Vanderbilt University and one of the nation's leading figures in campus security, has been named to the newly created position of Associate Vice President for Safety and Security at the University of Chicago.
Lynch, who begins his duties Feb. 2, will lead a new department structured to better coordinate and more efficiently deliver public safety and transportation services. As a unit in the University of Chicago's Office of Civic Engagement, this department will combine the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD), led by Rudy Nimocks, Chief of Police and Security Services, and Campus Transportation and Parking Services, managed by Brian Shaw.
Lynch will be responsible for organizational integration, operational enhancements and new security technology, and will expand training opportunities for police officers. The University of Chicago Police Deartment employs the services of more than 100 sworn personnel and 127 part-time officers; its transportation operation includes private and public buses contracted through the Chicago Transit Authority.
The University of Chicago created the new integrated structure as a result of a recommendation by President Robert J. Zimmer's Campus Safety and Security Committee. The value of this model was carefully studied and defined through an operational assessment process conducted by leading public safety consultants.
Lynch, a Chicago native, began his career in law enforcement in 1993 and has served both in municipal and campus police departments. "We are delighted Marlon will join us. His experience serves him well to provide leadership in the important area of safety, both on campus and in the neighborhood," said Ann Marie Lipinski, Vice-President for Civic Engagement. "We look forward to welcoming him back to Chicago and introducing him and his family to our community."
Lynch, who has worked at Vanderbilt since 2005, received a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University and earned a master's degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff & Command.
Lynch is president-elect of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and he was recently named as one of the "Top 25 Most Influential People in the Security Industry" for 2008 in Security magazine. During his law enforcement career, Lynch has earned a number of awards, including two lifesaving awards and a bravery award. He serves as an adjunct instructor for the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety and also is an instructor for the Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy, sponsored through the University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center.
—Prof. Kunle Odunsi
