Mansfield University Home PageTemple University MSW Program at Mansfield. Many of you know that we've worked for years at figuring out a way to offer the MSW Program in this area. After looking at it every which way, we concluded that it just wasn't going to work out, mostly due to financial constraints associated with an accredited program. However, Temple University may change all of that! In the early 1980's, they offered their program locally but had not continued because there hadn't been a need. They are completing a needs assessment now which they hope to have finalized soon. If approved, they would offer their MSW degree here on campus. The degree would come from Temple, but all classes would be taken on MU's campus. We're very excited about this possibility! If you are interested in applying, contact Temple at TUH@temple.edu to learn more.
Alumni Weekend Get Together A Success: Plan for Homecoming 2010! Faculty of the Social Work, Anthropology and Sociology Department attended a special get together with department graduates at the June Alumni Weekend. At the Ice Cream Social, we enjoyed reconnecting with several grads. Out of that get-together came the idea of creating a Facebook presence for program alumni. We're planning to host another event during Homecoming Weekend in 2010, which will be the second weekend of October, 2010. We hope to host department alumni at a brunch between the Homecoming parade and the football game.
NASW Rural Conference A Success. The Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Social Workers held a two-day conference at Mansfield University on October 2-3. It was a resounding success, according to all those who participated. There were over 60 registrants who came to hear a variety of topics related to rural social work and earn 12.5 continuing education units. The state office was pleased with the turn out, and indicated that if a need was being met by bringing a conference to this area, they would continue to try to do so. We hope this is the beginning of an ongoing relationship. Thanks for coming up north, NASW!
Students Terry Babb, Laura Cenkner and Katie Neal won the Anita Rosen Award at the National Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, held in Philadelphia in November, 2008. The Anita Rosen Award is a national competition open to all Bachelor's of Social Work students. It was established to promote the advancement of the field of gerontological social work education among social work students. The trio's poster presentation was entitled "The Wisdom and Vision of Older Adults: Looking at Child Care and its Changes.” They received special recognition at a reception, a plaque and $1,000 to share. It was the work that culminated from a research project assignment in SOC 3307 (Social Research I) and SWK 3308 (Evaluation Research), taught by Drs. Jan Purk and Nancy Sidell, respectively.
Sidell Named ASWB Consultant. Dr. Nancy Sidell, director of the M.U. Social Work program and chair of the Social Work, Anthropology and Sociology Department, has been named Item Development Consultant by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), based in Culpeper, Virginia. ASWB is the association of boards that regulate social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examinations used across the country and in several Canadian provinces, and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. As one of five consultants across the country, Sidell will assist ASWB in training and mentoring licensing examination item writers. She has served as an item writer since 2001, and been tapped to serve on the association's examination committee since 2005.
Recent Faculty Publications
Junius, P. & Sidell, N.L. (2009). Dispelling fear and loathing: Engaging mathematically-challenged students to learn statistics. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 14 (2), 49-61.
Babb, T.V., Neal, K.A., Cenkner, L.A., Purk, J.K. & Sidell, N.L. (in review). The wisdom and vision of older adults: Changes in childcare since the Great Depression. Journal of Gerontological Social Work.
Keller, R.S., VanNote, K.E., Baxter, A.L., Porter, A. & Sidell, N.L. (in review). Participation in a Poverty Simulation: A Useful Educational Experience. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work.
Sidell, N.L. (2009). "Josephine Chapin Brown, Rural Social Worker" in Encyclopedia of American Women's History.