Social Work Program

Social work is the profession dedicated to enhancing human well-being and ending social injustice. Social workers are focused on alleviating poverty, challenging oppression, and empowering disenfranchised people. The Manchester College Social Work Program is a baccalaureate program preparing competent, effective social work professionals who are committed to generalist practice. The program has been fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1978.

MC Social Work
Student Achievements
 

Tim Polakowski '08 (double-major Spanish/Social Work, minor in Gerontology) has been honored with a prestigious Fulbright grant. He will spend a year teaching English in South Korea. Tim also won MC's Capstone Outstanding Senior Leadership Award and the state-wide Richard J. Wood Student Community Commitment Award. Tim is pictured above in his field placement - the Dr. Jorge Prieto Family Health Center in Chicago.

Kim Sandor '05 has been accepted into the top-ranked MSW Program at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis. In her graduate studies, Kim plans to combine her commitment to social work with her interest in law.

Tyffany Hippensteel '08 and Carrie Darnell '08 have both been accepted into the advanced standing MSW Program at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. Tyffany plans to concentrate on school social work, and Carrie will focus on social work in health care settings.

Mandee Russell '07 was so successful in her senior field placement at Sarah's Circle in Chicago, she promptly landed a full-time position there! She serves as a Senior Case Manager for women who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless.

Kimberly (Thiede) Sons '07 is now a therapist with the Verbal Behavior Center for Autism in Indianapolis.

Kate Jastrzemski '07 found meaningful work with Aging and In-Home Services, Inc. in Fort Wayne immediately after graduation.

Congratulations to Jamie Charvat '07 for landing a position working with surgical rehabilitation patients at Willis-Knighton Health System in Shreveport, LA!

Shortly after graduating with a social work major and a gerontology minor, Eric Berger '07 accepted a position as a Family Case Manager at the Dept. of Child Services in Lake County, IN.

Bruce Orr '08 - social work major and collegiate athlete - set a Manchester College school record in the indoor 400m run with a time of 51.81. Way to go!

Melinda Harris '06 earned her MSW degree at the University of Denver, completing the "At-Risk Youth" concentration. She was then hired by the Fort Wayne Women's Bureau to join their Rape Awareness Program.

Brooke Pyles '06 served as an Americorps volunteer in two Indianapolis high schools.

Crystal Waggy '05 worked as a bilingual counselor at the YWCA RISE Children's Center in Chicago. before entering the Jane Addams School of Social Work for her MSW degree.

Eddie Miller '04 loves living in Arizona and working for Child Protective Services.

Katherine (Weikel) Lyon '04 found her self-described dream job at The Carriage House in Fort Wayne, IN.  This organization uses the clubhouse model, which empowers individuals with serious mental illnesses.

Jenn Morris '04, MSW spent a year serving the homeless in northern California through Brethren Volunteer Services. She then completed her masters degree and began working for the Homeless Initiative Program in Indianapolis.

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Students and faculty in
MC's Social Work Program value diversity,
human relationships, social and economic justice, and the infinite worth of every individual.

 MC Social Work Program Statement of Mission

“The Manchester College Social Work Program, a baccalaureate degree program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, prepares competent, effective social work professionals who are committed to generalist practice. This includes providing services to the poor and oppressed and working to alleviate poverty, oppression and discrimination. The program seeks to graduate people who understand truth as it is perceived from scientific, moral, philosophical, historical and global perspectives; possess professional generalist social work skills; promote economic and social justice and active peacemaking; and view personal and professional development as a life-long process.”

It is the Mission of Manchester College to nurture in its students a concern for peace and justice, respect for ethnic, cultural, and religious pluralism, and an appreciation for the infinite worth of every person.  The Social Work Program brings the Manchester College mission to life through its value-based curriculum, opportunities to engage with human diversity through in-class and out-of-class experiences, and its connections with social service organizations across the region.

Social work majors get involved!  At Manchester, social work majors learn to find solutions to difficult problems by asking the right questions rather than making assumptions. They talk about value systems and ethics in the workplace. They graduate with a commitment to make a positive difference in the communities in which they live and work.

Social work graduates go forth from Manchester College believing that every person has value-that every person has a right to grow and to develop her/his potential.  Social work majors find careers working in programs concerning health care and mental health, hunger, child abuse, juvenile delinquency and crime, addictions, disabilities, unemployment, older adults, domestic violence, and homelessness.

The Social Work Program at Manchester College is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.  How does this benefit our students? Click the button to find out:

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