"The Michigan Victim Assistance Academy is a team of diverse professionals committed to enhancing the knowledge, skills and abilities of victim service providers to provide the best possible victim assistance across multiple systems."



Program Overview: The Michigan Victim Assistance Academy is a comprehensive and rigorous, 45-hour, problem based learning experience. Class size is limited to 40 candidates who are selected from applications received. Class make-up includes a wide array of victim service providers who attend as part of a team from various areas around the state. Participants live in the Michigan State University Owen Graduate Center for the week, attending classes in the MSU College of Law Building across the street.

Sponsors: The Academy is supported by a grant awarded to the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University by the Michigan Crime Victim Services Commission, Michigan Department of Community Health. This grant comes from the Federal Crime Victims Fund, established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984. There is no fee to attend, however, participation requires an application. Completed applications must be received by no later than May 2nd.

Who Should Attend: MVAA encourages applications from across disciplines to insure attendees reflect a broad representation of individuals, organizations and agencies that serve crime victims throughout the state.



Academy Goals

  1. Build professional and personal social capital of its graduates.
  2. Facilitate development of local community coordinating council.
  3. Promote personal and professional problem-solving skills and gain perspective on how to solve problems that affect victims of crimes.
  4. Stimulate graduates' understanding of their personal style of communicating with others, and how to use that style to enhance the graduate's effectiveness in working with others.
  5. Facilitate graduates setting personal and professional goals and developing plans to achieve those goals.
  6. Enhance graduates perspective on a criminal justice "systems" approach to victim assistance including but not limited to, criminal justice, advocacy, health, local and state.


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