Dr. Steve Chermak Receives William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award

April 8, 2025

Dr. Steve Chermak, Professor in the School of Criminal Justice, has been awarded the Michigan State University William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award.

The awards were officially presented as part of the 2024-25 Michigan State University All-University Awards ceremony on April 7. Faculty are honored with the William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award for their comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence in research and/or creative activities, instruction, and outreach. The award is supported by the Office of University Advancement at MSU.

Dr. Chermak has been a professor with the School of Criminal Justice since 2005. He primarily researches terrorism, school shootings, mass shootings, criminal justice organizations, and media coverage of crime and criminal justice. Much of his work in the last ten years has focused on terrorist and extremist activity. Chermak’s research has been funded by the Department of Homeland Security, National Institute of Justice, and the Michigan State Police. He has published two books, seven edited books, and numerous research reports. His research has also appeared in a number of journals.

Dr. Chermak is a pioneering scholar whose distinguished career has significantly shaped research, teaching, and service,” said Dr. Mahesh Nalla, Interim Director of the School of Criminal Justice. “He has advanced the discipline in meaningful ways and has received national awards from leading criminological organizations in recognition of his exceptional contributions. Highly regarded as one of the unit’s top instructors, he is a sought-after mentor for both graduate and undergraduate students.”

Dr. Chermak’s projects include understanding patterns of violence of far right, far left, and al-Qaeda inspired extremists, documenting how lone wolf attacks are different than group-inspired terrorist attacks, examining the characteristics of foiled terrorist plots, and methodological pieces related to the use of open source research methodologies. He has also engaged in multiple cybercrime related projects, primarily focusing on the rhetoric of far right extremists. Dr. Chermak is also a lead investigator affiliated with The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terror (START).