Master of Social Work Graduates are Helping Those who Need it Most

Brookville, NY -- Julee King says she’s always been socially active, but never quite knew how to channel her energy into something productive. Now, working for the Nassau/Suffolk Coalition for Homeless as the manager of housing and services, King helps people from all parts of the population every day whether it’s providing direct care or assisting other agencies in any way they require.

The Las Vegas native, who lives in Westbury and has a B.S. in psychology, said she learned how to focus her energy to work toward helping others when she enrolled in the Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.

“The program opened my eyes even more to reality but it also gave me a way to do something positive. I can change things now.”

King, who graduated in May, is a member of the first graduating class of the M.S.W. Program, a two-year program that can be completed at either the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville or Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus. The innovative, collaborative program, unlike any available in Nassau County, offers three in-demand specializations: Gerontology (either Long-Term Care Administration or Senior Community Service), Alcohol and Substance Abuse, or Non-Profit Management.

The program takes an interdisciplinary approach to the field, combining course work not only across campuses but also across departments within campuses. The two campuses are sharing faculty, and in some cases students are taught using distance learning technology.

King, whose concentration was in Non-Profit Management, said being part of a new program established a strong camaraderie among the students, many of whom she is still in close contact with. “I loved being a part of the new program,” King says. “The professors took our ideas and suggestions very seriously.”

In every concentration, graduates will have completed many or most of the requirements necessary for certification or licensing in their field. Students who successfully complete the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Concentration will have completed everything except an internship required to meet the New York State Department of Education requirements for the Certificate in Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling (CASAC). Those in the Long-Term Care Administration track will meet most of the academic requirements for the Nursing Home Administrator's Licensing Exam in New York State. Gerontology and Non-Profit Management students will meet almost all necessary requirements for a New York state advanced certificate in their specialized area.

King, who interned at the Coalition as part of her curriculum requirements and then part-time until she graduated, said she wouldn’t have qualified for her position unless she had an M.S.W. degree. Taking an extra course, she also received an advanced certificate. She recently earned her license. “Most social work jobs now require an M.S.W., and having your license makes you that much more marketable,” she said.

In the future, King says she sees herself as an executive director of a non-profit agency or even entering politics. “I’m so happy I went this route,” she says of the program. “It was exactly what I was looking for.”

The Master of Social Work program is offered by the School of Public Service, which is a division of C.W. Post’s College of Management. For more information, contact Dr. Ilene Nathanson at the C.W. Post Campus at 516-299-3924, Dr. Samuel Jones at the Brooklyn Campus at 718-246-6442, or e-mail betsy.klipera@liu.edu.

Applications for enrollment at either campus are currently being accepted for the Fall 2007 semester, which begins January 22, 2007.

Posted: October 4, 2006