Message from the Dean

Of the many new ventures we have launched in the past few years at the School of Social Policy & Practice, perhaps the most rewarding and enjoyable for me is the annual recognition lunch for students who received named scholarships.

On October 19, our development staff transformed our conference room at 3815 Walnut Street into a special setting for our luncheon. The crisp white table cloths, fall floral arrangements, and an appetizing spread of tea sandwiches and sweets set the stage for 20 of our students as well as individuals who established and maintain the scholarships.

After lunch each scholarship recipient told his/her story … incredible accountings of how they had arrived at the decision to pursue social work or social policy as a career; why they chose to study at Penn, and their plans for life after Penn. Story after story revealed intelligent, articulate, impassioned instances of courage and commitment to make a positive difference across the country, and even the around the globe. I was deeply moved and impressed by the accomplishments of our students and the clear promise they represent as leaders of the future.

As Dean, I am incredibly proud of our all of our students and equally proud of you, our alumni, who were students before them. Since 1908, students and alumni at Penn have pioneered excellence in social work education, social policy, and social service administration that has had a lasting and positive impact throughout the world.  What a wonderful legacy to build upon for many years to come!

So, if you have not yet reconnected with the School, I encourage you to “come home.”  In the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy exclaims, “There’s no place like home!” While likening your graduate school Alma Mater to “home” may be a stretch for some, for others returning to the place that catapulted their career is indeed like returning to their roots – the place that started it all.

Last month, for the first time in my history at the School, several Social Work and Social Policy & Practice alumni gathered on campus for Penn’s Homecoming weekend. Our Alumni Relations Office provided free tickets to the Homecoming game for some and a pre-game tailgate party for all. Everyone had a great time! Read more about it here and plan to attend next fall.

Meanwhile, as always, thanks for being such wonderful ambassadors for the School. Happy fall!

Richard J. Gelles
Dean

Feature Article
Scholarships

Profile of a Scholarship Donor
In 2001, Mickey Langsfeld, D’64, and his brother Robert Langsfeld, established a named scholarship in honor of their mother, Anita Grossman Langsfeld

Mickey Langsfeld, D'64
and Dean Richard Gelles

Anita Grossman Langsfeld had served on the Board of Overseers for over twenty years when her health began to limit her mobility. Given that she was well into her seventies, she decided that it was time to resign her position on the Board. Much to her surprise, however, her resignation was denied. Although she was no longer able to attend the meetings, the Board continued to involve her; developing an arrangement in which other Board members visited her at home after the meetings to relay what had been discussed and to seek her input on issues. This is just one example of the mutual respect that existed between Anita and the School during her 24 years on the Board of Overseers (1973 – 1994), but it was one of the main reasons why her sons, Robert and Morton (Mickey), decided to establish a scholarship in her name after she passed away in 2001.
[read complete article]

Scholarships at the School

On Thursday, October 19, the School hosted its inaugural Scholarship Tea, bringing together more than 20 scholarship donors and recipients. The 2006-2007 scholarship recipients are an impressive group, committed to social work practice, research, and administration on a number of fronts. They are champions of children’s educational initiatives, human rights, LGBTQ activism, health care for under- and uninsured populations, and community organizing. They provide oncology care, crisis intervention, therapeutic counseling, and sexual and reproductive health information. They confront issues related to poverty, crime, adoption and foster care, and housing. They serve victims of domestic violence, assist with mental health initiatives, shape social welfare policy, and work in local and international arenas. Simply stated, they are the future of social work.
[read complete article]

Alumni in the Field

Gretchen Morgan, MSW’97 and Mary Pat McGeehin, MSW’93

While Mary Pat McGeehin pursued her MSW at Penn, her daughter, Gretchen Morgan, was completing her undergraduate degree at Loyola College in Baltimore, MD. Gretchen was studying psychology; Mary Pat had taught theater to inner city children, operated two early-childhood centers, and worked as a case manager at Catholic Social Services before enrolling in Penn’s social work program. When Mary Pat received her MSW in 1993, she and Gretchen were at very different points in their lives. So how was it that the two of them came to be in private practice together six years later?
[read complete article]

School News

The School of Social Policy & Practice is a vibrant community on Penn’s campus. On a daily basis, our faculty, staff, students, and alumni engage in research, discussions, social activities, mentoring, and professional development.  Below are some of the most recent pieces of news from the SP² community.

Homecoming 2006

Once the early morning torrential rains had passed, Penn alumni enjoyed a crisp, and sometimes sunny, fall day for the 2006 Homecoming festivities. Social Policy & Practice alumni reconnected with classmates and mingled with other graduates at Quakerfest, the pre-game tailgate on College Green. This family-friendly picnic featured a surprise appearance by the Penn marching band, face painting and juggling performances for children, and an upscale breakfast and lunch buffet. Quakerfest was hosted jointly by the University, SP², the Graduate School of Education, the School of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and the Harrison Society, which created a truly university-wide feel to the event. After the tailgate, a group of SP² alums cheered for the Quakers from second row, center field seats at the Penn vs. Brown Homecoming football game. This was the first year Social Policy & Practice participated in Homecoming activities, and the School is looking forward to building this tradition in the upcoming years. View the Homecoming photos.

Nikki Giovanni presents the 2006 Louis Carter Endowed Lectureship

On Thursday, November 9, students, alumni, community members, and friends of Professor Carter gathered on campus to hear best selling poet, author, and essayist Nikki Giovanni deliver this year’s Louis H. Carter Endowed Lectureship. A strong voice of the black community, Ms. Giovanni is committed to the fight for civil rights and equality in education. She has been named “Woman of the Year” by three different magazines and has twice received the NAACP Image Award. Following her address, Ms. Giovanni joined Professor Carter and other guests at a reception in the Fox Gallery. Here, she signed autographs and spoke with members of the audience. This special event is made possible through the generosity of Kathleen Kaye-McKean, MSW’88 and other friends of the Louis H. Carter Endowed Lectureship. (click photo at right to enlarge)

Racism Sequence News
The Racism Sequence Committee, as part of an overall effort to strengthen the sequence courses, organized two public events in September and October. On September 13, Shane Salter, Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of DC, gave an exciting talk about his personal experience growing up in the New York City foster care system, his unique current role as a parent of a foster child and as an administrator of CASA. He is the author of Trouble Don’t Last Always. On October 25, a panel on Critical Race Theory and Social Welfare was held featuring Professor Taunya Banks of the University of Maryland School of Law, Ms. Chonika Coleman, a PhD student in the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Professor David Kairys of Temple University School of Law, Associate Professor Imani Perry of Rutgers University School of Law at Camden, and Assistant Professor Damon Freeman of the School of Social Policy & Practice. The panel explored how critical race perspectives could be applied to social welfare issues generally. All students taking the racism sequence courses attended both events, and many other SP² students and faculty
members appeared as well.

The School’s Racism Sequence was recently highlighted in an article in the New Social Worker. Chad Lassiter, MSW’01 discussed the history of the SP² racism courses and the founding of Black Men at Penn. To read the full article, click here.

Faculty Notes

Our full- and part-time faculty are leaders in research and practice. They are experts in fields such as gerontology, child welfare, family violence, international social work, homelessness, mental health and health. This section of our newsletter will keep you up to date on the most recent research accomplishments of the School of Social Policy & Practice faculty.

Mary Cavanaugh, MFT, M.S., Associate Director of the Ortner-Unity Program on Family Violence, has accepted an invitation to become an Associate of the Firearm and Injury Center at Penn (FICAP) at Penn Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Jeffrey Draine (PhD '95) received a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study Critical Time Intervention (CTI) as a service to assist reentry of men with mental illness leaving New Jersey prisons and locating in Camden. The study is a randomized field trial funded for five years. Co-investigators include Dan Herman of Columbia University, Doug Ziedonis of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Nancy Wolff of Rutgers University, Steve Metraux of the University of the Sciences of Philadelphia and SP2's own Steven Marcus.

Walter Palmer, JD, was honored at a celebration of the naming of the new Leadership Learning Partners Charter School on Thursday, October 26. The new school has been named the Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School. It will include a library and museum housing the medals, trophies, citations, plaques and awards bestowed on Professor Palmer over the last fifty years. In addition, the museum will have the world renowned Neurosurgeon Thomas F. Langfitt collection.

Nancy Peter, M.Ed., Director of the Out-of-School Time Resource Center, co-authored an article describing Philadelphia’s 28 year old city-wide science fair. The article, “Systems of Success: The George Washington Carver Science Fair,” was published in the October 2006 issue of Science Scope (the National Science Teacher’s Middle-school journal).

IN MEMORIAM: Rivka Ausubel Danzig
It is with great sadness that I report the death of Dr. Rivka Ausubel Danzig on October 5, 2006, following a courageous struggle with illness.  She was 54 years old. Rivka had been associated with Penn’s social work program since 1993.  She taught a variety of courses, including social work practice, American racism, and human behavior. She created the elective, “Spirituality and Social Work Practice,” which was exceedingly well regarded by students in our program, and was active in the Society for Spirituality and Social Work during its formative years. 
[read more about Rivka Ausubel Danzig]

Alumni News

Pattamaporn Busapathumrong, a 1994 graduate of the PhD program, published a new book, Welfare Mix in Thailand: Women, Work and State Policies, 1940 – 1994.

Future Leaders

Profile of a Scholarship Recipient

Carla Merchan, SW'07

Carla Merchan, SW'07, is this year's recipient of the Langsfeld Scholarship.
Twice a week, Carla Merchan, SW'07 and recipient of the Langsfeld Scholarship, catches the NJ Transit train leaving New York's Penn Station and begins her three-hour, two-train commute to Penn. How is it that a recent graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice - who originally wanted to be a U.S. Marshal and who currently lives in New York City - came to pursue a social work degree at the School of Social Policy & Practice? Quite simply, actually: her mentor, Matthew McGee, MSW'00 recommended the School and when she came to visit "she loved the campus and loved the curriculum."
[read complete article ]

Penn Social Policy & Practice students were front and center in the political scene last month.

SP2 students with
Philadelphia Governor
Ed Rendell

A group of first and second year students attended a rally at Temple University on Saturday, October 21, which featured appearances by local politicians including Governor Ed Rendell, Joe Sestak, Lois Murphy, Robert Brady, Allyson Schwartz, and Mayor John Street. The highlight of the rally, however, was Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Kara Mergl, SW’07, recalled that in addition to encouraging people to vote, he noted the strides that have been made to counteract racism and how this led to his election as a senator.

The following day, Governor Rendell was out and about during the Eagles football game. When he stopped into a South Philadelphia sports bar during halftime, SP² students and friends who were there to watch the game had their photo taken with him (see photo at right-click to enlarge).

Upcoming Events

Juvenile Sexual Offenders:
Analysis & Management of Risk
December 5, 2006
8:30 – 10:30am
Presented by the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice
& Research
Featuring Robert Prentky, PhD, Director of Research, Justice Resource Institute
Social Work CEUs available for $20
Space is limited:
Please pre-register by 12/1/06 to fieldctr@sp2.upenn.edu
or 215.573.5442.
For more information, click here.

ALUMNI WEEKEND and REUNION 2007
Save the Date!
Friday, May 11 – Sunday, May 13, 2007
Alumni needing hotel accommodations are encouraged to make hotel reservations as early as possible. The School has reserved a block of rooms at Club Quarters in Center City Philadelphia. For more information on making a Club Quarters reservation, please contact the SP² Alumni Relations Office at 215.573.7133. 

One Child Many Hands:
A Multidisciplinary Conference on Child Welfare
May 30 – June 1, 2007

Lead sponsor: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Organized by the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice,
& Research at the University of Pennsylvania

This national conference on child abuse and neglect serves as a forum to disseminate timely and valuable information to an audience of social workers, attorneys, physicians, therapists, court system officials, nurses, and child welfare workers and administrators.

Registration information will be available in the Spring.

Call for Presentations

One Child, Many Hands: A Multidisciplinary Conference on Child Welfare is issuing a Call for Presentations. Proposed presentations are solicited which advance the field of child welfare from the perspective of a variety of disciplines.

Proposals need to include a cover sheet, maximum 25 word abstract, and maximum 500 word overview. Cover sheets and criteria for submission and review are attached. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2006. Read more about the Call for Presentations. For more information, please visit the conference website.

Editor's Note

We are always seeking to better serve our alumni and offer a more convenient way to share news with the Social Policy & Practice community. Penn Matters Online offers a way to highlight happenings and information in a timely manner. It acts as a supplement to the printed Penn Matters , which will still be mailed to you every September. We welcome your feedback and suggestions about Penn Matters and Penn Matters Online. Please email Alumni Relations with questions, comments, feedback, and suggestions. 

Penn Matters Online is created using Cascading Style Sheets according to W3C web standards for compliance and accessibility. It is accessible for Braille, aural, and handheld readers, and the layout is fully resizable through your Internet browser preferences. For your convenience when printing, all images will be omitted and the text will be set to a 12 point Arial font. Please contact Lizza Robb with any questions or suggestions.

Emily M. Brueckner, MSW’05
Editor, Penn Matters and Penn Matters Online

Featured Alumni Benefit
of the Month

Being a Penn alum has many benefits.  Each month, we highlight a benefit available to the alumni community.  A full list of alumni benefits can be found on the Penn Alumni site.

Penn alumni can join the Penn Club of New York! The Club offers Penn alumni continued connection to fellow alumni and the vast Ivy League network, especially in the New York metro area. Club membership includes access to its dining rooms, fitness center and spa, meeting space and banquet facilities, overnight guest rooms, library, business center, and social and learning events. For more information on the Penn Club of New York, click here.

Gift Planning

With our children and grandchildren heading back to school, we are reminded of the importance of a quality education. Penn’s Office of Gift Planning can help you to find the right asset, at the right time, structured in the right away to maximize the tax benefits of your support of the University’s educational mission. For more information, visit the Gift Planning website or e-mail giftplanning@dev.upenn.edu.

Job Announcements

Sign up for the Career Services job listserv (there are separate listservs for clinical and macro job opportunities). If you would like to advertise a job announcement to our alumni through the Career Services listserv, please email the information to Emily Brueckner at embrueck@sp2.upenn.edu. To sign up for the Career Services listserv click here.

Join the Online Community!

A classmate may be trying to get in touch with you! The online community is password protected and available only to registered Penn alumni. By registering, you will be able to update your own profile, as well as search the directory for the contact information of your classmates. If you haven’t yet registered for the online community, click here to do so today. If you have questions about the online community, please contact Emily Brueckner at embrueck@sp2.upenn.edu.

Alumni Clubs

The SP² Alumni Relations Office is working with alumni in different cities to form regional alumni clubs. If you would like to start a club in your city, please contact Emily Brueckner at 215.573.7133 or embrueck@sp2.upenn.edu.

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