Future Leaders
Joel Caplan, M.A., SWP’08
Have you ever sorted through the stack of business cards in your Rolodex and realized you don’t remember the circumstances under which you met many of these contacts? If you answered yes, take comfort in two pieces of good news: you’re not alone, and it doesn’t have to be that way. In professional circles – social work included – networking is important, and effective networking is invaluable. Now – as a result of the ingenuity and creativity of SP² doctoral student Joel Caplan – effective networking is just a Conference Card away.
This January, Joel launched his newest entrepreneurial endeavor, Conference Cards, designed to help new acquaintances remember where and why they have your contact information. While Conference Cards are a natural fit for conferences and meetings (the cards convey the key points from research or a presentation), they are also convenient in everyday professional situations because they include a full-color image of your business card printed directly on them. (For more information on Conference Cards, click here.)
Launching a venture like this isn’t the type of thing doctoral students do on a routine basis, but a short conversation with Joel reveals an energy level that is above and beyond routine. A third year doctoral student, Joel’s time is spent on much more than just his academic study and dissertation research. As the Co-Chair of the SP² Doctoral Student Steering Committee (DSSC) and a member of the Committee for Community Outreach (a DSSC sub-committee), he organizes academically-oriented and collaborative events for students and faculty. Joel also serves as the Editor of The Fellow, a new publication by the doctoral students aimed at “encouraging and promoting the ideas of the doctoral student body.” Doctoral students use The Fellow to share projects and research, and to garner feedback on articles before publishing elsewhere. Joel’s involvement in the University equals that of his involvement in the School of Social Policy & Practice: he is a member of the Division of Public Safety Advisory Board, a doctoral student representative to the Graduate Student Associations Council, and a member of the Diversity and International Student Concerns Committee.
Joel’s dissertation, “Parole Release Decisions: Effects of Positive and Negative Victim and Non-Victim Input,” combines his research interests in the areas of public safety, corrections and social controls. He has a B.S. in Law and Justice from the College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State) and a Masters in Criminology from Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice. Joel is the 2006 recipient of the Heyer Foundation Graduate Prize Fellowship for excellent academic standing and student leadership, and the 2006 winner of the University of Pennsylvania GAPSA-Provost’s Award for Interdisciplinary Innovation.