April 2007—Volume Two, Issue Seven     |    Penn Matters Archive

Message from the Dean

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, defines lifelong learning as the concept that  one can and should continually be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. Lifelong learning may be obtained in part through lifelong education.

Generally, lifelong education is for those who want to improve their qualifications, update their skills, or retrain for a new line of work. For maximum effectiveness, it is crucial that doctors, lawyers, teachers, and social workers stay informed about the most recent trends and developments in their professions. And though mandatory for liscensing, lifelong education serves a broader purpose: to help professionals grow and evolve in a rapidly changing climate.

This month’s Penn Matters feature article highlights the School of Social Policy & Practice’s lifelong, or Continuing Education Program. Though often overlooked, Continuing Education recently has gone through a period of transition. It has been struggling to redefine itself, while becoming more aware of and accommodating to the needs of its market base.  Recognizing alumni’s strong connection to the program, the School  temporarily placed Continuing Education under the umbrella of Alumni Relations during its “gestation period.”  But now,  the metaphorphis has taken place and the butter fly is emerging. Read on to learn more about the rich past and exciting future of SP2’s Continuing Education Program.

On another note, it’s hard to believe that classes are almost over and commencement is upon us once more. In a few short weeks, another group of star graduates will be ushered into the ranks of our distinguished alumni. I hope that you will join me in congratulating the Class of 2007 as they take the first steps toward their journey of lifelong learning as social workers and social policy makers.

I will  you see at Alumni Weekend on Friday and Saturday, May 11th and 12th.  Stay connected and keep learning!

Richard J. Gelles
Dean

Feature Article
Continuing the Tradition of Continuing Education at the School of Social
Policy & Practice

The Penn School of Social Policy & Practice Office of Professional Continuing Education and Executive Development is committed to providing educational growth and development opportunities for social workers and other human service professionals. Penn offers a comprehensive program of high quality, affordable professional continuing education seminars and agency-based training and consultation services, designed to meet the needs of social work professionals and agencies in the community. All training sessions provide participants with continuing education credits for social work licensure.
[read more about Continuing Education at SP2]

School News

Career Connections: Bringing Alumni Insight to Graduating Students
Most alumni remember the questions that crept up as graduation approached: How will I find a job? How can I negotiate a competitive salary? What do I need to know if I’m relocating to another city? Like their predecessors, this year’s graduating class faces the same barrage of questions. Happily, though, they were able to gather some insight into life after graduation at Career Connections on Thursday, March 29.
[read complete article]

2006 Career Plans Survey Results Announced
In December, the School announced that the 2006 Career Plans Survey – conducted collaboratively with the Office of Career Services – had received a fabulous 53% response rate. The survey tracked the post-graduation plans of students who completed coursework in December 2005, May 2006, and August 2006.
[read complete article]

SP² Prepares for Alumni Weekend and Reunion 2007
Alumni Weekend and Reunion 2007 are only a month away, and there is still plenty of time to register for the exciting schedule of events:

Friday, May 11
Saving Our Children: Addressing the Foster Care Crisis 9 – 11 am (FREE)
**Two free social work CEUs for licensed social workers.
Reunion Reception 5:30 – 7:00 pm (FREE)
**Don’t miss your chance to reconnect with classmates, friends, and professors while enjoying catered appetizers, music, and more at the Union League of Philadelphia.
Jigu! Thunder Drums of China, 8:00 pm
**Only a few tickets remain

Saturday, May 12
Alumni Weekend Picnic 12 – 3:00 pm ($20 for adults; $15 for children ages 6-16)
Be part of the party! Join the picnic on Hill Square and celebrate Penn Pride with fellow alumni, friends, and family.

Details about SP² and University events, and information about registration, are available online at www.sp2.upenn.edu/alumniweekend or by phone at 215.573.7133.

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.

Roberta Iversen, PhD, presented a paper, “Job Training Programs and Work: Human Capital, Social Capital, or Both?” at the annual conference of the Eastern Sociological Society that was held in Philadelphia in March.

Femida Handy, PhD, was invited to lecture at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on the 'Role of NGOs in Political Advocacy' in March. She then proceeded to the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management Workshop held at the University of Venice to present her research on  "Social Accounting in Nonprofits for Value-Added."

Alumni News

Graduates of the School of Social Work and the School of Social Policy & Practice are leaders in the field, doing extraordinary things everyday as they fight for social justice and advocate for others. This section enables alumni to share their professional updates with their classmates and other alumni.

Alumni wishing to share professional accomplishments or announcements in the Alumni News section of Penn Matters can email submissions in paragraph format to alumnirelations@sp2.upenn.edu.

Upcoming Events

10th Annual Spirituality Research Symposium: Spirituality in Health Care Education
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
1:00 – 5:00 pm
Medical Alumni Hall (in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania)
3400 Spruce Street

This event is sponsored by Metanexus, the Center for Spirituality and the Mind, and the Spirituality and Health Special Interest Group.

Lectures include: Training Physicians to Engage Spiritual Concerns; Spirituality in Medical School Education; Research in Pastoral Care Education; Humanistic Medicine: Laying the Foundations in Undergraduate Education; and Integration of Spirituality into the Medical School Curriculum. It is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be provided. For more information and to register, please go to: www.mindreligion.com.

ALUMNI WEEKEND and REUNION 2007
Friday, May 11 – Sunday, May 13, 2007
Celebrate your Penn Pride and return to campus for Alumni Weekend and Reunion 2007! The SP² schedule of events includes events on Friday and Saturday: 
Friday, May 11:
9 – 11 am: Saving our Children: Addressing the Foster Care Crisis (Logan Hall, Room 17)
5:30 – 7:00 pm: Reunion Reception (Union League of Philadelphia, 140 S. Broad Street)
8:00 pm: Jigu! Thunder Drums of China (Annenberg Center)
Saturday, May 12:
12 – 3:00 pm: Alumni Weekend Picnic (Hill Square)
For a complete description of events and for information about registration, click here.

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, and Research at the University of Pennsylvania

This year’s theme is “An Opportunity to Heal” and features over 70 presenters from across the country:

Opening Keynote Address on The Power of One by Dr. Marilyn Benoit, Past President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Plenary Panel on the Secondary Trauma of First Responders to Violence Against Children, moderated by Dr. Charles Figley, Director of the Florida State University Traumatology Institute and featuring the Deputy Coroner from the Amish school shootings on the panel

Luncheon Speaker, Amy Berg, Academy Award nominated filmmaker of Deliver Us From Evil, speaking on Beyond the Headlines: Film as a Medium to Promote Thought and Discussion

Mini Plenary on Health of Children in the Child Welfare System by Dr. Paula Kienberger Jaudes, President and CEO of La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago

Closing Keynote Address on Healing Our Systems to Heal Our Children by David Sanders, PhD, Executive Vice President of Systems Improvement at Casey Family Services

Thirty-six break-out sessions over three days

Special Evening Event on the first night of the conference:  Documentary Film Festival, Awards Ceremony, and Reception with Special Guest Host, Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker Amy Berg, and the winning student filmmakers

For additional information and conference registration, please visit the conference website at www.sp2.upenn.edu/onechild, email Conference Manager Mindy Berman at onechild@sp2.upenn.edu, or call 215-573-9779.

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

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