Dr. Eric Kocian receives 2024 Thoburn Excellence in Teaching Award

by Public Relations | November 22, 2024

LATROBE, PA - Dr. Eric J. Kocian, associate professor and chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society in the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government at Saint Vincent College, received the Thoburn Excellence in Teaching Award during the annual Founders' Day Honors Convocation on Nov. 21 in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica.

The award was presented by Dr. John T. Delaney, vice president for academic affairs. The Thorburn Award honors faculty members who make a significant impact on students though their teaching and personal interactions. Candidates are nominated by Saint Vincent College alumni.

"I am grateful to all the alumni who remain in contact with me and especially humbled that some took the time to nominate me for this award," Kocian said. "They are the ones who have taken the lessons and applied them to various aspects of the field and serving God and mankind by their sacrifices. I pray for them and am so blessed to know them."

A career in academia was not Kocian's original plan. After earning a Doctor of Criminal Justice degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2010, he became a special agent in training with the FBI. It was a gig he'd always wanted, yet something didn't feel quite right.

"There came a point when I felt as though God was calling me away," Kocian said. "When I resigned [from the FBI], I had no job, no insurance, no prospects and no clue what was in store for me. I remember driving from Virginia in the pouring rain and praying through tears to trust in God, as everything I ever wanted in a career was fading out of sight in my rear-view mirror."

Back home in Pennsylvania, Kocian worked odd jobs to make ends meet as he tried to figure out his future. After a friend mentioned Saint Vincent was starting a criminology, law and society program, Kocian applied for a job as adjunct faculty and interviewed with law professor and then-program chair Bruce Antkowiak, J.D., C'74.

"The moment I started talking to Eric, I knew he was the perfect person for this place," said Antkowiak, who now is senior legal counsel to Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Archabbey. "He understands that the true measure of any successful program is what happens to our graduates. What this guy does for our students goes way beyond the classroom."

For example, Kocian has assisted several of his former students who have gone on to the Pennsylvania State Police Academy. He's accompanied them on early morning runs as they trained for the academy's physical test and offered advice about how to handle the mental and emotional pressures that come with a law enforcement position.

Over the past few weeks, Kocian has been in touch with several Saint Vincent graduates in various fields-including one who is awaiting orders after graduating from U.S. Army Ranger School, a Border Patrol agent who recently made a big drug bust, a U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to President-elect Donald Trump's detail, an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Navy and a doctoral candidate who is completing her dissertation on a Christ-centered approach to drug addiction.

"These men and women are our heroes," Kocian said. "They are the ones who deserve recognition and honor because they are doing great things for our nation and the world. They also deserve our prayers and constant support."

Seeing his former students achieve great things that make a significant impact is why Kocian has no regrets about trading in a promising career in the FBI for his unexpected role of professor.

"Being in the classroom with the students was therapeutic for me," Kocian said. "I stopped asking why things did not work out the way I thought they would for me and found myself [helping] students get to where they want to be."

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