Franklin University’s Dr. Chenelle Jones Receives 2025 Polaris Community Service Award from U.S. Attorney’s Office for Community Immersion Training Partnership

Contact:

Chelsey Lloyd
Associate Director of Public Relations
(614) 947-6047
Email: chelsey.lloyd@franklin.edu

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

Franklin University today announced that Dr. Chenelle Jones, chair of Public Safety Programs and director of the Center for Public Safety and Cybersecurity Education, has been recognized with the 2025 Polaris Community Service Award, presented by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. The award honors outstanding innovation, dedication, and collaboration in community service — with an emphasis on initiatives that unite higher education, law enforcement, public health, and community organizations to deliver measurable public benefit.

Dr. Jones was recognized for her leadership in Community Immersion Training (CIT), a 192-hour program developed in partnership with the Columbus Division of Police, Franklin University, the Columbus City Attorney’s Office, and more than 50 community organizations. CIT is mandatory for all Columbus police officers and is grounded in community policing principles designed to strengthen public safety outcomes and support effective police-community engagement.

Higher Education and Community Partnerships Deliver Real-World Impact
Community Immersion Training reflects a collective, cross-sector approach that connects academic expertise directly to community needs. Franklin University faculty contributed to the development and delivery of coursework that supports officer learning, community awareness, and collaboration. Through CIT, officers build a deeper understanding of Columbus neighborhoods, community demographics, and the resources available through local organizations, and work alongside residents to identify and address conditions that can contribute to crime.

Community Immersion Training Results and Community Impact
To date, nearly 400 officers have completed CIT across more than 12 classes, partnering with community members to address over 173 identified issues. The initiative has had a direct positive impact on more than 40,000 Columbus residents, with indirect benefits reaching many more. CIT is increasingly viewed as a model for how education institutions and community partners can align training, trust-building, and problem-solving to improve community safety and relationships.

About the Polaris Community Service Award
The Polaris Community Service Award recognizes collaborative initiatives that demonstrate meaningful, sustained impact during complex community challenges. In honoring CIT, the U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted the value of partnerships that bring together institutions, faculty, community leaders, and public safety stakeholders to create lasting change.

Additional Recognition
Dr. Jones' 2025 Polaris Community Service Award builds on Franklin University’s ongoing commitment to community-centered education and public safety. In 2024, she was also named a Community Leadership Honoree at the Kingdom Image Awards for work advancing education, strengthening public safety, and supporting community relationships.

A small awards ceremony honoring the 2025 Polaris Community Service Award recipients was held on Tuesday, January 13, 2025, at the ATF Conference Room in Columbus, Ohio.

Franklin University congratulates Dr. Jones and extends appreciation to the faculty, partners, and community members whose collaboration continues to make Community Immersion Training a powerful force for positive change.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).