Professional Notes
UST-CSC School of Social Work faculty gave presentations at the Minnesota Social Service Association Training Conference and Expo. This statewide conference brings together a continuum of social service providers including county board members, social service administrators and supervisors, professional and paraprofessional service providers and support staff.
Presenters were: Lisa Richardson and Kathy Caron, "Internship Supervision: Supporting Student Learning in the Field"; Caron and Dr. Sarah Ferguson (with students Donnita Osborne and Heidi Peterson), "Reaching Your Professional Goals Through a Cohort Model: The College of St. Catherine/University of St. Thomas Social Work Program"; Ferguson and Jane Hurley- Johncox, "Clinical Supervision Within the Agency Context"; and Ferguson, with co-presenter Christina Erickson of Augsburg College, "Creating Healthy Organizational Culture." Dr. Carol Kuechler was a co-panelist on "Getting an MSW: Why? When? and How?"
The College of Arts and Sciences' Center for Irish Studies and Modern and Classical Languages Department have been awarded a second grant of $37,000 from the government of Ireland in support of the teaching of the Irish language (An Ghaeilge) at St. Thomas for 2008-09 and 2009-10. The grant funds teaching, curriculum development and student summer scholarships to the Acamadh Ollscoláíochta (National University of Ireland, Galway) in Connemara. Fionntán Ó Mordha, Dr.Thomas Dillon Redshaw, College of Arts and Sciences (English Department) and Dr. Donald Miller, College of Arts and Sciences (Modern and Classical Languages Department), researched, wrote and submitted the grant request to Rannóg Polasaí na Gaeilge, Na Forbacha, Gaillimhe, last September.
Dr. Angeline Barretta-Herman, Academic Affairs, and her research team -- Dr. Henry Parada, Ryerson University (Canada); Dr. Brian Littlechild, University of Hertfordshire (United Kingdom); and Dr. Patrick Leung, University of Houston, with Dr. Michael Cogan, Academic Affairs, as research consultant -- have been awarded $16,000 by the Board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work in support of the 2010 Census of Social Work Programs. The decennial census gathers data from the five regions of the globe on social work programs, their structure, faculty demographics, international activities, curriculum requirements and content. The first step in the project, headed by Leung, is updating the 2000-02 Directory of Social Work programs – a listing of over 1900 programs. It is expected that in the past decade that number has grown in excess of 3000, with the majority of new programs in China, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The distribution of the Web-based survey is scheduled to begin January 2010.
Father Jan Michael Joncas, College of Arts and Sciences (Catholic Studies Department) gave a presentation at the Pauline Year "Oasis in the City" Feb. 24 at the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas in Rome, Italy. Joncas spoke about the musical elements in the Pauline writings and helped bring them to life with demonstrations of his own musical settings. Before beginning his talk, Father Joncas played and sang with the packed audience his well-loved composition, "On Eagle's Wings," in English and Italian.
Dr. Matthew Kent , College of Arts and Sciences (Philosophy Department), will write a chapter for a book, Soccer and Philosophy, which will be published just in time for the 2012 World Cup soccer tournament. The book is a selection in the Open Court Press Philosophy and Popular Culture Series. Kent's chapter is tentatively titled "Why Aristotle Would Consider Soccer the Most Perfect Sport" and will discuss the topic in terms of Aristotle's insights on such topics as the four kinds of causes, the virtues and the purposes of recreation and theater.
Debra Lindh, a St. Thomas doctoral candidate in organization development, received a patent number for her invention, the Messy Face bib. The reversible bibs are made in Minnesota and were designed to keep children and their clothes clean during mealtimes. They are now being made in larger sizes to accommodate people with special needs. Lindh is the CEO of Minneapolis-based Messy Face Designs .
Talia Nadir, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center, and Dr. Debra Petersen, College of Arts and Sciences (Communication and Journalism Department), presented "Embedded Librarian: Librarian and Faculty Partnership," at the Minnesota Library Association's Academic and Research Libraries Division's annual, one-day conference, "Community Connections: The Library as Catalyst," on May 1 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen.
