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Sharing A Vision
When Mike Lytle attended Sam Houston State University in the early 70s, the College of Criminal Justice was a young program. At that time, the college, called the Institute of Contemporary Corrections and the Behavioral Sciences, was led by such faculty members as George John Beto, George Killinger, Hazel Kerper and Charles Friel, names that became well-known in the CJ field.
“Today’s College of Criminal Justice was only a vision back in the early 70’s,” Lytle said.
Having a successful career in both the military and the forensics field, Lytle said he was very pleased when SHSU created a forensic science graduate program in 2004. The program is expected to begin accepting applicants for the fall 2006 semester.
His passion for the field he has worked in for 30 years and his love for the university gave him the same vision for the new program that was once held for the criminal justice program.
With that vision, he decided to establish the LTC Michael A. Lytle ’77 Academic Prize in Forensic Science recognizing the top graduate student in the program with a medal, framed certificate and a cash award, as well as have his/her name placed on a plaque to hang in the Criminal Justice Center.
“I have a strong affinity for Sam Houston, of course. I give them a lot of credit for some of my successes in my career, providing a base for all that,” Lytle said. “My intent is for it to be the premier award for the forensics program and that it’s another level to the many things that contribute to the success of the forensics program. It’s a reward for excellence.”
Though Lytle attended two other universities, and received degrees at both, he feels his closest ties are at SHSU.
“It’s still got that solid kind of core values about it that I like,” he said. It’s hard to communicate because I’s more of a feeling that I have. Establishing the award is sort of my payback by providing a future in the field of forensics.”
Lytle said he hopes the university’s forensics program grows to the same level of prestige associated with such universities as George Washington and Virginia Commonwealth, universities that Lytle has close ties with and have very solid programs.
“My ideal is that Sam Houston’s program will achieve that kind of visibility and stature as it grows and matures,” he said.
An adjunct faculty member at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., where he helped establish a forensics program, Lytle said he is constantly referring students to SHSU.
“One of my former undergraduate students from Marymount is finishing her master’s (in criminal justice at Sam); I referred her down to Sam,” he said. “I’m hoping I can take some of my forensics students and maybe refer them down there rather than into George Washington.
“I talk up the excellence of the program all the time when they finish up here,” Lytle said.
In addition to his teaching, Lytle currently serves as a senior research associate at Science Applications International Corporation, where he researches things such as border security, financial crime and money laundering, drug smuggling, and homeland security.
He also recently completed studies for the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Intelligence) on intelligence policy and the National Institute of Justice on terrorism and transnational crime.
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