Three Local High School Students Selected for SUNY Potsdam Criminal Justice Course with Full Scholarship

SUNY Potsdam Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Opens Undercover Investigations Course to Local High School Students

Potsdam, NY (10/10/2025) — SUNY Potsdam is proud to welcome three outstanding high school seniors into its new college-level criminal justice course, Undercover Operations, offered this fall. Jordan Parmeter (Lisbon Central School/BOCES Northwest), Lily Haen (Clifton-Fine Central School) and Colby Ledbetter (Massena Central School) have been selected to participate in the course, with their tuition and fees fully covered by a scholarship.

This unique opportunity is part of SUNY Potsdam's initiative to engage high-achieving high school students in advanced academic experiences that prepare them for careers in criminal justice. The scholarship program is open to seniors with a GPA of 85.0 or higher, and includes full access to campus resources such as the library, athletic complex and other student facilities.

Taught by adjunct instructor Chad Shelmidine, a supervising investigator for the State of New York with 18 years of experience -- 13 of which have been in undercover operations -- the course offers students a rare, hands-on look into the world of covert law enforcement. Shelmidine has led more than 100 undercover investigations, primarily focused on illegal firearms and narcotics, bringing real-world expertise directly into the classroom.

Students in the class explore the planning and execution of undercover investigations, officer selection, identity management, intelligence gathering, and legal and ethical considerations. The course also addresses psychological challenges and community impact, using case studies and simulations to bridge theory and practice.

The participating high school students will earn three college credits alongside their undergraduate classmates, applicable toward a criminal justice major at SUNY Potsdam or transferable to other institutions.

"This scholarship allows SUNY Potsdam to build on our existing relationships with local schools to offer high school seniors a career-focused learning experience that combines the interdisciplinary knowledge at the heart of our criminal justice program into a set of skills and understanding of the reality of undercover operations for these students to carry forward into their future careers in the field of criminal justice," said David Bugg, Chair of Sociology and Criminal Justice.

To nominate students for the Spring 2026 semester, please send their names and email addresses to David Bugg, at buggd@potsdam.edu.

The SUNY Potsdam criminal justice studies program provides a broad interdisciplinary liberal arts orientation, with course requirements in philosophy, politics and sociology, and the opportunity for students to elect to study courses in anthropology, chemistry and psychology. The SUNY Potsdam Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice offers both a major and a minor in criminal justice studies. Along with University Police and the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning, the department co-sponsors the College's Law Enforcement Training Institute, which offers police academy training for local agencies and pre-employment cadets. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Soci.

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