Mission
The mission of the Council on Social Work Education Gero-Ed Center (National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education), funded since 2004 by the John A. Hartford Foundation, is to promote gerontological competencies in baccalaureate and master’s level social work programs nationwide to prepare students to enhance the health and well-being of older adults and their families.
Rationale
By 2020, one in six Americans are projected to be age 65 and older, with the most dramatic growth among those over age 85, elders of color, and women. These demographic changes, profoundly shaping every aspect of our society, are the impetus for the Hartford Foundation’s Geriatric Social Work Initiative (GSWI). Closely related is the growing demand for social workers with gerontological competencies, as documented in numerous workforce studies.
Social workers interact with older adults and their families in nearly all practice settings—child welfare, health and mental health, schools, domestic violence, and substance use to name a few—but are typically not formally prepared to do so. Recognizing this, the Gero-Ed Center promotes gerontological competencies at the generalist level for all social work students, as well as specialized gerontological practice behaviors at the advanced level.
Leadership
Principal Investigators
The Center's mission, vision, and leadership are provided by the co-Principal Investigators (click on names to view biographies):
Dr. Nancy Hooyman
Hooyman Endowed Professor in Gerontology
School of Social Work
University of Washington
Dr. Julia Watkins
Executive Director
Council on Social Work Education
National Advisory Board
In addition to the Center's co-Principal Investigators, a dynamic, nine-member National Advisory Board provides support and overall direction. Board members were selected both for their gerontological and curricular change expertise, and for their leadership in major social work professional organizations:
Elizabeth Clark
Executive Director
National Association of Social Workers
Harriet L. Cohen
Assistant Professor and Hartford Scholar
Texas Christian University
JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez
Professor, School of Social Policy
University of California, Los Angeles
Alberto Godenzi
Dean, School of Social Work
Boston College
Robyn Golden
Director of Social Work
Rush University Medical Center
Linda Harootyan
Deputy Director
The Gerontological Society of America
Mildred C. Joyner
Professor, School of Social Work
West Chester University
James Reinardy
Director, School of Social Work
University of Minnesota
Kathy Rutz
Vice President, Editorial Development
The Haworth Press