Arts & Humanities
Home Grown Social Workers - Paul P. Freddolino

Iron Mountain, Sault Ste. Marie, Hancock, Baraga, Ishpeming, Houghton, Manistique, and yes, of course, Marquette. These are some of the communities called home by a group of U.P. residents beginning a special new Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program. The MSW is one of the main degrees sought by professionals working in a broad range of human service agencies in mental health, child welfare, health, education, aging, corrections and substance abuse. This innovative program is made possible through an exciting collaboration between Northern Michigan University and Michigan State University.
  Usually when people from the U.P. want to study for an MSW degree in Michigan, they have to travel to one of the programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education in the Lower Peninsula. From Marquette, the closest such program is the one at MSU in East Lansing, about 400 miles one way. For U.P. residents with families, strong community ties, and often full-time employment in social agencies, such a move is unrealistic, undesirable and financially unfeasible. For people working in small agencies, leaving the agency for a year or two could create serious concerns for the clients they serve. What's special about this collaborative program is that the students can complete all of the requirements for the degree right in the U.P., close to the communities where they live and work.
  Although the courses are completed close to home, students are expected to meet the same admissions and performance requirements as other successful MSW applicants at MSU.
  The collaborative program actually got its start in 1993. NMU had explored the possibility of establishing its own permanent MSW program but decided that the start-up costs were prohibitive. At that point the MSU School of Social Work contacted faculty in the social work program at NMU about the possibility of working together, and the rest, as they say, is history.
  The first group of thirtyseven students in the Marquette program graduated from MSU in May 1998, at the School of Social Work's annual commencement. On that day it would have been hard to find thirtyseven happier people. "It's finally over!" was a cry heard from many voices--graduates as well as their families and friends.
  The first graduates were part of a group of about seventy students who began with a two-course "preview" intended to give people a chance to experience again the "complications" inherent in adding school to their already full lives. If people realized that the program would be too much at that particular time, they could simply drop out before applying for formal admission. This two-course "taste" is helpful to everyone involved. The courses starting this January on the NMU campus are the required courses in this "preview" for the next group of students. One is an introduction to professional social work practice, and the other examines the role of computers and other technology in social work.
  One aspect of the program that requires getting used to is the way the courses are delivered. Most of the courses are presented by using a technology generally called interactive television or video conferencing. This links the classroom at NMU to a comparable classroom at MSU. Both classrooms have students, TV monitors and microphones, a camera operator, and a faculty member. At MSU this person is "live," and in Marquette, the MSU faculty member is seen on the TV monitors in the classroom. In addition to the monitors, there is a local faculty person in the Marquette classroom. This faculty associate helps teach the class by facilitating local discussions and small group activities. There also is a camera operator to handle the technology. The faculty associate in the classroom at NMU is often a faculty member from the NMU program, though local practitioners/experts are sometimes hired. With this system, faculty and students at each of the sites are able to see each other and speak with each other interactively, and students at both sites have the benefit of two professors in each course. Students have commented that learning how to be comfortable and to master this new learning environment is one of the advantages over traditional classrooms because it is used in many work settings.
  In addition, according to Professors Lucy Mercier (MSU) and Billy Blodgett (NMU) who taught one of the courses last fall, "the students at both sites really do come to appreciate the similarities and differences between them." The group at NMU tends to be older and to have more experience in social work, while the MSU group is younger and more diverse in terms of race and culture. When the U.P. students go down to MSU for the one required weekend each year it is fascinating to watch people who have only known each other "on TV" finally meet face-to-face. 
  An important aspect of the MSW program is field instruction. "Absolutely essential for the success of this program is the cooperation of human service agencies and graduate MSWs from throughout the U.P.," notes Professor JoAnn McFall, associate director for Field Instruction at MSU. All students in the program are required to spend sixteen hours each week for two school years in two separate agencies. They must be supervised by a staff member with a MSW degree who serves as a field instructor. The agencies and field instructors report that while supervising the students does require some effort on their part, they gain from having students bring knowledge of the most recent developments in providing services to clients. It truly becomes a win-win situation. In talking with directors and staff at these collaborating agencies after the first group graduated in 1998 it became clear that the agencies were aware of how much the students were learning about computers and other technology in the program, and they noted their desire to learn more themselves. They expressed the desire to be better prepared to deal with rapidly expanding information sources, and to develop more efficient means for delivering services.
  The students beginning the program now will be learning even more about technology than their predecessors, and there will be opportunities for them to take this knowledge out to the agencies where they do their field instruction. In the course this semester, for example, students will learn how to submit their assignments using email; they will have meetings in cyberspace instead of driving long distances to meet face-to-face; and they will be introduced to a range of Internet, word processing, spreadsheet and database applications used in many agencies. "NMU is making a big move toward integrating information technology in everything we do," notes Fred Joyal, academic vice-president at Northern, "and this collaborative social work program plays to the strengths of both institutions." All students in the program are required to have access to laptop computers, and they will be learning how to make use of this technology in school, at work and at home.  
  Through continued collaboration be- tween NMU and MSU there will be courses and seminars available to the students after graduation, as well as to the human service agencies and the general public. "This is consistent with MSU's statewide outreach mission," notes Bob Church, MSU acting vice provost for University Outreach, "and it's a fine example of two universities working together to bring more opportunities to the people we serve."  
  As this new program is beginning, the support from the two social work programs is stronger than ever. MSU's Professor Gary Anderson, director of the School of Social Work, states that "the goal of social work education at MSU is ultimately to improve the lives of the clients served by our alumni throughout Michigan, and we are pleased that this nationally recognized collaborative distance learning effort makes our MSW program easily accessible to students in the U.P.." The program permits students to develop professionally while continuing to serve clients.
  Professor Cornell (Rem) DeJong, director of the Program in Social Work at NMU, notes that "this collaboration provides a great opportunity for the graduates of our accredited BSW program to continue their professional education right at home."    
  And what do the students say? Graduates from the first program have stated that "the program was wonderful.....it was a life-changing experience ....students in the program provided an incredible support group for each other.... I learned to become much more verbal in the classroom and much more involved in my education...." Yes, it involves a lot of hard work, but the general consensus was that it was well worth it and, as they repeatedly said, it was great not to have to leave the area to do it. 
  With a new group beginning the program this year hope is again high for hard work and great rewards. When they graduate in May 2003, the students will have learned a lot about themselves as well as about social work, and their agencies and communities will have gained along the way. After they graduate, most will remain in the Upper Peninsula and continue to serve people in their communities.
  This collaboration between NMU and MSU truly serves the needs of the people by bringing them professionally trained staff who know the people and the culture because they have continued to live and grow in it. They are truly home grown.     
  Some openings are still available for students who have a bachelor's degree and the interest and desire to complete a graduate social work degree program, but they'll have to act quickly. Contact Gail St. Germain or Jeanne Johnson at the MSU office in Marquette (228-4830), or call the director of the program, Professor Paul Freddolino, at (800)306-2249 or (517)432-3723.

—Paul P. Freddolino Ph.D.
Professor and Coordinator of Distance Education, Michigan State University School of Social Work