Bryn Mawr College

School News

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Celebration of the Life of Bernard (Ricky) Ross

On Sunday, May 6th, 2012 friends and family joined with Dean Darlyne Bailey to celebrate the Life of former Professor and Dean Bernard (Ricky) Ross. Dean Ross joined Bryn Mawr in 1958 as professor in the Graduate Department of Social Work and Social Research. He was appointed as Director of the Department in 1968, in 1970 Ricky became the first Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. He remained in that position until 1977.

 

Under Dean Ross’ leadership the Graduate School at Bryn Mawr experienced rapid increase in outside funding and in enrollment in the MSS and PhD programs along with expanded faculty. Hallmarks of Dean Ross’ tenure at Bryn Mawr included the Graduate Department becoming a separate Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (1970); relocation of the School from 815 New Gulph Road to its present location at 300 Airdale Road (1976); and the initiation of the Master of Law and Social Policy program (1976). (slideshow)

New faculty: Cindy Sousa, MSW/MPH
Cindy Sousa will join the GSSWSR faculty on July 1, 2012! With a focus on Policy/Practice and International Social Welfare, Cindy received her BA in 1999 from The Evergreen State College; her MSW from Portland State in 2006 (community practice concentration); her MPH (community-oriented public health practice concentration) and a graduate certificate in global health in 2008; and will receive her Ph.D. in Social Work/Social Welfare this summer from the University of Washington. Using original quantitative and qualitative research, her thesis explores political violence, physical and mental health, and resilience, with a dynamic interaction between individuals and their environments. This research was done in partnership with one of the largest NGOs in Palestine, with results to be used by this agency for advocacy and program development related to mental health and community development.

Transformation of Poverty Governance Panel Discussion (website)
April 23, 2012 -Video available on Youtube: http://youtu.be/5agDvgMAgsY

Domestic Violence Symposium

The Center for Professional Development hosted a Domestic Violence Symposium at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research on Friday, March 16. Over 160 participants took part in the full-day program. Co-sponsors included Laurel House, a comprehensive domestic violence agency serving individuals, families and communities throughout Montgomery County, PA, and The Center for Child and Family Well-Being at Bryn Mawr College GSSWSR. The participation of Keynote Speaker Lundy Bancroft, a nationally acclaimed author, workshop leader, and consultant on domestic abuse and child maltreatment, was supported in part by a grant to Cabrini College from the U.S.Dept. of Justice. Among morning and afternoon workshops that emphasized issues related to domestic violence and in which participants took part were those focusing on the impact on children exposed to domestic violence; physically abusive partners; sexual violence in the context of domestic violence; domestic violence in later life; and domestic violence and the law.

Social Work Shout Out

March 2012 - Students, faculty, and professionals from the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research organized at the college campus center as part of a statewide effort to raise awareness and visibility of the social work profession. There are an estimated 40,000 degreed social workers in Pennsylvania, including over 11,000 holding a professionallicense. Social workers are one of the largest providers of mental health services nationwide. They can be found in every social and mental health field there is helping anyone in need working hard to help us all with the challenges we each face in life.

 

 

Social Work Day at the UN was a gathering place for people around the world who are working to make a difference. For 28 years students, practitioners, and educators have been convening at the UN to learn more about the UN, innovative projects and issues related to International Social Work and the critical role Social Work plays in the international arena. On Monday, March 26^th, 24 Bryn Mawr GSSWSR MSS students participated in Social Work Day at the UN and had the opportunity to hear about the The Global Agenda and how social workers, educators and social development practitioners have committed themselves to supporting, influencing and enabling structures and systems that positively address the root causes of oppression and inequality. (more photos)

Kathy Marcolina, MSS'85, LSW, appointed GSSWSR Career Counselor
Kathy will work directly with our School---current students and alumni, to discuss specific career interests and issues. Kathy received her BS from University of Delaware in Education and is an alumnae of GSSWSR, MSS'85. She has had clinical practice, career coaching, and academic advising experiences, as well, has run her own business, affording her many insights into the worlds of marketing and inter-agency connections. Career Development Office (CDO) website.

Former Dean, Bernard (Ricky) Ross, Deceased - Jan. 01, 1916 Dec. 19, 2011
"I WAS NOT BORN TO BLUSH UNSEEN NOR WASTE MY FRAGRANCE ON THE DESERT AIR"
Ricky Ross, PSU Social Work Dean Emeritus, passed away peacefully Dec. 19, 2011. He was days away from his 96th birthday on Jan. 1, 2012. He was the last of three amigos-Ricky, Joe Tosi and Bob McCullough-to leave us behind. He always had a shoulder for a tear, a wise comment for any problem, or a dance for a comely lass. At age 16 he attended Reed College, rode the rails, graduated from U of O, received his doctorate from University of Michigan and served as Regional Director in the Roosevelt Administration for Fair Employment Practices. He later served as Dean of Social Work at Bryn Mawr College and PSU. (read more at The Oregonian)

Dean Darlyne Bailey guest speaker at the Quadrangle
Bryn Mawr alumnae, Jane Unkefer, Bruni Ridgeway and Connie Beresin (MSS’77) were instrumental in coordinating the reception, dinner and lecture for Dean Darlyne Bailey at the Quadrangle.   “The talk was excellent-thought provoking, on-the-mark and beautifully presented,” commented Jane Unkefer. Approximately 60 Quadrangle residents and guests were in attendance at the lecture. Guests included Bryn Mawr alums (undergraduate, GSSWSR and GSAS), former Bryn Mawr faculty, and other residents with social work degrees.

"The Healing Image Project: Photographic Collaborations with Elizabeth Barnwell"
The program marking the opening of this exhibition featured Barnwell and two breast cancer survivors she worked with on the project, Lori Seviola and Mary Leisses. Darlyne Bailey, Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, moderated the discussion. The exhibition is open to the public in the Canaday Library, Special Collections 2nd Floor until December 2011.

Darlyne Bailey elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Graduate Schools of Social Work (NADD)
Darlyne Bailey, Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Professor and Special Assistant to the President for Community Partnerships has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Graduate Schools of Social Work (NADD).
NADD is a membership organization working to promote excellence in social work education by enhancing the leadership of social work education programs. Membership is comprised of more than 200 deans and directors of graduate social work programs that are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Dean Bailey's three year term runs from 2011 through 2014. She is also the convenor of NADD's Mid-Atlantic Association of Deans and Directors, succeeding Richard Gelles, Dean of the School of Public Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

GSSWSR Master's Student, SusanYoung, delivers 2011-2012 Convocation Speech

"... As students at Bryn Mawr College, we have so many resources available to us. We are students at a college with a rich history and a wealth of resources from which to draw.There are libraries full of materials and dedicated staff to help us find just what we are looking for; and opportunities to learn in the classroom, in the community, and in the larger world. Our fellow students offer experiences, ideas, and histories that may be similar to ours – or not – but all offer the opportunity to learn about and come to appreciate lives we have not lived." (read Susan's remarks)

Ronald Dion Bailey Ford, MSS/MLSP '11, May 2011 Convocation Speech

Dean Bailey Inspires Sustaining our Spirits
The Women's Resource Center's 5th Annual Leadership Luncheon theme this year,
"Sustaining Our Spirits" is based on the book Sustaining Our Spirits: Women Leaders Thriving for Today & Tomorrow, co-authored by Keynote Speaker Darlyne Bailey. For over 36 years, the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) has supported the diverse needs of women & their families throughout Southeastern PA. The luncheon will be held on April 14th, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Union League in Philadelphia. (learn more)

U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin Keynote Speaker at First Forum on Health Care Inequalities in Honor of Kevin J. Robinson

On Monday, April 11, 2011, U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, Keynote Speaker and a panel of experts came together to discuss health care inequalities at the inaugural Kevin J. Robinson Forum for Social Justice and Public Health being held by the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research in collaboration with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
Joining Benjamin for the panel discussion were Associate Dean for Community and Minority Affairs Robert E. Fullilove, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; Katherine C. Maus, Director, CAPTA services, Philadelphia Department of Human Services; Donna L. Torrisi, founder of The Family Practice and Counseling Network in Philadelphia; Leslie Acoca, Network Executive Director, Family Practice and Counseling Network; and Dr. David Rubin, Senior Co-director of PolicyLab, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The forum is named in honor of Assistant Professor of Social Work and Social Research Kevin J. Robinson, who died unexpectedly last year at the age of 40. Robinson’s work was part of a growing movement in the field of public health to value insights gained from qualitative research methods, as opposed to relying solely on the demographic or statistical approaches that have traditionally been privileged

Opening of Exhibition, The Arts of Social Justice: The Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature

The Friends of the Bryn Mawr College Library and the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research welcomed special guests and friends to the opening of the exhibition, African American Research Collections, on Tuesday, Feb 8th, 2011.  The exhibition features reproductions of posters, book jackets, and historical photographs and documents from the Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature at the University of Minnesota, one of the preeminent African-American collections in the country. This exhibition was specially created for Bryn Mawr and pays homage to the literary 'roots' of the African -American experience in our country. The exhibition is open to the public in the Coombe Special Collections Suite, 2nd Floor, Canaday Library at Bryn Mawr College. The exhibition will run through March 5th.
Featured in the photo: Archie Givens, Jr., Cecily Marcus, Arleta Little, Darlyne Bailey, Eric Pomroy

Dean Bailey receives honor from NASW-PA
NASW-PA is pleased to celebrate Black History Month by highlighting two influential African American social workers, Dr. Dorothy Height and Dean Darlyne Bailey. These social workers have helped and continue to help shape the social work profession. (read more)

Main Line Martin Luther King Association celebrates with music, honors
Dean Darlyne Bailey welcomed those in the audience and set the tone at The Main Line Martin Luther King Jr. Day  celebration in the McPherson auditorium of Goodhart Hall at Bryn Mawr College Sunday. The festivities included a musical tribute and the special recognition of area people and groups, particularly for their efforts in “making the dream of Martin Luther King a reality on the Main Line.” (read more)

January 14, 2011 - Mural Project Dedication

ACPPA Community Art Center, ACLAMO Family Centers,

and Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work Dedicate Wall Panels Painted in a Community Mural Arts Program
Whimsical mural panels custom designed and painted for the main entrance of ACLAMO Family Centers in Norristown were dedicated at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 14th. Approximately 50 people attended the event, including PA State Representative, Matthew Bradford, and several representatives from Bryn Mawr College.

The 4-month project was directed by Amy Grebe, artistic director of ACPPA Community Art Center, in partnership with Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work.

The 14 separate panels work together to depict a lush landscape, including a green mountain vista, bright tropical foliage, and children dancing in a small-town street. The mural panels fill the walls leading into the stately building, a former PNC Bank on West Marshall Street.

"I have always wanted this entrance to have a welcoming feeling,” said Juan Guerra, Executive Director of ACLAMO, Montgomery County’s only full-service agency dedicated to serving the Latino community.

The creative process brought together a diverse group of people to work on the project, from discussing thematic images, to designing and painting each panel, to final installation. Families and students from the school of social work, the art center and ACLAMO all contributed to the project, regardless of artistic experience. The collaborative effort culminated on a Saturday in October, when about 75 people got together for a day of painting the mural panels.

“This project celebrates the power of community art as well as the ongoing partnership between Bryn Mawr College and the Norristown community,” Grebe said.

Darlyne Bailey -- Dean of Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and Special Assistant to the President for Community Partnerships -- describes the project as "a perfect partnership...a sharing of talents and other resources, that led to a wonderful and tangible result. And this is just the beginning!" The mural project was sponsored and supported by the school as part of its 95th anniversary celebration.

ACLAMO is celebrating its 34th year of providing economic, educational, health and cultural opportunities for the low-income residents of Norristown and Pottstown, especially those of Spanish heritage. ACLAMO stands for Accíon Comunal Latino Americano de Montgomery County. Visit www.aclamo.org to learn more about ACLAMO.

Norristown Patch.com news: http://norristown.patch.com/articles/aclamo-celebrates-its-new-mural-2