Jeffrey Greene, Director of Safety and Security

The relationships that I’m forming with the students are my favorite part of working at UNE. Recently, we compiled a list of the top fifty students who we were aware of that had significant amounts of parking tickets, like thirty to fifty in total. We pulled each one in for a meeting individually, sat them down, and had a conversation about what’s going on. We asked them what they were experiencing and how we could fix it going forward. Those conversations are difficult for a lot of students, but already through this process, I’ve formed strong relationships with them. Now, if they have a problem, they’ll tell me if they get a ticket. I will find out from them before I find out from an officer. If they have an emergency or need help with something, they will call me and talk to me. It’s brought positive energy.

The positive energy is also in the academic sphere at UNE — faculty and staff here are committed to their students’ success, and students are committed to their education and the careers that they are trying to get. I wanted to be part of that positive energy as a resource here on campus, and I am achieving that through working directly with students.

It can be a lot of work, and it can be stressful, but it is a challenging, fun stress. Going from law enforcement to higher education is a big change, but I am glad that I made it.

Student Centeredness

I am passionate about teaching and mentoring. When I worked in the Biddeford Police Department, I ran the program that taught new cops how to be cops. I taught them from my mistakes and tried to set them up for success in their careers.

My experience mentoring is one of the things that drew me to the position here at UNE. Most of the students probably wouldn’t agree with this yet because they often don’t see me until they have a bunch of tickets, but one of the primary reasons that I took this job is to be able to help and mentor students. I want to help them learn from their mistakes and successfully navigate getting through graduation without getting in serious trouble.

When it comes to law enforcement, it can be very black and white—either you broke a law, or you didn’t break a law, and if you did break a law, you’re probably going to get in trouble. Being at the University, there is a lot of gray. I like that because there is leeway to help people, especially our students. There is an educational piece to student conduct.