Syracuse University College of Human Ecology’s School of Social Work expands M.S.W. program to Fort Drum region of Northern New York to address needs of returning military, families

Syracuse University College of Human Ecology’s School of Social Work expands M.S.W. program to Fort Drum region of Northern New York to address needs of returning military, familiesMarch 26, 2009Michele Barrettmibarret@syr.edu

To increase the number of trained mental health professionals available to support returning military service personnel and their families, predominantly in the Fort Drum region of Northern New York, the Syracuse University College of Human Ecology‘s School of Social Work today announced that its master of social work (M.S.W.) courses will be offered in the Watertown area. This program option also addresses the growing need for M.S.W.-trained practitioners throughout the region in health and mental health, developmental disabilities, child welfare, chemical dependency and other human services systems.

The deadline to apply to the Watertown M.S.W. program is May 15. An information session will take place on Monday, April 6, at the Best Western Carriage House Inn, 300 Washington St., Watertown. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the information session and discussion beginning at 6 p.m. To R.S.V.P. and learn more about the M.S.W. in Watertown, call (315) 443-5555 or e-mail HumanEcology@syr.edu.

“The Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) and the Northern Area Health Education Center’s (NAHEC) Regional Recruitment Project create educational pathways for residents that also fill gaps in the healthcare and mental health workforce,” says Erika Flint, regional recruitment project manager for FDRHPO. “The opportunity presented by Syracuse University will address the mental health provider shortage in the Fort Drum region in an effort that will be sustainable, helping to ensure the community will not be faced with these same shortages in the future. We are very pleased with the level of expressed interest already generated and are confident Syracuse University’s presence in the community will be a welcomed addition.”

“We are very pleased to offer our graduate courses in social work to educate human service professionals who, when their degree work is completed, will provide services that are so critically necessary in the northern counties of New York state,” says Diane Lyden Murphy, dean of SU’s College of Human Ecology. “This program will provide a consistent flow of master of social work-prepared graduates to the agencies and communities, facilitating the vision of more accessible services for all individuals and families.”

“The College of Human Ecology’s School of Social Work has a historically strong relationship as a partner with human service agencies in the northern counties of New York state,” says Carrie Jefferson Smith, director of the School of Social Work. “Currently, nearly 100 graduates of the bachelor’s and master’s programs in social work reside and work in the North Country area in school districts, family counseling services, children’s centers and hospitals.” The M.S.W. program will offer a foundation curriculum that includes Watertown-area classes. Students will finish their remaining course work at the Syracuse campus and field instruction in the North Country area.

Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, Syracuse University’s M.S.W. is an academically rigorous 60-credit curriculum that combines program-specific courses with elective options that enable students to tailor their studies according to their professional interests. Students with a bachelor’s degree in social work complete a 36-credit Advanced Standing Program.

About the College of Human Ecology at Syracuse University

The College of Human Ecology is dedicated to excellence in professional academic education and integrates publicly engaged scholarship as a philosophy and method in all of its degree programs. The college brings together a rich history of academic programs whose signatures of social responsibility and justice join new and evolving majors reflective of educating global citizens whose leadership can-and does-change the places and people where they live and work.

Previously known as the College of Human Services and Health Professions until it was renamed in 2007, the College of Human Ecology hosts seven departments with strong roots in SU history: Child and Family Studies; Health and Wellness; Hospitality Management; Marriage and Family Therapy; Nutrition Science and Dietetics; Sport Management; and the School of Social Work.