NORTHAMPTON — Westfield State University has selected Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper and 10 fellow alumni for its inaugural Criminal Justice Alumni Hall of Fame, the school announced Wednesday.

The university’s alumni relations department will honor the inductees at 11 a.m. April 9 in Scanlon Banquet Hall.

“It was very exciting news,” Kasper said Wednesday.

Kasper, who was sworn in as the city’s first female police chief last June, is the only woman among Westfield State’s honorees. She joined the Northampton Police Department in 1998 as a bike patrol officer and later moved her way up through the detective bureau.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice as well as two master’s degrees from Westfield State in criminal justice and public administration.

“I kept going back,” Kasper said, explaining that after transferring to Westfield State from Greenfield Community College in her junior year, she found the school to have a great criminal justice program.

Kasper said she received strong mentoring from several instructors, crediting one criminal justice professor in particular, Kimberly Tobin, with fueling an interest in research and statistics. And Northampton city planner Wayne Feiden taught a class on public policy.

“As a criminal justice major you don’t get a lot of experience and work in policy development,” Kasper said. “He was great and really wrapped my head around public policy which is incredibly beneficial.”

The newly formed Westfield State University Criminal Justice Alumni group, established by Westfield State alumna and former Superintendent Col. Marian McGovern of the Massachusetts State Police, recently launched the Westfield State Criminal Justice Alumni Hall of Fame.

Banquet tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.westfield.ma.edu/CJHOF.

“Alumni Relations and the Criminal Justice Alumni Group are proud to induct our first class of nominees,” Kathi Bradford, director of alumni relations, wrote in a statement. “These criminal justice professionals have given back to the department time and again, serving as role models for our students and validating the quality of the university’s undergraduate and master’s programs.”

Stephanie McFeeters can be reached at smcfeeters@gazettenet.com.