The Department of City and Regional Planning wishes to extend its deepest condolences to the family and friends of M.R.P. alumni Dr. Joseph Rukus, who passed away on December 28th. Dr. Rukus was a pioneer in the fields of planning and criminal justice, championing new policy approaches to intergenerational planning, prisoner reentry in the community, and attention to LGBTQ+ issues.
As an M.R.P. student, Dr. Rukus worked with Professor Mildred Warner and Professor Emeritus William Goldsmith where his work focused on prisoner reentry in communities. His thesis examined economic equity metrics to recommend policies that reduce recidivism in San Francisco. After receiving his degree from Cornell, he continued his academic study at the University of Florida, where he received his Ph.D. in criminology, law, and society in 2014.
Dr. Rukus was an associate professor at Arkansas State University in the Department of Criminology. His research focused on social justice issues in the criminal justice system, where he pioneered and evaluated new approaches. He returned to Cornell as a guest lecturer in 2016, highlighting the city of Ferguson, Missouri, as a vital case study in requiring a greater discourse between planners and criminologists to improve participatory planning efforts in municipal decision-making processes.
Dr. Rukus was the faculty advisor to the first Gay-Straight Alliance at Arkansas State, leading to the university adding protections for gender identity in its Equal Opportunities for All (EOC) policy in 2016.
Throughout his life, Dr. Rukus shared his passion for community development and criminal justice reform. Dr. Warner notes, “He worked in difficult environments to make life better for all.”