School News
Alumni Weekend and Reunion 2008 Schedule Announced
Celebrate being a Penn Alum and return to campus on May 16 – 17 this year. The complete schedule of SP2 events is available on the Alumni Weekend website and registration is now open. In honor of the start of the School’s Centennial Celebration, SP2 is hosting an All-Alumni Centennial Picnic on Saturday, May 17 from 12:00 – 2:00 pm in the Caster Courtyard. This family-friendly event includes tours of the Caster building, a photography show by social activism photographer Harvey Finkle, MSW’61, children’s entertainment and more. For those alumni celebrating a reunion this year (all graduation years ending in ‘3’ or ‘8’), there is a special Reunion Reception at the Union League of Philadelphia on Friday evening. This is an increasingly popular event (over 100 guests were in attendance last year) and all Reunion year alumni are invited to attend and bring a guest. Other Alumni Weekend activities include a State of the School Luncheon Address by Dean Gelles on Friday, May 16, following the morning’s Current Issues Panels. Additionally, SP2 has reserved a block of tickets at Friday evening’s performance of Pilobolus Dance Theaterat the Annenberg Center, and is offering $10 off the ticket price for the first ten tickets purchased through the online registration site. Alumni are also invited to take part in the University’s Alumni Weekend programming. Don’t miss this opportunity to return to campus to reconnect with friends, classmates, and professors. Take advantage of all that being a Penn alum has to offer.
SP2 Alumni Directory Project Underway
If you haven’t already heard the news, SP2 has partnered with Harris Connect, Inc. to produce a Centennial Edition Alumni Directory. This guide will be the most comprehensive and up to date listing of alumni ever published at the School. Alumni will be listed alphabetically and by class year, geographic location, and area of practice, making it an excellent networking tool and resource for all SP2 graduates.
Harris is in the second phase of contacting alumni to make sure your biographical data is accurate. A postcard was recently mailed to all alumni; when you receive this card, please call into Harris to confirm the content of your directory listing. Even if you updated this information online after receiving an email from Harris earlier in the year, please take a moment to call in. In addition to verifying that the information you submitted online is correct, this phone call is also an opportunity for you to purchase your copy of the directory. The directories will be published and received by alumni around October 2008, but all orders for directories must be received by June 9, 2008 (Harris only prints enough directories to fulfill the orders that have been placed). Alumni have two options when purchasing the directory: the Deluxe Edition ($89.99) and the Regular Edition ($69.99), and the purchase of both editions can be divided into two payments.
Alumni with questions about the directory project can contact Emily Brueckner at embrueck@sp2.upenn.edu or 215.573.7133.
Mary Mazzola named Associate Dean for Enrollment Management
On January 29, 2008, Dean Richard Gelles announced the appointment of Dr. Mary Mazzola as Associate Dean for Enrollment Management at the School. Dr. Mazzola has served as the Director of Admissions and Recruitment for over five years, and continues to be responsible for the enrollment management functions for all degree programs offered at the School. In the last three years, the school has added three new programs and the student population has grown by 33%. As Dean Gelles notes, “The demands on our recruitment and admissions program have grown exponentially as the school has grown and reshaped itself, and Mary’s promotion to Associate Dean is well deserved.”
Partnering to Recruit Male Mentors
The Black Men at Penn School of Social Work, Inc. along with FAMILY (Fostering Adopting and Mentoring to Improve the Lives of Youth) Inc. were asked to partner with United States Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and his office in finding ways to recruit male mentors for at-risk youth. On January 7, 2008, The Black Men at Penn School of Social Work, Inc. joined the CIGNA Foundation, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania to participate in a panel discussion organized by the Senator's office on the benefits of mentoring.