Condolences to the Family of Dr. Christine Rasche

Dr. Christine (Chris) Rasche, a founding member of the Division on Women and Crime, has passed away. Her department colleagues, Drs. Jennifer Wesely and Brenda Vose shared the following thoughts about Chris.

Dr. Christine E. Rasche was a founding faculty member of the University of North Florida. Dr. Rasche contributions to the university, local community and criminal justice discipline were extensive. In her more than forty years at UNF, Dr. Rasche founded the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, developed the undergraduate BACJ and graduate MSCJ programs, twice served as Department Chair, directed the Women’s Studies Program and served as a President of the UNF Faculty Association. She received Outstanding Teaching and Service Awards and the Susan B. Anthony Award. Dr. Rasche worked with the Duval County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team and with the international Homicide Research Working Group. She was appointed by the Governor of Florida as a Special Reviewer for clemency applications for women incarcerated for killing their abusers. Dr. Rasche helped found the American Society of Criminology Division on Women and Crime, served as Division Chair, and was a longtime Editorial Board member of the Division journal Feminist Criminology, remaining actively involved until her passing. According to David Forde, several of Dr. Rasche’s papers have been archived in the permanent collection of the UNF Library where students and researchers may access them for generations to come.

Known for her depth of knowledge, sense of humor and giving spirit, Dr. Rasche’s memory will live on through the echoes of her exuberant laugh, her legacy of mentorship and commitment to integrity, and the paths of thousands of students and colleagues she inspired over the course of her distinguished career.

We are fortunate to have captured some of Dr. Rasche’s thoughts and experiences in our Timeline series which celebrated the lives of many founding faculty members.