Alumnae Bulletin
November 2010
News from The Graduate School of Social Work & Social Research
Encore! GSSWSRers retire
This year, three members of the GSSWSR community with
a combined service record of 90 years will be leaving, sort
of. For Paula Dubin, former admissions secretary, we
wish her all the best as she retires to a life of leisure knowing,
as she must, that she will always be a part of this community
(see box below). But for the other two—Marcia Martin,
Ph.D. ’82, former associate dean, and Nancy Kirby, M.S.S. ’65,
former assistant dean and director of admissions—
stereotypical retirement of past generations is not (yet) truly
on the horizon.
Dean Darlyne Bailey says that for the ‘baby boomer’ genera -
tion in today’s organizations, the idea of retirement has trans -
formed. Bailey references the term “encore performance” (coined
by author Marc Freedman in his book Encore: Finding Work that
Matters in the Second Half of Life)—the creation of post-career
positions tailored to individual desires and talents and aligned
with organizational needs. And so it is with Martin and Kirby.
Marcia Martin came to Bryn Mawr in 1976, when she
commenced her doctoral studies. In 1979, she became a
field liaison and also started teaching for the School. When
she completed her Ph.D. in 1982, she became the director
of field instruction and in the late 1980s, Martin added
associate dean to her title. When Ruth W. Mayden retired
in 2002, Martin became co-dean (with Raymond Albert).
Next up was director of the program (while the national search for a dean was conducted), and then
finally, associate dean again. Throughout all of
these administrative positions, Martin continued
to do what she loves most: teach.
For her encore performance, Martin will
continue to teach. In addition to clinical Social
Work, she is excited about teaching Human
Behavior in the Social Environment. “I taught a
version of this course many, many years ago and it
has been terrific to come back to it. Has human
behavior changed over the years?” She shrugs. “I
wonder.”
She is also pleased to be a consultant for the
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program run by the
University of Pittsburgh, where she is currently developing a
child advocacy curriculum.
How does she feel about this shift in her professional life?
By way of metaphor, Martin shares this personal anecdote
about her shift from a high-cut hiking boot to a country
walker. “It felt monumental to me at the time. It was
tantamount to admitting I could no longer negotiate the
rugged incline that leads to Goodrich Rock [New Hampshire]
and view the magnificent valley below, or ascend the very
steep and rough Mt. Osceola Trail to the scenic East Peak. But
as I became a country walker rather than a mountain climber,
an explorer more than an adventurer, I realized that while the
most panoramic view may be from the mountain peak, the valley’s paths hold so many compelling discoveries of their
own. Experiences like that have helped me to embrace change
and as my professional view changes now, I feel so blessed
that at this point in my life there still are new opportunities
and challenges.”
Nancy Kirby did her undergraduate degree at Bennett
College for Women, an historically Black college, where she
wept every evening at dusk from home sickness. But she
eventually adjusted enough to participate in the sit-ins of the
1970s, and this year, for the original activists’ 50th anniversary,
she was selected as one of their “unsung heroes.”
Kirby was hired in 1979 as the field faculty for the Maternal
and Child Health grant program. Then, in 1982, she became
assistant dean and director of admissions for the School. She
worked closely with Ruth W. Mayden, Martin and Bailey, of
whom she says, “I really learned from working with each of
those people. They were important in their respective ways in
my personal and professional development.”
Though self-described as “timid” and “shy” in her youth,
Kirby blossomed into an effective and valued leader, serving
during the course of her career on a number of boards,
including the boards of the Spectrum Health Services, the Black
Women in Sport Foundation, The Inglis Foundation (who
honored her with their Gold Coin award), The Valentine
Foundation, and The Dowdy Foundation.
For her encore performance, Kirby will work with Bailey to
enhance alumnae/i relations, one day a week. “Knowing Nancy,”
says Bailey, “she’ll probably tip-toe in more often.”
Kirby’s goal is to try to help alumnae/i become more
connected to the School. “We want our alumnae/i ambassadors
to let the School know what they are doing, what their concerns
are,” she says, “but also to let the School share their perspectives
on the social work profession and give us their input.”
Along with her GSSWSR role, Kirby will continue to serve
at Valentine and Dowdy, but she is also looking forward to
being somewhat retired. “I just want to be able to explore the
city,” she says. She also will get back to weaving tapestries.
Dean Bailey,
who has a five-year
goal of meeting
every living
alumna/us of the
School, says, “All the
alumnae/i that I’ve
met feel indebted to
this School. They
feel they joined a
community that
supported them in
their most
formative years. I
am certain that
Nancy and Marcia
played a major role
in that.”
Celebrating 95 Years of Carrying Social Justice Forward
Peggy Phipps and friend. Phipps is one of the GSSWSR
students who helped design the mural with ACPPA Artistic
Director Amy Grebe.
In October as part of the celebration of the GSSWSR’s
95th birthday, members of the Norristown community
joined the GSSWSR, our College Civic Engagement
Office, Bryn Mawr undergraduates, and students from
Swarthmore in creating a mural at the ACPPA
Community Art Center. The mural will be installed at
ACLAMO Family Center later this year.
Good-bye to Paula Dubin
Gloria Guard, MSS/MLSP ‘78, president of the People's Emergency Center in Philadelphia.
The GSSWSR and College community
came together in celebration of the 90+
years of service provided by Marcia
Martin, Nancy Kirby and Paula Dubin.
Dubin is retiring and we will miss her!
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