Column:

Police officer becomes a student again

John Worden, a sergeant with Columbia police, is working on his doctoral degree.

By Trevor Eischen

Published Dec. 9, 2008

John Worden, a man of many occupations, requires a certain endurance and stamina in his various roles.

Most days, Worden juggles his work as a teacher and student at MU, an officer at the Columbia Police Department, a husband and a father to his four children.

Worden began his education at MU in 1981, aspiring to become a wildlife biologist. His first class, an introduction to biology, greatly affected his outlook on the career most apt for his lifestyle. Worden had the responsibility of tending to his family, he also wanted an education that would combine his passions and work with his life as a father. Wildlife biology was not his calling.

"One of the first things the professor said was only one third of you will continue in this profession, and at first I thought this was harsh, but then I started thinking about what else he talked about," Worden said. "If you don't feel like you can spend three months in Canada out in the wild counting quail eggs, this probably is not the field for you."

Worden knew this career path would interfere with his family life and started looking at other options.

Worden had played football in high school and was a walk-on for the MU football team. He also had experience as a coach for youth sports teams. He began his search for a field combining these passions. He soon stumbled onto the field of physical education.

"I started realizing I really enjoyed teaching," he said.

By 1987, Worden was only a couple of hours away from receiving his bachelor's degree in physical education. His wife had gotten a job at a local company in Columbia, but money was tight and his tuition only hurt his family's fiscal situation.

"Life kind of got in the way," Worden said.

He realized he would soon have to leave his position as a student at the university and enter the work force to support his family.

In 1990, Worden applied for a job at the Columbia Police Department and was hired as a community service aide. He was eventually promoted to a full-time officer. As he worked in the department, he dabbled in classes at MU but never fully considered finishing his major. In 1998, Worden started to consider his options as a retiree. After 20 years on the force, officers are allowed to retire.

"One of the things I had been doing at the department was teaching," he said. "I loved teaching still. I was a firearms instructor, a defensive tactics instructor. I had always enjoyed the teaching aspect and being the instructor."

In 2000, Worden was promoted to sergeant in the Personnel Development Unit.

Worden is the only member of this unit and single-handedly organizes the unit's activities, Capt. Zim Schwartze said.

Worden's job consists of creating the internal training schedule, coordinating the hiring process, conducting background checks for employees, recruiting for the department and planning a new training facility.

"This position is very busy and he must be able to multitask and be organized to be effective," Schwartze said.

Conveniently for Worden, the police department has Law Enforcement Management Program, which allows officers to work at the department and also attend classes at MU to complete a master's degree. Worden was ready to go back to school, but would first have to finish his bachelor's degree before beginning his master's.

As Worden returned to the academic world, he had a different approach to his education.

"What I noticed was that my time away from college was a really good thing for me," he said. "When I was here before as an undergraduate, I felt like it was something I had to do. But when I came back, it was something I wanted to do. I had been out working in a career for 10 years, and I really started to understand that to get ahead you had to have that education."

Worden finished his bachelor's degree and then finished his master's degree in 2005.

His first class was education statistics, taught by professor Alex Waigandt, with whom he developed a friendship. Waigandt knew about Worden's experience as a sergeant and knew he would be very beneficial for the education program. Waigandt soon convinced Worden to pursue a doctorate.

"What makes Worden different than the average doctoral student is he has real-world experience," Waigandt said. "He's a wealth of real world experience."

Waigandt expects Worden to receive his doctoral degree in the next year and a half.

"He's the kind of guy that steps up to the plate," Waigandt said. "He does what he has to do. He's always been able to balance his family, his job and school all at the same time. I've never seen him bag on any of those responsibilities."

His son Andrew, 7, and daughter Ruthie, 4, aren't old enough to understand their father's busy schedule. But Gena Worden, John Worden's wife, said this doesn't prevent him from being a great father and husband.

"I don't have anything negative to say, or wish he would do differently," Gena Worden said. "Everything he is doing is to help us out in out future. If I ever need to talk or vent about the day, he is always there to listen."