Summer 2016
Social Work Department Chair’s Message
I am so pleased to present our latest news to all of you, our wonderful community, for whom we owe enduring gratitude for your tremendous support of our development. Now in our seventh year, we continue to grow as a program. As we all learned in Human Behavior and the Social Environment courses, in any developmental trajectory one may find growth spurts, periods of much needed rest, the potential for unexpected problems, some awkward and difficult phases, and sustained times of substantive gain. As a program, it seems we have had all of these occur this past year! I invite you now to read and reflect on the many accomplishments of our faculty, students, and staff, while keeping in mind that in between these banner lines are many hours of hard work, sacrifice, challenge and difficulty. We thank you all for your support and patience as we continue to grow and develop, hopefully to emerge as a fully formed, mature program one day soon. Best, Julie
SWIPE In! – New Federal Grant for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students
The Social Work Department recently learned that we are the recipient of a 1.6 million dollar grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The purpose of the project that this grant funds, known as SWIPE In!, is to recruit, retain and educate a diverse pool of MSW level clinical social work students from disadvantaged and other underrepresented minority groups with financial need, in order to increase the number of well-trained and qualified primary / behavioral health care specialists entering the workforce in the medically under served communities in the Central CA coast region. Beginning this fall, the federal award will support 20 MSW students each year for the next four years with scholarships of $20,000 each. We couldn’t be more pleased to have this support for our students, while at the same time provide our region with excellently trained primary / behavioral health care MSW specialists.
First MSW Study Abroad to Norway
This May, ten MSW students traveled with Professor Julie Cooper Altman to Norway in CSUMB’s first graduate student study abroad course. In collaboration with the University of Stavanger, the purpose of the course was to experience and learn about the famed Nordic model of social welfare realized across Scandinavia. During the 12 day in-country portion of the course, the group benefited from lectures, agency visits, and numerous informal opportunities to exchange ideas with social work students and professionals. Some of the highlights included visits to a novel community-based activity center providing service and support to those with chronic mental illness, an agency that focuses on supporting and resettling refugee youth, a remarkable day care center, a Norwegian prison, and, of course, a cruise through one of Norway’s famous fjords. Nearly every student commented on the fundamental trust in Norwegian society that underlies people’s daily activities, social service provision, and their faith in a caretaking government that they believe acts in citizens’ best interests. Through this study abroad experience, students gained knowledge about how the Nordic countries define the profession of social work, view the nature of social problems and meet peoples’ needs – in some ways, radically different than our own. As a result, students increased their capacity to analyze the sociopolitical context of a welfare state, bringing back new perspectives and ideas on social service delivery, social policy, and its impact on the well-being of a society’s peoples.
Alumni LCSW Licensure
Many CSUMB MSW alumni will soon have enough of their clinical hours to be applying for their Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSWW) credential with the California Board of Behavioral Science (BBS). A number of you have already inquired as to CSUMB’s status with the BBS. Please know that our required coursework has been approved as meeting all the requirements for our alumni to register for the LCSW exam. You do not need to take additional course content to meet these requirements. This status update should be on the BBS website soon, if not already, and we thank those of you who have inquired for your patience with the BBS updating this information.
Student Scholarships
Supporters of the MSW Program-
Please consider supporting one of our deserving students in scholarship aid this year. Donations either at our 2nd Annual Community Celebration event on September 26, 2016 or online as we will have a brand new donation platform up and running in September or online. You are also always welcome to make a donation through University Development at (831) 582-3908 or the MSW Program at 831-582-5316 or msw@csumb.edu. Thank you all for your support in the many ways you give!
Support us2nd Annual Community Celebration
Every year, we hold a Community Celebration to invite our Alumni, Students, Supporters, and Community Members to attend a lovely evening with wine and appetizers along with amazing speakers.
Please watch for our next celebration in Fall 2017!
