Anthony Kuklinski loved the experience of earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Alvernia University so much that he followed it up by earning his Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership, then immediately enrolled in the Ph.D. in Leadership program. He remains committed to the university’s mission behind the scenes, too.
What led him to Alvernia? A few things.
Upon becoming police chief of Hamburg Borough in 2018, Kuklinski came to the realization that to truly lead the stagnant organization troubled with internal issues, labor problems and relationship struggles to a successful future, he first needed to improve his own leadership skills.
“From when I entered the police work field in 1984 to now, things have drastically changed," said Kuklinski, 61. "Back then, an officer having an associate’s degree was considered the top of the heap with 60 credits of basic policing. Now that police are being called on to do more diverse things other than protection, enforcement and community service, I felt I needed to go one step beyond to stay up with the trends and the education.”
His ties to Alvernia stretch back to his childhood, when his father, who worked in construction, helped to repair Francis Hall in the early 1970s. He remembers attending carnivals on Alvernia's campus.
Kuklinski had Bernardine Franciscan Sisters as teachers, so Alvernia was a perfect match when he was looking for a place to further his education. What he learned upon enrolling in the criminal justice program went far beyond what he read in textbooks, something he credits to the dedication of his professors. He was also surprised by the warm welcome given to him by faculty and students.
“I attended two other colleges in Philadelphia and didn’t feel as if I was a part of the educational process," he said. "I felt that I was an outsider there. When I came to Alvernia, I felt like I was going to be an odd 50-something-year-old guy sitting in a classroom full of kids that are younger than my children. But I didn’t have that. The other (criminal justice majors) actually thought it was pretty cool there was a police chief in their class with them.”
The master’s in organizational leadership was particularly meaningful to Kuklinski. He says it taught him how to provide good counsel to the officers who work for him, asserting it allowed him to see a clear path ahead of him as a policeman, supervisor and as a leader.
Now the officers on his force are also taking on leadership roles, helping to guide Alvernia criminal justice interns working with the department.
“It really benefits both the students and the officers,” Kuklinski said. “It allows my officers to interact with individuals other than the folks that live in their community and those that may not have a favorable view of police contact, and to work with someone who is willing to learn something from them.”
It’s the servant leadership model central to Alvernia’s mission that Kuklinski believes makes every experience with the university an exceptional one.
“The faculty truly bring out a student’s best potential. They serve the students,” he said. “They truly make the students feel like they’re part of the educational process. Alvernia University is a special place. What they do for the community and our region is great. We have students out there doing great things in the world and then they come back to this place they call home. The product Alvernia develops has made it so that when a student graduates and walks out the door, they are ready to face real life situations and go right into a workplace and do the best that they can possibly do. I just really, really love this school.”
