About
Dr. Foster has been a Professor of Justice Administration at the University of Louisville since September 1, 1981. In addition to this appointment, he served as Dean and Director of the School of Justice Administration ( 1981-1984), Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs (1983-1991) and University Liaison for the Urban Mission (1992-2000).
Prior to coming to the University of Louisville, Dr. Foster was with the U.S. Dept of Justice as Director of the Office of Criminal Justice Education and Training, Director of the National Institute for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Deputy Director of the Office of juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
While with the U.S. Department of Justice, Dr. Foster received several outstanding performance awards and Attorney General citations for outstanding service to the Department. In 1982, Dr. Foster received the Outstanding Service Award , Nelson Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy , School of Criminal Justice, State University of New York at Albany.
Dr. Foster was a charter member and served ten years on the National Advisory Committee for State and Local Training of the Law Enforcement Training Center, U.S. Department of Treasury . He has served on several other national boards, including ten years on the Board of Directors of the National Criminal Justice Association. Dr. Foster also served as a board member and chair of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation from 2001 to 2009..
Locally, Dr. Foster is a 1984 graduate of Leadership Louisville, and he served on this board until 1996. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Metro United Way. He served as chair of the Board of Directors for the Presbyterian Community Center and is a member of the Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries of Kentucky.
He also chaired the Public Safety Transition Committee for Mayor Jerry Abramson in 1989 and chaired the Mayor’s Transition Committee for Corrections in 2002.
Dr. Foster enjoys a good relationship with his students. He has been nominated frequently for the University’s Trustees award (1996-2000, 2003-2008), and he received the award for Outstanding Faculty for Adult Learners (2000, 2007). He was honored to be selected one of the University’s top ten faculty favorites as determined by a vote of the students in 2005 and was nominated again for this recognition in 2006 through 2012..
Dr. Foster served as a consultant to evaluate the International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok, Thailand and completed an evaluation of jails in Kentucky.
He has traveled to Monrovia, Liberia to consult with the University of Liberia regarding the development of degree programs in criminal justice and has been working with the University of Belize for several years toward a similar objective .
Dr. Foster completed the PhD in Criminology at Florida State University in1974.
Dr. Foster is a member of the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice Hall of Fame at Florida State University (2012) and a recipient of the University of Louisville award for Community Engagement (2012).
Dr. Foster regularly teaches courses in white collar crime, ethics in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and cross cultural perspectives in criminal justice.