Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University will celebrate the accreditation of its Master of Social Work program on Saturday night (Sept. 16).

“The Master of Social Work degree has been a dream of many western Kentucky residents for the last 20 to 25 years,” said Dr. Suzie Cashwell, program director. “Due to work by Western Kentucky University and the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, this desire is now a reality.”

The program was granted its initial accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education  in June. The accreditation process was completed in less than five years; the national average is seven years, Dr. Cashwell said.

The first graduates of the program (32 in May 2005 and 22 in May 2006) are already working in rural areas of western Kentucky where more social workers are needed, she said.

“Throughout the country, there is a deficit of graduate educated social workers,” Dr. Cashwell said. “Social workers work in various settings including hospitals, home health care, child welfare, public social service agencies, private agencies, prisons, juvenile justice, adoption agencies and mental health facilities just to name a few.”

The MSW celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Knicely Conference Center at WKU’s South Campus. Speakers will include Provost Barbara Burch and Dr. John Bonaguro, dean of the College of Health and Human Services.

“The MSW program allows working social services providers to gain the knowledge, skills and values needed to meet best practice standards of the profession without giving up work and family,” Dr. Cashwell said. “Ultimately the key is that it assist rural individuals, families, communities enrich their lives by educating practitioners to work in rural areas with specialized knowledge.”

For information about the MSW celebration event, call (270) 745-4172.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Suzie Cashwell at (270) 745-5312.

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