Council on Social Work Education

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Reflecting on the Presence and Impact of CSWE’s Minority Fellowship Program: 

Celebrating 50 years of DEIA

Deadline for abstract submissions – May 1, 2023

The Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE) invites submission of abstracts for a special issue titled “Reflecting on the Presence and Impact of CSWE’s Minority Fellowship Program: Celebrating 50 years of DEIA”

Guest Editors:

Kesslyn Brade Stennis, PhD, Director, CSWE Minority Fellowship Program

Tanya Smith Brice, PhD, Vice-President, CSWE Division of Education

Ameera Bhanji, MSW, Associate Director, CSWE Minority Fellowship Program

Carl Algood, PhD, Program Specialist, CSWE Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program

Background:

The common nomenclature within some professional circles acknowledges the existence of longstanding policies and practices that are steeped in racism, oppression, and marginalization. This language also recognizes the impact of such policies and practices on micro, mezzo, and macro levels and the need for interventions. Fortunately, federal intervention has led to the establishment of Executive Order 14035: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce and subsequent, related executive orders including Executive Order 13985, Executive Order 14031, and Executive Order 13988. In addition, there have been two memorandums related to DEIA that have been formulated to foster the establishment of offices and programs that focus on assessing and addressing issues related to DEIA within their ranks. 

These federal statements provide a framework for conceptualizing each of the concepts of DEIA. Executive Order 14035 defines diversity as “the practice of including the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and beliefs of the American people, including underserved communities” and defines equity as “the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment.” Similarly, inclusion is conceptualized as “the recognition, appreciation, and use of the talents and skills of employees of all backgrounds,” and accessibility is understood to be “the design, construction, development, and maintenance of facilities, information and communication technology, programs, and services so that all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently use them” (Executive Order No. 14,035, 2021).  

While acceptance and utilization of these concepts appear to be a relatively recent development for the U.S. government and other professions, social work has long acknowledged and addressed them, albeit only tacitly at times. More specifically, professional social workers and social work organizations have served as some of the long-standing forerunners in ensuring that DEIA is addressed. Furthermore, they guarantee that the concepts remain at the forefront of professional communication, training, and practice. 

As one of those professional organizations, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) has led initiatives and secured federally funded grants that focus on inclusiveness and support anti-racist and anti-oppressive behaviors. One such long-standing grant-funded initiative is the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), which has aimed to address the impact of racism, oppression and marginalized by reducing the effects of substance abuse and mental illness on U.S. communities. More specifically, the grant has focused on increasing the number of individuals trained to work with underrepresented and underserved racial/ethnic minority persons with or at risk of mental health and substance abuse. This program has existed for 50 years and has been responsible for training over 1,000 practitioners and scholars at the master’s and doctoral levels, and these scholar–practitioners have subsequently been impactful in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in the global society.

While several articles have referenced and been written about CSWE’s MFP (Anastas & Kuerbis, 2009; Roberts & Jackson, 2007; Schiele & Francis, 1996), few if any have been published that share the perspectives and experiences of a cadre of the program’s alumni. Furthermore, there is limited information on the perceived influence of the program by alumni on career trajectory, professional collaborations, and community impact over the course of MFP’s 50-year existence and within the purview of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This special issue of the Journal of Social Work Education seeks to fill this gap by providing relevant information regarding the perceptions and experiences of MFP alumni surrounding DEIA-related career trajectory, professional collaboration, and community impact. The special issue seeks to ascertain the perceived impact of MFP participation of the aforementioned and provide qualitative and quantitative evidence of the program’s effectiveness from the participants’ paradigm. More specifically, the special issue aims to use the experiences of MFP alumni to 

1. stimulate critical discourse and forward movement in social work education about best career practices and trajectories surrounding DEIA, 

2. identify strategies for increasing anti-racist and anti-oppressive collaborations among faculty of color, and 

3. promote best practices surrounding curriculum and pedagogical approaches that prepare students to have noteworthy impact within communities of color.

While the basic structure of the article should be determined by the author, the authors should provide a brief personal introductory statement that describes their connection to CSWE’s MFP, discusses how the MFP impacted their career trajectory and/or research, and should address how the article is an example of behavioral health research that connects, in some way, to their time as a fellow in the MFP.

All abstract submissions are due May 1, 2023.

References:

Anastas, J. W., & Kuerbis, A. N. (2009). Doctoral education in social work: What we know and what we need to know. Social Work, 54(1), 71–81.

Exec. Order No. 14035, 86 Fed. Reg. 34593. (Jun 25, 2021). https://www.federalregister.gov/executive-order/14035

Roberts, A., & Jackson, M. S. (2007). Guest editorial: Expanding knowledge and competencies to reflect our diversity: A special section by alumni scholars of the Minority Fellowship Program. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(1), 1–4.

Schiele, J. H., & Francis, E. A. (1996). The status of former CSWE ethnic minority doctoral fellows in social work academia. Journal of Social Work Education, 32(1), 31–44.

Special Instructions:

· Authors must be current or previous fellows with CSWE’s Minority Fellowship Program (MFP).

· Authors must comply with the manuscript preparation guidelines noted by JSWE: Submitting to JSWE.

· Abstract submissions must go through Submittable and must be submitted by May 1, 2023.

· Abstract submissions should use the guide listed below:

MFP Abstract: In 500 words/2000 characters or less, the author should provide a brief personal introductory statement that describes their connection to the MFP, discusses how the MFP impacted their career trajectory and/or research, and should address how the article is an example of behavioral health research that connects, in some way, to concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and their time as a fellow in the MFP.

Article Title: Approximately 12 words

Article Overview: In 1000 words/3000 characters or less, please provide the reviewer with an overview of your article. The reviewer should be able to identify how your abstract overview and proposed article will fill a gap by providing relevant information regarding the perceptions and experiences of MFP alumni surrounding DEIA-related career trajectory, professional collaboration, and community impact. The special issue seeks to ascertain the perceived impact of MFP participation of the aforementioned and provide qualitative and quantitative evidence of the program’s effectiveness from the participants’ paradigm. More specifically, the special issue aims to use the experiences of MFP alumni to 

1. stimulate critical discourse and forward movement in social work education about best career practices and trajectories surrounding DEIA, 

2. identify strategies for increasing anti-racist and anti-oppressive collaborations among faculty of color, and 

3. promote best practices surrounding curriculum and pedagogical approaches that prepare students to have noteworthy impact within communities of color.

Article Outline: In 100 words/500 characters or less, please provide an outline of your proposed article.

Special Issue Production Schedule:

Deadline for Abstract submissions – May 1, 2023

Review of abstract – (May 1 – June 1)

Notice to Authors (abstract)- June 2

Deadline for submissions (full manuscript) – August 11, 2023

Peer review – completed by November 17, 2023

First decisions to authors – January 5, 2024

Manuscript revision – completed by March 6, 2024

Peer review 2 – completed by May 17, 2024

Final decisions – by July 12, 2024

All manuscripts to publisher – August 16, 2024 (Fall 2024 Supplemental Issue)

 Please direct questions about this special issue to Kesslyn Brade Stennis via email at kbradestennis@cswe.org.

Greetings!


CSWE is happy to host its inaugural Research, Policy and Practice Student Summit held in Alexandria, VA from June 26-29, 2023.  This RPP Student Summit promises to be an exciting one that offers opportunities for CSWE students to network with one another and invited scholars, visit Capitol Hill, visit historic locations in Washington, DC, and learn about research, practice and policy matters.  

While many of the four-day events are just for CSWE-affiliated fellows, the exciting sessions on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 are for everyone! If you are a social work student, faculty member or scholar-practitioner, you are invited to join us on that day!  

Here's just a quick "Schedule-At-A-Glance" for Wednesday, June 28, 2023 

Welcome by Dr. Halaevalu F. O. Vakalahi, CSWE President and Chief Executive Officer.

Sankofa Speaker featuring Dr. Iris Carlton LaNey

Research Break-Out Sessions 

* Relevant   Research Regarding Substance Use and Mental Health

* Data Sciences  and Relevant Research Modalities

* Data Analysis:   Exploring Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research

Policy Break-Out Sessions

* Developing a Policy Agenda

* Best Practices and Platforms for Advocacy  

* Understanding   Social Welfare Policy for BIPOC Communities

Lunch and Learn Student Poster Sessions

Practice Break-Out Sessions

* Contemporary Practice Issues in Substance Use in BIPOC Communities

* Contemporary Practice Issues in Mental Health in BIPOC Communities

*  Future Practice Possibilities

Grant Writing Break-Out Sessions

* Community Partnerships in Grant-Writing

* Using Advocacy   to Create Funding Opportunities

Collaboration Session

* Research, Policy, Practice and Grant Writing: Pulling It Together

Dinner and Affinity Groups

Activities  on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 will begin at 8:30 AM ET and you don't want to miss ANY OF THE SESSIONS!  Plan to register early TODAY!  Whether you are taking the metro or driving in to the Embassy Hotel in Alexandria, VA, you should plan to arrive EARLY!  We don't want you to miss ANYTHING!

Your registration for this event is required.  Rates are listed below:

Early Bird Rates (Before March 31, 2023)

$25- undergraduate

$35- Graduate (non-fellows)

$50- Other

Regular (Beginning April 1, 2023)

$35 – undergraduate

$50 – Graduate (MSW and Doctoral)

$75 – Regular

Should you have any questions about programming, please contact:

Mais Dias - mdias@cswe.org 

or 

Kesslyn Brade Stennis - kbradestennis@cswe.org.

Have a great day and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

RPP Planning Committee

Thank you for your interest in the Council on Social Work Education's Minority Fellowship Program for Master's students! Please read these instructions prior to beginning your application.

Additionally, MFP staff invite you to join one or more of the application support virtual meetings listed below. 

A series of information sessions will be held at the following dates and times:  

• March 17, 2:00 PM (ET)
• April 4, 5:00 PM (ET)
• April 26, 7:00 PM (ET)

Additionally, application support question and answer sessions will take place:

• March 28, 3:00 PM (ET)
• April 19, 5:00 PM (ET)
• May 11, 12:00 PM (ET)

Questions can be directed to mfp@cswe.org.

Thank you for your interest in creating a curricular guide as part of the EPAS Curricular Guide Resource Series. Curricular Guides are used as an educational resource in various settings, particularly in the classroom. Please read the following guidelines to understand the curricular guide development process. 

Curricular Guides are created jointly with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) staff and task force participants, led by two co-chairs and nine competency chairs. Task force members can be selected by CSWE staff and co-chairs or by an open call. Task force participants may include: CSWE members, social work professionals and/or interdisciplinary professionals. 

Each guide takes approximately one year to create with copyediting, printing, and promotion of the guide completed by CSWE. Curricular Guides are grant-funded, costing approximately $45,000- $50,000. CSWE recommends proposers identify or already have a funding source; CSWE may supplement additional grant sources on a case-by-case basis. 

Use this form to propose a curricular guide. CSWE administration will review the form and contact you within 2 weeks of review. For questions, contact Joseph Bess, Director of Professional Development, jbess@cswe.org. 

2023 Call for Volunteers
CSWE invites members to apply to serve on one of 17 distinguished CSWE commissions or councils. 

Required Documents

1. Application
2. Resume
3. Brief statement of interest identifying the requested appointment area and describing special areas of expertise or interest in that area

How to apply

• You will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit to these forms. (please note: Submittable is not affiliated with your CSWE membership account). 
• You can save a draft of your work if you would like to finish filling out the form at a later date.
• If you need to make changes to your form, please withdraw your submission and resubmit.
• If anything changes with the information you submitted, please request to edit the submission
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We will follow-up with you about your submission by email. Please be sure to whitelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used to sign up for your Submittable Account regularly. Check out the Submitter Resource Center or reach out to Submittable's Customer Support team with any technical questions here.

The Carl A. Scott Memorial Lecture, given each year at the CSWE Annual Program Meeting (APM), celebrates the legacy of Carl Anderson Scott by allowing current scholars active in the promotion of diversity and social, economic and environmental justice to communicate their experiences and inspiration to an audience of social work educators, students, and practitioners.

Carl A. Scott joined CSWE in 1968, a turbulent time in our country’s history, as a senior consultant on minority groups. He championed CSWE’s early efforts to promote human diversity in social work education by securing funding to recruit minority group students and faculty. With initial funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, Scott single-handedly developed CSWE’s Minority Fellowship Programs, which are among CSWE’s most vibrant and highly regarded activities. Numerous former fellows now serve as deans, directors, and faculty members in schools and departments of social work.

In recognition of Mr. Scott’s ground-breaking contributions to CSWE and the profession, the Carl A. Scott Memorial Fund was established to continue the legacy of equity and social justice in social work, through building knowledge and furthering the well-being of individuals and their communities. This fund sponsors the annual lecture series. Nominees should be individuals who contribute to the development of knowledge, practice, and service effectiveness designed to promote diversity and social and economic justice and further community and individual well-being.  The CSWE Commission on Diversity and Social and Economic Justice (CDSEJ) will review all submissions based on the selection criteria below.

• accomplishments consistent with the values of social work education, research, and practice;
• a focus on equity, diversity, and social, economic, and environmental justice;
• a seminal contribution to human rights in social work education and/or practice;
• attention to critical issues of our time; and
• a connection to the conference theme, "It's Time to Act: Defining and Reckoning With Anti-Racist Social Work Education".

Nominations should come from current CSWE members, but nominees do not have to be CSWE members. Self nominations will be accepted. Conference registration, transportation, and a 2-night hotel stay will be provided for the presenter, along with a $1,000 speaking honorarium and a plaque. 

The CSWE Commission on Global Social Work Education is pleased to announce the 18th annual Partners in Advancing International Education (PIE) Awards program, honoring the contribution of social work faculty members, social work students (BSW, MSW, or PhD), and organizations as partners in advancing education for international social work. The PIE awards are given in recognition of conceptual, curricular, and programmatic innovations in education for international social work. Priority is given to U.S.-based nominees.

The Partners in Advancing International Education Awards will be presented at the CSWE Annual Program Meeting in Atlanta, GA, immediately preceding the Hokenstad lecture.

Eligible Recipients
Up to three awards are given annually- one for each of the following categories of contributors to education for international social work.

1. Social work faculty member (current members of the Commission on Global Education and those who are within a year of completing their term on this Commission are not eligible to apply for the award).
2. Social work students or student group (BSW, MSW, or PhD level) (social work graduates within 2 years of graduation, relative to the timing of the APM conference, are eligible to apply).
3. Local (APM host city), national, or international organizations.

Recognition
Award recipients receive an engraved plaque honoring their contributions to the advancement of education for international social work. Awards are presented jointly by the chair of the CSWE Commission on Global Social Work Education and the chair of the PIE Awards Committee. There is no financial support associated with this award.
Nominations Process
Letters of nomination for PIE award candidates must include the following:

1. The name and contact information for each nominee
2. The nominator’s rationale for the nomination (with a clear statement concerning the innovations made by the nominee in advancing education for international social work)
3. Documentation in support of the nomination (e.g., a current curriculum vitae and copies of selected publications for individual nominees; or, in the case of organizational nominees, copies of relevant stories concerning the nominee organization in the public media, as well as a detailed description of the activities engaged in by the nominee that contribute to the advancement of education for international social work)
4. Other materials that nominators believe would be helpful to the PIE Awards Committee in reviewing the merits of nominees. Please limit submission materials to 6 pages, excluding CVs (for individuals)

Nominations are open to faculty members, students or student groups, and organizations located either within or outside the United States. Preference will be given to nominations that have a demonstrable link to the advancement of education for international social work in the United States. Letters of nomination must be submitted via Submittable.Atlanta members

The Hokenstad International Lecture series was launched in 2007 through an endowment from M. C. “Terry” Hokenstad, a former president and long-time member of CSWE. The 2023 Hokenstad International Lecture will be given during the CSWE 69th Annual Program Meeting (APM) in Atlanta, GA. The lecturer will be provided international airfare (economy class), 2 nights of hotel accommodation, a conference registration, and an honorarium of $1,000 (US).
Nomination Criteria

The CSWE Commission on Global Social Work Education reviews all submissions. It selects each year’s lecturer based on the nominee’s body of scholarly work that enhances and complements the work of the Katherine A. Kendall Institute for International Social Work and the work of CSWE’s Commission on Global Social Work Education, using the following criteria:

• The nominee’s accomplishments promote standards of excellence for international work that are consistent with the values of social work education, research, and practice.
• The nominee has developed innovative international content in social work education or a related field and has published educational materials for internationalizing the curriculum.
• The nominee has demonstrated success with the implementation of programs and initiatives that facilitated collaboration in the global social work community.
• The nominee has advanced theory and practice for global social work education.
• The nominee demonstrates a connection to the 69th CSWE APM conference theme, "It's Time to Act: Defining and Reckoning With Anti-Racist Social Work Education".

*Consideration will be given to regional, gender, racial and ethnic diversity.*

Nomination Process
All nomination submissions must include the following:

1. Nominator and nominee information
2. The proposed, topic for the lecture (limit to 12 words)
3. A letter indicating how the nominee meets selection criteria, specifically, how the nominee's international accomplishments are consistent with the values of social work education, research, and practice (maximum of 2 pages)
4. Nominee's current curriculum vitae
5. A YouTube link to an example of the nominee speaking publicly

Nominations must be submitted through Submittable. Please note that the application will require you to complete the form fields and upload a letter and your nominee's CV. E-mailed or incomplete nominations will not be accepted.

Submit the following:

• a 3-minute video explaining how you will promote social justice (i.e., racial, economic, and environmental) in your social work career OR a short essay
• a statement of interest and a
• recommendation letter (via a request form)