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URI Police Chief Michael Jagoda named finalist for national Campus Safety Director of the Year

URI chief of police and director of public safety Michael Jagoda ’91 is a finalist for the 2023 Campus Safety Director of the Year award by Campus Safety magazine. Jagoda joined the URI community in 2015, following a distinguished career with the Connecticut State Police. (Photo by Nora Lewis)

KINGSTON, R.I. – Feb. 23, 2023 – University of Rhode Island chief of police and director of public safety Michael Jagoda is a finalist for the 2023 Campus Safety Director of the Year award by Campus Safety magazine.

Jagoda joined the URI community as a police major in 2015, following a distinguished 22-year career in law enforcement and public safety with the Connecticut State Police. He was named director of public safety and chief of police in 2021.

“I am honored to be a finalist,” Jagoda says. “It would not be possible to accomplish all of our department’s goals and objectives without the great team of co-workers at URI Public Safety. They have shown a true commitment to our diverse community and their efforts and hard work do not go unnoticed.”

At URI, Chief Jagoda (right) oversees a department that has led URI to be recognized as a safe campus; shown with Corporal Paul Hanrahan, URI Community Policing, and Marc Hardge, URI Talent Development. (Photo courtesy URI Public Safety)

At URI, Jagoda’s broad portfolio includes management of the alarm division, emergency management, environmental health and safety, fire and life safety, transportation and parking, university police, campus security and communications and technology areas.

He has provided strategic and operational oversight to the University’s sworn police officers, security personnel and dispatchers, and led programs and initiatives focused on community policing. Jagoda brings a ‘guardian mindset’ to his work in public safety and considers himself a caretaker for the URI community.

“I know it is not always easy to meet every challenge we face as a department,” Jagoda says. “However, with dedication, service to others, and professionalism, our department’s accomplishments are long-lasting and will have a positive impact on our community for generations to come.”

At URI, Jagoda oversees a department that has led URI to be recognized as a ‘safe campus.’ He has worked to improve communications and partnered with the school’s Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity to provide all police officers on campus with social justice and inclusion training.

Jagoda is a URI graduate, having earned a bachelor’s degree in consumer affairs in 1991, and he earned a master’s degree in public administration from Post University. He is a member of the FBI National Academy and served on Gov. Gina Raimondo’s Working Group for Gun Safety.

The winner of the Director of the Year award will be announced at this year’s Campus Safety Conference West, taking place in Las Vegas in July. Jagoda will join finalists from across the U.S., including the University of Texas, East Tennessee State University, the University of Maryland, Howard University, and Lehigh University. He is the only nominee from New England.

Jagoda is a graduate of the FBI National Academy; he holds several certifications in the fields of fire services and emergency management and is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, R.I. Police Chiefs Association, FBI National Academy, and the R.I. Association of Arson Investigators.