September 2008—Volume Four, Issue One    |    Penn Matters Archive

Dean's Welcome

Some might assume that after thirty-five years in academia, the start of the school year becomes just another blip on the radar. Not true. In three decades of welcoming students back to campus and kicking off the fall semester, I have yet to find that the start of the year has become monotonous.

Instead, it is always filled with new beginnings: new students, new events, new goals, and new milestones. Take this year, for example. Last week we welcomed a new cohort of students to the masters and doctoral programs. The men and women who comprise the entering class are immensely talented and immensely diverse—and not just in the ways you might expect. Outside of the classroom, their talents include everything from synchronized swimming to massage therapy to nationally-ranked tennis playing, but they all share a similar commitment to working for social change.

We are in the midst of an election season that is energized with a new level of voter interest. But as we select the new president, we can’t let the election frenzy obscure the fact that this is a time of great need; one in which our students and graduates will constantly be asked to do more for society.

This month, we officially begin our Centennial Celebration with a powerful schedule of events. On September 25, all members of the SP2 community are invited to the SP2 Convocation, where Ralph Nader will deliver the keynote address. A leader in consumer advocacy and calls for reform, Mr. Nader is the perfect change agent to help us celebrate 100 years of social work education.

Meanwhile, the new schedule of Continuing Education courses is available online, and Penn Matters features a new alumni yellow pages (read more in the sidebar to the right). And, thanks to the 2008 Class Gift Campaign, the Caster basement hallway boasts a fresh remodeling, complete with a new floor, new artwork, and new benches (look for photos and a full story in the October issue).

Please join me in welcoming our new students to the School. I hope to see you at SP2 in the upcoming academic year.

Sincerely,
Richard J. Gelles, PhD
Dean

Feature Article

Ralph Nader to Speak at SP2 Convocation
In a play written in 1903, George Bernard Shaw made the following statement:

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Ralph Nader by any analysis, by any definition, is “An Unreasonable Man.” Mr. Nader will present the keynote address “Social Justice in the Post Bush Era” at the SP2 Convocation on Thursday, September 25. On the previous Thursday, September 18, there will be a showing of a documentary about Mr. Nader, appropriately titled “An Unreasonable Man,” which will be introduced by Steve Skrovan, the co-writer and co-producer of the film.
Click here for complete article

School News

2008 – 2009 Continuing Education Schedule Announced
The 2008 – 2009 Continuing Education and Professional Development schedule of courses has been announced and is available online. According to Director Joe McBride, “this year’s continuing education courses will reflect the changing times in which we work and provide a range of offerings.” For example, courses cover everything from suicide awareness and play therapy, to nonprofit fundraising and board governance, to basic immigration law and policy. In addition, the schedule includes a number of special interest offerings, including a social work ethics series, clinical supervision series, non-profit leadership workshop series, and a number of two-day workshops. All of these courses and workshops were designed with the upcoming end of the PA credit cycle in mind. Please note that this is the course schedule for the fall and spring sessions; a separate brochure will not be published in the spring. SP2 alumni who live in the greater Philadelphia area have already been mailed a brochure. Complete information about the Continuing Education program can be found online.

Annual Conference of Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in Philadelphia
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) will host its annual conference in Philadelphia on October 30 – November 2, 2008. The conference, which attracts thousands of social workers and social work educators, will be held at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Center City. The School of Social Policy & Practice will play an important role in welcoming fellow professionals to the City of Brotherly Love: Dean Richard Gelles serves as chair of the program committee, and the School is co-sponsoring the reception and keynote speaker, Jonathan Kozol. On Friday morning, Mr. Kozol, an award-winning author and advocate for equality, will address the group on “The Race Gap”: Why Does it Persist? What Are the Solutions?” For program details and registration information, visit www.cswe.org. 

Updated MSW Program Mission, Goals, and Objectives
An updated version of the mission and goals of the MSW program was completed at the beginning of the summer and is now available online. Also included in this update are the Foundation Program Objectives and Concentration Objectives. Read the full document.

Meet Frank Barr, SP2 Liaison in the Office of Gift Planning
The Office of Gift Planning recently assigned SP2 a dedicated contact person. Frank Barr, J.D., Director of Gift Planning, joins the Planned Giving Office from Rutgers University, where he was Associate Director of Gift Planning. Frank has also been an attorney in private practice, and has served on the legal staff of Dow Jones. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College and of Washington & Lee University School of Law. 

Each month in Penn Matters, Frank answers a planned giving question from SP2 alumni. If you have a question for Frank about planned giving, please send it to alumnirelations@sp2.upenn.edu, with the subject line “Planned Giving Question.”

Click here for the September Q&A

OSTRC Welcomes Deepa Vasudevan
Deepa Vasudevan joined the Out of School Time Resource Center as the new Project Assistant in August. With a rich background in youth work, administration, and advocacy, she will coordinate the OSTRC Peer Networking Meetings and Directories, and assist on research and communications projects.

Alumni News

Tara Earl, MSW’00, joined the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2008.

Jack Hansen, MSW’56, launched a new company, Senior Nation, LLC, designed to reduce the incidence of fraud, abuse and financial exploitation of older persons living at home (www.silvernation.com). The company’s first initiative is SeniorChecked, an online system of extensive background checks for companies and employees who have contact with older persons or their possessions (www.seniorchecked.com).

Elisabeth Joy LaMotte, MSW’95, recently published Overcoming Your Parents’ Divorce: 5 Steps to a Happy Relationship (New Horizon Press: Far Hills, NJ). Elisabeth currently works as a therapist in Washington, D.C. and as a consultant with the Children’s Advocacy Center in Philadelphia and the National Children’s Alliance in Washington, D.C.

Charles Miller, MSW’81, continues to work at the Northeast Center for Community Mental Health and Retardation in Philadelphia, and recently received his clinical licensure as an LCSW.

Student News

Ph.D. candidates Kristie Thomas and Itay Greenspan received the GAPSA-Provost’s Award for Interdisciplinary Innovation in the spring of 2008. The Award program enables graduate and professional students to engage in a project of their own design to explore, research, and act on critical societal issues. Students were selected based on the quality of their application and funding status. Six applicant teams or individuals received a $2,000 monthly fellowship from June through August for this work. Kristie’s project was Patterns of Shelter Use Among Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Analysis of an Integrated Database of Domestic Violence and Emergency Homeless Shelters, and Itay’s was How Big Is My Backyard? Donating Time and Money to Environmental Organizations as Reflections of Environmental Concern.

Upcoming Events

SP2 Convocation
Thursday, September 25, 2008
3:00 pm
Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center
Free, Open to the Public
Ralph Nader will deliver the keynote address, followed by an alumni panel discussion moderated by Dr. Carol Wilson Spigner.
For more information, visit the SP2 Centennial website.

Ortner-Unity Center on Family Violence Lecture
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Time and Location TBA
"Reducing Violence Against Women:  Recent U.S. Supreme Court Rulings"
Featured Panelists: Molly Callahan, Legal Center Director, Women Against Abuse;
Deborah Harley Tierney, Chief Assistant District Attorney, Family Violence & Sexual Assault Unit; Joan Meier, Professor of Clinical Law, George Washington University Law School; David Rudovsky, Senior Fellow, University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Homecoming 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
QuakerFest on the Green (College Green; rain location: Hutchinson Gymnamsium)
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Free

Join alumni from across the University at this annual Homecoming party on college green. This year’s party features a special address by President Amy Gutmann. Look for the Social Policy & Practice banner and table, and connect with fellow SP2 graduates. SP2 alumni are invited to a host of other activities on campus, including the Homecoming Football Game (Penn vs. Brown), Taste of Penn Celebration, the Gallery Hop, a discussion of Penn’s Eastward Expansion, and much more.

View the full Homecoming schedule and register for events.

Save the Date
Alumni Weekend and Reunion 2009
May 14 – 15, 2009

Upcoming Events at the University and in the Community

Penn Museum: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Below are select upcoming events at the Penn Museum. For more information on the Museum’s lectures and other events, visit www.museum.upenn.edu.

Thursday, September 18, 2008
6:00 pm
Year of Evolution Program
Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind
Psychologist Gary Marcus, Director of the NYU Infant Language Learning Center, examines the essential areas of human experience—memory, belief, decision-making, language, and happiness—and argues that evolution has resulted in, not an elegantly designed organ, but something more imperfect. A book signing follows. Admission: $3; free for Penn Museum members; Information: 215/898-4890.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
5:00 pm
Penn Humanities Forum Lecture
Ancient Notions of Change
Dr. Alexander Nehamas, Professor of Philosophy, Princeton University, is the speaker for the inaugural program of the Penn Humanities Forum 2008-2009 lecture series. Free. Pre-registration required: 215/573-8280. For more information: http://humanities.sas.upenn.edu.

Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance Speakers Series
The Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance Speaker Series is designed to expose the Penn community to the rich and varied accomplishments of our graduates. Alumni representing one or more of the Diversity Alliance member organizations will return to campus to speak about their areas of professional expertise and their personal experiences. Alumni, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. For more information about this speakers series or to RSVP for these events, go to the Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance Speakers Series.

Friday, September 19, 2008
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Annenberg School for Communication
From Spike TV To P&G: Marketing And Communications In The 21st Century
David Gleason Ph.D., W’90, ASC’95, GR’99
Senior Vice President, Strategy Director, Publicis New York
With so much competition for the public's attention, how can any company break through the noise to communicate a meaningful, memorable message?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
6:00-7:00 p.m.
University of Pennsylvania, location TBA
Fighting Crime Together: Government and Community Partnerships
Christopher B. Sample, WEV’03
Director of Community and Governmental Relations, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
What is the role of government in crime prevention? To what extent can — and should — leaders in the criminal justice system balance their roles as investigators and prosecutors with their opportunities to intervene with at-risk community members.

Friday, November 14, 2008
5:30-6:30pm
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Fine Art and the City: Educating New Audiences
Esperanza Altamar, GRA’00
Manager of Community Programs, Division of Education, Philadelphia Museum of Art
When was your last visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art? Take advantage of this opportunity to get an insider's view of one of the city's true treasures.

Save the Date
Alumni Weekend and Reunion 2009
May 14 – 15, 2009

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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