Scholarly Activities

Since 1994 the association co-sponsored a total of six Joint Korea-U.S. Symposia on Social Work Education:

  1. The First Joint Symposium on Curricular Development for Specialization in Advanced Social Work Program at University of California, Berkeley, in February, 1994;
  2. The Second Symposium on The Core Curriculum of American Graduate Social Work Programs at Sungsil University, Seoul, Korea, in February, 1995;
  3. The Third Joint Symposium at Washington, DC, in February 1996;
  4. The Fourth Joint Symposium in US;
  5. The Fifth Joint Symposium on Social Work & Social Welfare in the Coming Era of Korea's Reunification at New York, NY, in February 2000 (There were 10 paper presentations from Korean SW scholars and six paper presentations from the U.S. scholars of Korean ancestry);
  6. The Sixth Joint Symposium at Seoul National University, Korea, in June, 2001;
  7. The Seventh Joint Symposium at Seoul, Korea, in January, 2009.

These joint symposiums were co-sponsored by CSWE. Several CSWE presidents and Executive Director Don Bliss were invited to Korea by the Korean counterpart association.

Collaboration with Social Work Practitioners

The KASWEA facilitated the establishment of the New York Korean American Social Workers Association. In February 2000, the two jointly sponsored the community forum on various issues for Korean immigrant communities in NY. Similar community forums also took place in Nashville, TN, and Houston, TX.

Workshops and Focus Meetings with Doctoral Students

Several workshops and Q&A sessions were conducted by Korean American senior faculty members for doctoral students who needed guidance for academic success, dissertation management, and career advancement. Dr. Ailee Moon of UCLA, the 7th president, made concerted efforts during her term in promoting the mentorship links between Korean American faculty and students in advanced degree programs.

Other Forums and Presentations

In 2008 the International Multicultural Community Collaboration Leadership Forum in 2008 for the Korean Social Work Educators and Professionals in U.S. and Korea was coordinated and moderated by Dr. Kui-Hee Song (9th president) in Philadelphia, PA. The forum was  “Multicultural Community Leadership Collaboration among Social Work Scholars and Professionals in Korea and the U.S.: Multicultural Policy, Practice, and Research in Global Context."
In 2009 at CSWE APM in San Antonio, TX, Dr. Kui-Hee Song (9th president) coordinated and facilitated a forum celebrating the 100 Years of Korean Immigration in U.S. and Dr. Daniel Booduck Lee’s Retirement.
In 2011 at CSWE APM in Atlanta, GA, Dr. Kui-Hee Song and Soonhee Roh presented a partnership session on "The Social Work Approach to Spirituality in Helping with Korean Americans."