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Social work conference slated for Oct. 5-6

The 46th annual Alabama-Mississippi Social Work Education Conference will take place at Delta State University on Oct. 5-6.

The opening ceremony for the event kicks off at 8 a.m. on Oct. 5 in the Jacob Conference Center in Ewing Hall.

Attendees are asked to register in advance at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/46th-annual-alabama-mississippi-social-work-education-conference-registration-32440965802. Anyone wanting to enhance their knowledge of social work is invited to register.

Keynoting the affair is Dr. William Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs and a Delta State alumnus.

This year’s theme is “Social Work Marching Together: Yes We Can … No We Won’t.”

“We invite you to come and share in this educational experience with social work educators, students and professionals from both Alabama and Mississippi,” said Cora Jackson, interim chair of the Department of Social Work at Delta State. “This is the first time in 10 years that Delta State has hosted the event, and we hope participants will enjoy our beautiful campus and enjoy the culture of the Delta as they enhance their knowledge and skills.”

Jackson said the conference will provide faculty with the opportunity to obtain up to 26 continuing education units.

“It will also allow us to develop and strengthen collaborations with other undergraduate social work programs throughout the region as we share our unique perspectives on social work and social work education,” she said.

The conference will also feature a red carpet event open to all attendees at GRAMMY Museum ® Mississippi on Oct. 5. The event encourages camaraderie among colleagues as well as the opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of the museum. The event is free, and refreshments will be provided. The attire for the evening is semi-formal or Sunday’s best.

From 1969-1971, social work faculty from Southern states met four times a year as part of a faculty development project of the Southern Regional Education Board. When the project ended, faculty from Alabama and Mississippi schools decided to form a conference so they could further the bonds they had developed. The conference has continued ever since.

Objectives of the conference are: to promote transfer of information among schools providing social welfare education courses in the states of Alabama and Mississippi; to provide a forum for issues and problems of regional importance for the two states; and to enable individual schools and faculty members to be sensitive and responsive to the changing demands of social work education.

The first three conferences were hosted by the University of Alabama, and starting in 1975 the conference was rotated among social work programs in the two states.

Today, representatives from all 27-CSWE accredited social work programs in Alabama and Mississippi, as well as programs from surrounding states, participate in the annual conference. Many of these programs bring their students who participate in programming and seek out employment and further educational opportunities.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/almssocialworkedconference.