The Ruth W. Mayden MSS '70 Scholars
Ruth W. Mayden, MSS '70, retired as Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Work in 2001. She served the School for three decades, beginning with her position as part-time lecturer in 1976 to her subsequent duties as Assistant Dean and Director of Field Instruction, to Associate Dean, culminating in her leadership as Dean from 1986 through 2001. Dean Mayden's service to the wider community included being president of the National Association of Social Workers, as well as serving on numerous boards and advisory committees across the Delaware Valley. Her present position as director of the Program for Families with Young Children at the Annie E. Casey Foundation enables Ruth to address system and service issues in low-income communities.
As a tribute to her visionary service and leadership, the Ruth W. Mayden Scholarship Fund was established to provide financial aid to students enrolled in the Policy Practice and Advocacy (PPA) concentration, or those interested in urban disadvantaged populations.
The first Mayden Scholar was Allison Taite-Tarver, MSS '05. A 1998 graduate of Spelman College with a degree in psychology, Allison spent two years with Teach for America in Washington, DC, where she taught in elementary schools and earned a master's degree in teaching at Trinity College. After teaching for a year in the Philadelphia public schools, Allison worked for two years as a case manager in the family based services program of a community mental health center. Her experiences in educational and mental health settings were the impetus for Allison's decision to pursue a master's degree in social work.
Ms. Taite-Tarver enrolled in the Policy and Practice Advocacy (PPA) concentration with the goals of gaining skills and a theoretical base from which to provide educational services to under-resourced communities, families and children. In addition, she earned a Home and School Visitor Certificate and was a member of the first group to complete the specialization offered by the School's Center for Child and Family Wellbeing. The Children's Home Society of New Jersey, a community-based social service agency, was Allison's first field placement. She co-facilitated training for prospective adoptive and foster parents, and developed Volunteer and Student manuals for the agency. At the Norristown Areas School District, her second year placement, Allison's assignments included staff education relating to the Homeless Act policy for school districts, liaison between the NASD and a church after-school program, and assisting with the development of a character education program for the district
Allison's service to the GSSWSR community included being a student representative to the School's Curriculum Committee and active leadership in the School's chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers. While a student Allison was appointed to the School's Advisory Board, and continues to serve in this position. Her academic career at the GSSWSR culminated with Allison's selection as the School's speaker at the College's 2005 convocation.
Allison is employed as a social worker in a non-profit therapeutic school for children with learning and emotional problems. She and her husband James are the proud parents of Dahlia Nicole who was born in June, 2004.
Howard Walters, an MSS/MLSP candidate, has been selected as the second Mayden Scholar. A graduate of Milliken University in Decatur, Illinois, Howard spent two years as an Americorps/VISTA volunteer working with college-based programs in the Philadelphia area. It was during his first assignment at Villanova University that he was encouraged by John Kelley, MSS' 72, to consider graduate education in social work. At Villanova Howard coordinated a tutor training program, produced a CD highlighting student community service trips and developed an assessment tool to measure the impact of service activities. His second year position focused on recruiting and organizing student volunteers to provide income tax preparation assistance for low-income families.
A PPA student, Howard did his first year field placement was with the Bryn Mawr College Community Service Office where he provided support to student coordinators of volunteer tutoring programs. In addition, he analyzed how national educational policies affected the students being tutored. Howard was also one of two students who coordinated the field trip to Washington, D.C. for first and second students in the PPA concentration. Visits were made to legislative offices and to policy organizations. Howard's current field placement is with the People's Emergency Center, a multi-service organization that provides services and advocacy for women and children facing the crises related to homelessness.
The inaugural Mayden Scholars embody the advocacy and social justice activism legacy of Ruth Mayden.
12/14/2005
