Message from the Dean
Welcome to the new academic year! Summer was but a faint memory when we recently welcomed 176 candidates for our ever-expanding roster of degrees: the cornerstone MSW, the PhD, the MS in Nonprofit/Nongovernmental Leadership, and our newest offering, the MS in Social Policy. As our portfolio of pedagogy grows, so does the quality of our students. Each year it seems they become more and more impressive, not only academically, but also in their demonstrated commitment to social justice issues.
Many of our graduates go on to influence policy and practice where it matters the most. Our alumni serve in such positions as the Deputy Secretary of Aging and such places as the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Fittingly, this issue’s feature story is about the Presidential Management Fellows Program. This program offers an extraordinary opportunity for graduates to acquire knowledge and skills that will help them to make a real difference in our country’s government. Click here to learn more.
Finally, in a few short weeks, you will receive the School of Social Policy & Practice Annual Publication (click here to update your mailing address). This book will provide you with a comprehensive, holistic view of the School, including important news from the past and for the upcoming year; as well as faculty, student, program, and financial information. Watch your mail for this exciting read.
As we launch our new semester, I encourage you to stay connected. Our Alumni Relations office will continue to offer new activities and networking opportunities. For example, the first 20 alumni to register by email to embrueck@sp2.upenn.edu will receive tickets free-of-charge for Penn’s annual Homecoming football game, as well as a BBQ Tailgate party. There are many good things happening here, and I hope you will be a part of them.
Richard J. Gelles
Dean
Feature Article
Presidential Management Fellows Program
Over the years, a number of Social Work and Social Policy & Practice alumni have gotten their start in federal government through the Presidential Management Fellows program. The program was established by Executive Order in 1977 “to attract to the Federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.” Since its beginning, the program has attracted “graduate students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds” and trained them to “meet the future challenges of public service.”
[click here to read the complete article]
Alumni in the Field
Kate Costella, MSW’03
As an MSW student, Kate Costella was on the macro track, and completed field placements with a victims’ services agency in the Homicide Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and with EdTec, a for-profit management consulting firm in Camden. When she became a Presidential Management Fellow after graduation, she spent the entire two years of the program working within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – mostly at the National Cancer Institute – on projects that were very different from anything she had done at Penn. As Kate points out, she often uses the knowledge and skills she acquired in Penn’s program, but her opportunities as a federal government Fellow were not limited to those areas in which she already had explicit training. Her transition from a traditional macro social worker to a federal employee was a bit unusual, and it opened many doors for her.
[Read more about Kate Costella]
Marie Martinez, MSW’02
Marie Martinez, MSW’02, began the Presidential Management Fellows program at the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education. Her work there focused on program management in areas pertaining to truancy prevention, character education, and school safety. After several months at the Department of Education, her first program rotation at another government agency sent her PMF experience – and her professional career – down a very different path. While many Fellows take advantage of the opportunity to complete rotations at several different offices or agencies, Marie’s rotation to the Office of Victims of Crime at the Department of Justice ended up being her only rotation. While the rotation itself lasted three months, Marie enjoyed the work so much that she left her position with the Department of Education and transferred to DOJ to accept a full-time position with the Office for Victims of Crime.
[read more about Marie Martinez]
Marianne Nazzaro, MSW’02 When she was applying to the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program before graduating from Penn, Marianne Nazzaro, MSW’02, was convinced that she would work in the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS). But instead she accepted a PMF position as a Policy Analyst in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she worked with the homeless and those with HIV/AIDS. And now – more than four years after her initial move to Washington, DC – Marianne continues to work for the federal government, serving as a Revitalization Specialist within the Office of Public Housing at HUD.
[read more about Marianne Nazzaro]
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.
Summer Classroom Renovations Completed
From wall to wall and floor to ceiling, Caster classroom D-28 was completely renovated this summer. Thanks to the 2006 Class Gift and the Adopt-A-Classroom Reunion Gifts, SP² students now enjoy another vibrant and welcoming educational space. The renovations include new drywall (in place of cinderblock), fresh paint, new lights, colorful tile floor, new blackboard, dynamic mural, and state-of-the-art chairs and writing tablets.
[read more about the classroom renovations]
Social Work named to the Best Careers List
Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice has long known what the Wall Street Journal recently announced: that social work is a great career.
[read more]
Alumni Council Welcome Breakfast
With hot breakfast sandwiches, trivia questions, and giveaways, the Alumni Council and Alumni Relations Office hosted the second annual “Welcome Breakfast” for new and returning students. At the Thursday, September 7 event, before classes began for the day, students were greeted by many of the current members of the Alumni Council. Those in attendance not only received an official welcome from the SP² alumni community, but also heard about the value of alumni connections and the alumni benefits that await them. Kevin Grigsby, DSW'90 and Chair of the Alumni Council, introduced the featured speaker, Steve Wilmot, MSW’97. As both an alumnus and a part-time faculty member at the School, Steve highlighted the reasons why he has stayed active in the School since his own graduation.
Click here to view photos of the event.
Fall Continuing Education Series
Continuing Education programs at the School of Social Policy & Practice begin on November 15, and registration is now open. The fall series includes three new sessions: Why Bad Things Can Happen to Good Adolescents II: Diagnostic and Treatment Instruments; Child Welfare; and Adult Psychiatric Disorders. For the first time, SP² alumni can receive a $10 discount per course, and the registration fee now covers parking, breakfast, and lunch. For more information on the School’s Professional CE programs, please visit the Continuing Education website, or contact Renee Jordan-Barron at rjbarron@sp2.upenn.edu or 215.898.5530.
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.
Richard Estes, DSW, spent the summer traveling the globe (not once, but twice). For much of June and July he taught an intensive course at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea on “Dilemmas in Asian Development.” His 50+ students came not only from the East Asian region (i.e., Korea, Japan, China, etc.), but also from Penn. Following that, Estes continued on to Grahamstown, South Africa to chair the 7th international conference of the International Society of Quality of Life Studies, of which he is President. He was presented with a “Distinguished Service Award” by that group. In late August, he traveled to Beijing, China where he presented the keynote address at the “2006 International Symposium and Lectures on Social Policy” co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Beijing Normal University.
[read more about Dr. Estes]
Roberta Rehner Iversen, PhD, is the author of the new book, Jobs Aren’t Enough: Toward a New Economic Mobility for Low-Income Families, published by Temple University Press and co-authored with Annie Laurie Armstrong of Business Government Community Connections in Seattle, WA. When the book was released at the end of August, 2006, radio stations and newspapers in the five cities of the research (Philadelphia, New Orleans, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Seattle) aired extensive interviews with Dr. Iversen. Click here for a full review of the book.
Alumni in the News
Chad Lassiter, MSW’01 and Alan Speed, SW’07, represented Black Men at Penn School of Social Work, Inc. on Friday, September 8 in a live radio appearance on 900AM WURD. The pair discussed American Racism and solutions based practices that impact communities.
Kim Barnhart Wilson, MSW'04, LSW, serves as Recruitment Coordinator of the Microbicide Study in the HIV Prevention Research Division within the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry. This NIH-sponsored research focuses on the use of microbicides to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. To read the full article and for more information about participating in the study, click here.
Future Leaders
Social Policy & Practice Student Council
They’re from New York, New Jersey, Washington, DC, and Taipei, and the diversity of their field placements and professional goals is indicative of the countless areas of practice within social work. But the members of the 2006 – 2007 Student Council have in common their commitment to enhancing the academic and social experiences of their classmates at the School of Social Policy & Practice.
[read more about the SP2 Student Council]
Upcoming Events
HOMECOMING 2006
FREE TICKETS FREE TICKETS FREE TICKETS FREE TICKETS
Friday, October 27 – Saturday, October 28
Quakerfest: 10:30am – 12:30pm
(College Green)
Tailgate with the best at Quakerfest! Join SP2 and other Penn alums for a morning of food, fun, and entertainment
FREE, but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED by Friday, October 20.
To register, click here.
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Football Game: 12:00 (Penn vs. Brown, Franklin Field)
Social Policy & Practice has reserved a block of tickets for the football game – and these tickets are FREE for the first 20 SP² alumni who register for the game. (Limit of two free tickets per alum). General admission tickets may also be purchased by calling 215-898-6151 or on gameday. Ticket prices: General Admission: $5. Reserved Seating: $15.
________________________
Look for the FREE PARKING VOUCHER on page 33 of the September/October issue of the Gazette. Use this one-time voucher to park in any number of garages on campus and save up to $20 in parking costs for the day.
In addition to Quakerfest and the Football Game, there is a full menu of other Homecoming activities for the entire family.
For a complete listing of events, click here.
Questions about Homecoming events can be directed to Emily Brueckner in the SP² Alumni Relations Office at 215.573.7133 or embrueck@sp2.upenn.edu.
LOUIS CARTER ENDOWED LECTURESHIP
Free and Open to the Public
Thursday, November 9, 6:00pm
University of Pennsylvania,
Logan Hall, Room 17
Click here for a detailed map
Best selling poet, author, and essayist Nikki Giovanni will deliver this year’s Louis H. Carter Endowed Lectureship. A strong voice of the black community, 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.
KINSHIP CONFERENCE
Organized by The Kinship Institute at Philadelphia Society for Services to Children
Friday, October 20 – Saturday, October 21
Temple University, Student Activities Center (1755 North 13th Street)
The first day of the conference is designed for service providers to learn about various programs while networking with other agencies. It is expected that 200 professionals – social workers and employees of social service agencies – will attend. Five Continuing Education units will be offered through the University of Pennsylvania at an additional cost. The second day of the conference will provide a forum for 400 caregivers to network with each other and learn about service offerings in Philadelphia.
The cost for professionals is $90 (Continuing Education credits additional). For more information, visit the Institute’s website. To register, call 215-546-9422.
VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY
Thursday, November 9 – Friday, November 10, 2006
University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg Center
(Zellerbach Auditorium)
With its focus on the Evolving Global Economy, the conference will draw attention to the epic forces of globalization that will dominate economic and social activity in the 21st Century, and address issues such as population growth and social consequences; public perception of production systems; infectious disease and food security; and the environment.
Penn alumni receive a 50% discount. Registration fee (includes banquet): $187.50 before October 6; $212.50 after October 6.
For more information or to register, 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.
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