Students and colleagues cope with the loss of Instructor Jinian

Colleagues and students are trying to cope with the unexpected loss of Jeffrie Jinian, an instructor in FGCU's Division of Justice Studies died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound last week at a Naples bar.

 

Jinian had worked in education and administration for 10 years and was a doctoral candidate at Florida Atlantic University at the time of his death.

 

 "We cannot begin to tell you how much we will miss him," said Duane Dobbert, professor of criminal forensic studies. "We will always remember the joy he brought to our lives."

Dobbert described Jinian as "funny, upbeat and an absolute gentleman."

 

 Marisa Magro, a senior majoring in criminal justice and a student of Jinian's, said, "I feel very privileged that FGCU was able to find such a professor and that I was able to have had him."

 

When Magro temporarily moved away for an internship this past fall, she still signed up for one of Jinian's on-campus courses. "I was willing to drive back every Wednesday… It meant that much to be in his class," she said.

 

Jinian's FGCU career, however, wasn't without controversy. In 2009, he was suspended without pay for two months after sexual harassment accusations. He was required to attend counseling with a licensed therapist and sexual harassment training.

 

Now, after his death, those in the university community who knew him are mourning the loss of a man they believed was a great asset to FGCU.

 

"His courses were a brilliant blend of classical theory and contemporary research," Dobbert said. "To say that students loved (his) courses is an absolute understatement."

Magro took two of Jinian's courses. She said he always kept students on their toes.

 

For instance, on the first day of Jinian's Homeland Security course, Magro was told to show up in professional attire and to bring proper identification. When the students arrived, Jinian, who was dressed in a suit with a leather jacket and sunglasses, handed them all "Classified" folders that contained information about a "terrorist attack."

 

"He really took the time to cut out everything and put together something like that," Magro said.

 

Jinian was passionate about the psychology and cultural sociology of genocide and hate crimes, Dobbert said. DOBBERT also considered Jinian's research to be "cutting edge" forensic sociology.

 

Magro believes one of the funniest things about Jinian was his Starbucks coffee obsession.

 

"He could not process in class without his Starbucks coffee," she said. "It always made us laugh, and the one day he wasn't able to get it, the students were like, ‘We'll go get you one, just sit down and class will resume in six minutes.'"

 

Jinian was also a critical part of Justice Studies' plan to incorporate intelligence analysis into the degree programs, according to Dobbert.

 

"Many of the Justice Studies faculty have been together for a decade and Jeff (Jinian) is part of our family," Dobbert said. "Jeff was a delight to be around."