In Brief
Volume 3: Issue 3 - November 10, 2009
This publication is a monthly electronic newsletter for the alumni and friends of
Smith College School for Social Work. This publication is produced no more than
once a month with intervals between publications being between four and six
weeks. To submit an item to be considered for a future issue of In Brief, please
send it to sswalum@smith.edu Notices must pertain to the School, its alumni,
students, faculty and/or staff.
Ready for Elections! Lead SCSSW to the Next Level
The Smith College School for Social Work Alumni Association Executive Committee
is doing a phenomenal job maintaining a sound infrastructure. Now it is your
opportunity to join the Executive Committee. Several Executive Committee
positions will become vacant in 2010 – Vice President; Treasurer; Chair, Alumni of
Color Standing Committee; and Region I Representative (New England).
We seek action-oriented persons to lead SCSSW to the next level. The job
descriptions are posted on the School’s web site at
http://www.smith.edu/ssw/alumni/exec_cmte_positions.php. Please do not let the
serious responsibilities scare you. The qualifications are basic.
The qualifications for leading SCSSW are basically the same as for other alumni
groups: love and enthusiasm for Smith; desire and interest to attend board
meetings two times per year and an ability to work as part of a team; willingness to
represent the School and respond to questions and needs of constituents.
Executive positions are open to all School for Social Work alumni. We need you to
step up now! Please nominate yourself or someone else by January 8, 2010. Send
an email to Gay Lee, M.S.W. ‘94 (Chair, Nominations Committee) at
scsswnominations@gmail.com.
Help Smith Recruit the Best!
Alumni contacts are the Admission Office's best source for identifying talented
students and future social workers. Help us put information about the SSW in the
best hands. Please send student nominations to sswadm@smith.edu and we'll
follow up with a personalized outreach. Don't have anyone to nominate? Perhaps
you'd like to volunteer to talk to a prospective student. Alumni voices are always
welcome! Contact us at sswadm@smith.edu.
We Need Your Feedback
The School is in the process of reviewing and updating our web site. We want your
feedback on the alumni pages as part of this process. Some of the questions we
have are general such as navigational experience, how often you use the pages,
and what information you seek when you access the site; there are also some
questions about what is missing and an opportunity for open-ended feedback. The
URL for SSW alumni pages is:
http://www.smith.edu/ssw/alumni/sswaa.php. Please take a few minutes
to help us deliver the information you expect by responding to our survey at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=IWEaGeprRUja5wqGlJv2Dw
_3d_3d. The survey will be active until the end of November. Thank you for your
feedback.
Loan Repayment Awards
The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program is now accepting
applications for Loan Repayment Awards funded by $200 American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act funds.
Applications will be accepted continuously until funds are expended or September
30, 2010, whichever comes first.
http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/apply.htm
Eligibility for Social Workers
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LSCW) applying for the loan repayment award
must have ALL of the following:
•
A Master’s degree or Doctoral degree in Social Work from a school accredited
by a recognized accrediting body approved by the secretary of the U.S.
Department of Education
•
Two years post graduate supervised clinical experience
•
Successfully passed the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Clinical or
Advanced licensing exam prior to July 1, 1998 or the ASWB Clinical Exam on
or after July 1, 1998
•
The ability to practice independently and unsupervised as a licensed clinical
social worker
A current, full, permanent unencumbered health professional license, (or, if
applicable, a current, unencumbered certificate or registration) to practice at the
level of licensure that allows them to practice independently and unsupervised as a
Clinical Social Worker, in the State in which they intend to practice fulfill their NHSC
LRP Service obligation.
Honorary Alumni Award Nominations
In 1997, the alumni of Smith College School for Social Work established an award
to honor those individuals associated with the School who are not alumni. The
purpose of this award is to recognize friends and colleagues who have rendered
distinguished service to the Alumni Association and/or the School, or who have
otherwise attained distinction deserving of recognition by the Smith College School
for Social Work Alumni Association. Do you know someone who is deserving of this
recognition? Submit your nomination today! For more information about the award
and to see a list of previous honorees, visit:
http://www.smith.edu/ssw/alumni/sswaa_awards.php; or go to
http://www.smith.edu/ssw/alumni/documents/HonoraryAlumNominationform.doc for a nomination form.
Day-Garrett Award Nominations
We are seeking nominations for the annual Day-Garrett Award. Your professional
contacts and affiliations in the field make you an ideal source of nominations for
this prestigious Smith College School for Social Work award. If you would like to
submit a nomination for the Committee’s consideration, please complete the on-line
form available at http://www.smith.edu/ssw/alumni/sswaa_awards.php.
For questions or to email completed forms contact sswalum@smith.edu. The
deadline for nominations is February 15, 2010. Nominate someone today!
Exciting News about Social Networking!
Thanks to Elizabeth Tara Friedman-Prokopishyn, M.S.W. ‘03, we now have a Smith
College School for Social Work Facebook page. While this is piggybacking on an
already existing site and not SCSSW specific, we believe this is the best way to
facilitate all the benefits of social networking without reinventing the wheel. For
those of you already on Facebook, we encourage you to register. For those of you
not on Facebook, this is yet another way to reconnect with classmates and the
larger SCSSW alumni community. While we know we already have the list serves,
In Depth and In Brief, we want to provide as many opportunities to get and stay
connected with fellow alumni and the School. So come check us out on Facebook
and say hello!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18055482545&ref=ts
Keep in Touch!
If you change your email address or your mailing address, please let us know so
that we can keep you updated on news from the school. Send changes to
sswalum@smith.edu or fill out the online form:
http://www.smith.edu/ssw/alumni/address/update.php
Remembering a Leader
It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Betty Jean Haasis Synar, M.S.S. '51
who passed away on August 1, 2009. Betty was very committed to the school, most
notably in her role as Chair of the 1918 Fellowship Society. Betty was the
inspiration for the founding of the society which was created in 1974 "to provide for
the recognition of those alumni and friends of the school who demonstrate
continued leadership and support through significant annual giving." Over the last
35 years, many Smith SSW alumni have had the opportunity to know Betty by
working with her on the Fellowship Committee, through her personal solicitations
on behalf of the school and/or as a professional colleague. She will be deeply
missed. In her honor, all future gifts at the $5,000 level and above will be
acknowledged as “Betty Haasis Synar Leadership Gifts.” For a remembrance of
Betty, see page 25 of the fall 2009 In Depth newsletter.
Smith College School for Social Work is Seeking Alumni Volunteers to
Become Area Alumni Coordinators (AACs)
What is an AAC? Area Alumni Coordinators (AACs) are the key liaison between
alumni, Regional Representatives, and the school. AACs work under the leadership
of the area’s Regional Representative and in conjunction with the Placement Area
Coordinators (PAC) to provide coordinated efforts to maintain communication and
facilitate local activities. The primary role of the AAC is to assess alumni needs and
identify alumni volunteers to facilitate activities at the local level.
What does an AAC do? Using Alumni lists provided by the Regional
Representatives, AACs will 1) develop area alumni activities, 2) identify and match
requests with an alumna/us who can best meet the needs of students in field
placements, and 3) assist in other volunteer opportunities as needed.
Other things an AAC may do. 1) Build an area alumni volunteer base for various
activities (mentor, host events for alumni, co-sponsor events with PACs, identify
speakers for alumni events); 2) recruit prospective students for the M.S.W. and
Ph.D. program.
This position is best suited for high-energy alumni who have the passion and time
to build alumni support in their geographical area.
Please contact your Regional Representative for more information :
Region I Representative – 2007-2010
[Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire]
Mike Langlois, M.S.W. ‘94
(617) 776-3409
mike@mmikelanglois.com
Region II Representative – 2008-2011
[New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania/Philadelphia]
Edward Eismann, Ph.D. ‘67
(516) 775-5289
edoc@optonline.net
Region III Representative – 2008-2011
[Washington, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia]
Chris Vaughan, Ph.D. ‘06
(202) 588-0581
cc.vaughan@mindspring.com
Region IV Representative – 2008-2011
[Ohio, Illinois, Kansas, Canada]
Elaine Koenigsberg, M.S.S. ‘59
(312) 640-0807
elainekmsw@sbcglobal.net
Region V Representative – 2009-2012
[California, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico]
Virginia Lopez-Bunnemeyer, M.S.W. ‘94
(619) 582-9882