School of Social Work Plans Anniversary Celebration and Remembrance
Contact: Gail Werrbach, 581-2386
The UMaine School of Social Work is inviting members of the university community to an anniversary celebration for the school and a remembrance of an admired former faculty member June 18 at Wells Commons Conference Center.
The school is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the baccalaureate social program and the 20th anniversary of the Masters of Social Work program with a dinner banquet from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Speakers for the anniversary celebration are Julia Watkins, executive director of the Council on Social Work Education and a former UMaine dean and social work faculty member, and UMaine alumnae Kim Strom-Gottfried, currently the Smith P. Theimann Jr. Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Professional Practice at the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and.
From 4:30-5:30 p.m., the school is planning a memorial gathering to honor Patty Coleman, a former UMaine professor of social work and one of the professors involved with the creation of the school’s Master of Social Work program. Coleman, who died last November, had battled multiple sclerosis for 26 years, and was known for her advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities. She spoke regularly throughout the state to promote understanding of chronic illness.
“Since many graduates couldn’t attend Patty’s memorial service in November, we planned something to coincide with the anniversary banquet,” says Gail Werrbach, associate professor of social work.
For information, Werrbach or the School of Social Work can be reached at (207) 581-2386 or (207) 581-2398, respectively.