Goshen College Professor of Social Work Jeanne Liechty lectures during a recent class.

With classes beginning in January 2013, Goshen College is now taking applications for two new programs of study as part of an expanded educational offerings for adult students: a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree and the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree.

The two programs join current Goshen College adult programs of an R.N. to B.S. in Nursing and a B.S. in Organizational Leadership. The new Master of Arts in Intercultural Leadership program also begins classes in January. All three new programs represent a new level of investment in better meeting the demand for adult studies.

Visit the adult programs page to learn more about these programs, or call (574) 535-7527 or 800-348-7422.

Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree

Responding to growing demand for social workers, Goshen College is now offering the Michiana region’s only Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work for nontraditional students. Accelerated classes consisting of five seven-week sessions will combine classroom and online learning as well as internships to enable adult students with an associate degree to achieve a bachelor’s diploma in 18 months.

According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the demand for social workers is expected to grow 25 percent by the year 2020. Goshen’s social work program is nationally known and respected, with a high placement rate for its graduates and a licensing pass rate of 100 percent.

Graduates in social work are employed by a range of private, government and non-profit organizations which include schools, nursing homes, retirement communities, mental health and healthcare providers, and agencies addressing a host of social and personal issues such as child welfare, addictions and unemployment.

“Our reputation in this area is well known, and we’re 100 percent committed to providing the same quality of education that’s found in our traditional program,” said Jeanne Liechty, social work program director and professor of social work. “Students will get direct practice experience while being closely supervised by community professionals in a variety of social service areas. They will also benefit from the expertise of our faculty, who bring a range of practice experience into the classroom, and who are prepared to give each student personalized attention.”

In fact, 90-plus percent of Goshen College social work alumni have been granted advanced standing in their graduate programs, including the best programs in the country.

“We know organizations are looking for this kind of expertise, and our partnerships and contacts in this area offer excellent placement opportunities,” Liechty said. “The Michiana community has a wide array of social service resources.”

The accelerated degree includes the study of social welfare policies and programs, methods of social research, social work practice theory, field instruction, and a senior seminar that integrates field study with classroom work. In addition, there is a series of “Core” classes with numerous options to choose from. Two semesters of a foreign language are also required.

“A social work degree can be applied in many different settings and environments; it’s a very flexible professional degree which allows people to find the right niche for a rewarding career,” said Liechty. “We’re very pleased that we’ve been able to create a delivery model that allows the nontraditional student to pursue this degree while holding a job. We believe this is a significant addition to the curriculum in our region, and will ultimately serve students, agencies and clients well.”

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree program’s basic structure consists of four-hour, one-night-a-week classes on campus, supplemented by online learning, in accelerated seven-week sessions that are offered in a year-round sequence. This schedule supplies a great deal of flexibility for busy adults. Student resources include an iPad for class use, and all other resources available to traditional students.

“Many people don’t know we have a full business degree offering in a non-traditional student format,” said Michelle Horning, business department chair. “But, in fact, Goshen College has a lot of advantages for adult students.”

The college is very accessible, less than a 60-minute drive for a half a million people. It is the only Elkhart County college with a complete campus and all the student resources, from the library to the gym, such a campus provides.

“We employ some online class work, but the benefits of learning in a physical class setting are also significant, especially in establishing helpful relationships with other students and faculty,” said Jim Hess, director of the BSBA program. “There’s also something to be said for simply going to a physical campus. It helps people focus on why they’re here.”

Employers in the region are well aware of Goshen College and the quality of its graduates, allowing it to have a high job placement rate, said Hess.

“A non-traditional degree from a highly respected traditional college means something in the marketplace,” he added. “So Goshen College has a lot to offer the adult student in terms of improving their career as well as getting a degree.

“There is financial aid available if needed, making this quality program affordable for working adults. And the program is designed with their busy lives in mind, including the fact that the full application process can be taken care of in one stop.”

The BSBA degree is very flexible and applicable to a wide range of business, non-profit and government positions. The course list includes such topics as entrepreneurship, human resource management, business law, principles of management, principles of marketing, financial management and management strategy.

In addition to transfer credit for coursework done at other colleges, students can receive up to 12 credit hours for knowledge they’ve already acquired on the job, through different kinds of training.

“We expect this degree program and others we’re creating will help Goshen College become known for one more thing: a prime educational resource for the non-traditional student,” said Randal Gunden, executive director of Adult and Online Programming.

Andy McNiel.

The tenth annual Goshen College and Ryan’s Place grief seminar, titled “Building Bridges for Grieving Children and Their Families,” will be held on Friday, Sept. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Goshen College Church-Chapel Fellowship Rooms. The registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 21.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Andy McNiel, executive director for the National Alliance for Grieving Children, a national advocacy and resource organization for anyone providing support to grieving children. He previously served as executive director of The Amelia Center in Birmingham, Ala., providing support and counseling to children and teenagers grieving the death of someone in their lives and parents grieving the death of a child. Before coming to The Amelia Center, he was Director of Grief Counseling Services for the Hospice of Martin & St. Lucie in Stuart, Fla.

McNiel received a bachelor’s degree in religion from Palm Beach Atlantic College and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a licensed counselor with the state of Alabama.

During his keynote address, “What Grieving Children Want You to Know,” McNiel will present the key results from a national childhood bereavement survey conducted by the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the New York Life Foundation last year.

The seminar, especially recommended for social workers, educators, counselors, therapists, nurses, clergy and other human service professionals, is co-sponsored by Goshen College and Ryan’s Place, and will offer several breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon featuring qualified local therapists and practitioners. A panel discussion about pertinent issues raised throughout the day will conclude the event.

The seminar schedule includes: “Ethical Considerations when Supporting Grieving Children,” by Katharine E. Schrock; “Talking to Children about Suicide,” by Aileac Deegan; “Make it – Take it,” by W. Rex Gleim; “Cognitive Behavior Models of Support,” by Andy McNiel and a panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Carol Jarvis.

The objectives for the seminar are for attendees to learn how to work with families who are experiencing loss and grief for a variety of reasons, learn about resource materials, establish a network of personal connections and provide hope in time of loss.

Seminar Schedule:

8 a.m. – Registration
8:30-8:45 a.m. – Welcome
8:45-9:30 a.m. – Opening session
9:30-9:45 a.m. – Break
9:45-10:50 a.m. – Second morning session
10:50-11 a.m. – Break
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Third morning session
12:15-1:15 p.m. – Lunch
1:15-2:30 p.m. – Breakout sessions
2:30-2:45 p.m. – Break
2:45-4 p.m. – Panel discussion
4-4:30 p.m. – Completion of evaluations and awarding of CEU’s

The cost for registration before the early registration deadline on Sept. 21 is $60 for general public and anyone who wishes to receive CEUs ($80 after the deadline) and $20 for students ($35 after deadline). No refunds will be issued after Sept. 24.

The registration fee includes lunch, snacks, a resource notebook and a continuing education certificate (six CEUs are available). This year, teachers may use the agenda as documentation of Professional Growth Points for license renewal.

For further seminar information, or to register, contact the Goshen College Social Work Department at (574) 535-7400 or e-mail margemb@goshen.edu. Or visit www.goshen.edu/sowk for more information and to register online.

Bob Birkey

GOSHEN, Ind. — After 37 years of service, Goshen College Professor of Social Work and long-time Program Director Bob Birkey is retiring. He has been teaching at GC since 1975, making him the longest-serving current faculty member.

In addition to serving as program director for the past 18 years, Birkey has accomplished much during his years at GC. He led students on a Study-Service Term to Belize, completed his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame, achieved accreditation and multiple re-accreditations of the Social Work Program and completed six months of sabbatical research in Greece.

While retirement is a prospect that Birkey looks forward to, he said he will miss the students, faculty and staff with whom he has worked. Over the years, he has witnessed considerable changes in student demographics, curriculum and technology, but he said that the students have remained of high caliber. There is one aspect of the current group of students that Birkey finds considerably notable.

“I believe this generation of GC students is increasingly accepting — not just tolerant, but truly accepting — of diversity and committed to inclusion of marginalized persons,” said Birkey. “My generation still has much to learn from them.”

As he retires, Birkey says goodbye to a college that looks very different than it did 37 years ago. When he began teaching, there were no personal computers, cell phones or fax machines. Birkey said, “I remember a committee meeting in which the need for computers was being discussed and I made the comment that I could not imagine ever needing to have one in my office. And of course we had no idea the iPad was coming down the pike.” This fall, the college will provide all new first-year students with an iPad mobile computing device to use as part of the college’s new general education curriculum.

Professor of Social Work Jeanne Liechty will take on Birkey’s role of program director in addition to her current position. Liechty is a former student of Birkey and believes his contributions to the social work program made it one she wanted to teach in. “He has a wonderful sense of humor, keeps a keen eye on current events and politics, and analyzes them succinctly and boldly,” said Liechty. “He’s a big part of why I enjoy coming to work.”

For Birkey, retirement means having a chance to pursue projects and interests that he has been unable to focus on while maintaining a full-time director position. These include traveling, spending time with his guitar, working on family and ancestral research and looking into projects that have been on hold for a number of years. Birkey also notes that he will continue to serve periodically as an adjunct professor, and plans to maintain his deep interest in social policy.

–By Maddie Ruth, from the Goshen College Record

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Assistant Director of Public Relations Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values — passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership — prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

GOSHEN, Ind. – The ninth annual Goshen College and Ryan’s Place grief seminar, titled “Narratives of Grief: Listening for the Stories,” will be held on Friday, Sept. 30 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Goshen College Church-Chapel Fellowship Rooms. The registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 26.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Heather Servaty-Seib, associate professor of educational studies at Purdue University and a licensed psychologist. She will present “Narratives of Grief: Listening for the Stories.” Servaty-Seib has published books in the area of death and dying, particularly dealing with adolescents. She maintains a small private practice counseling children, adolescents and adults who are struggling with loss issues. She is also the first vice president for the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the leading international organization of death and dying professionals.

During her keynote address, Servaty-Seib will focus on describing the narrative approach to understanding grief, the idea of meaning-making and how storytelling helps in this process and how a person can be truly present and listen to the stories of grieving individuals.

The seminar, especially recommended for social workers, educators, counselors, therapists, nurses, clergy and other human service professionals, is co-sponsored by Goshen College and Ryan’s Place, and will offer several breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon featuring qualified local therapists and practitioners. A panel discussion about pertinent issues raised throughout the day will conclude the event.

The seminar schedule includes: “Activities, Activities, Activities” by W. Rex Gleim, “The Power of Art in the Grieving Process” by David Labrum, “Children’s Stories of Grief” by Jennifer Miller, “Intercultural Thoughts on Grief: Reflections on the Latino Immigrant Experience” by Gilberto Perez Jr., “Ethics in Grief Counseling” by Rachel Schertz, “When Teenagers Experience the Death of a Friend” by Heather Servaty-Seib and “Transforming the Story: Therapeutic Work with Grief” by Crystal Whitlow.

The objectives for the seminar are for attendees to learn how to work with families who are experiencing loss and grief for a variety of reasons, learn about resource materials, establish a network of personal connections and provide hope in time of loss.

Seminar schedule
8 a.m. – Registration
8:30-8:45 a.m. – Welcome
8:45-9:30 a.m. – Opening session
9:30-9:45 a.m. – Break
9:45-10:55 a.m. – First morning session
11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. – Second morning session
12:15-1:15 p.m. – Lunch
1:15-2:25 p.m. – First afternoon session
2:30-2:45 p.m. – Break
2:45-4 p.m. – Panel discussion
4-4:30 p.m. – Completion of evaluation and awarding of CEUs

The cost of the seminar is $60 for the general public and anyone who wishes to receive CEUs and $25 for students and seniors. The registration fee includes lunch, snacks, a resource notebook and a continuing education certificate (six CEUs are available). This year, teachers may use the agenda as documentation of Professional Growth Points for license renewal.

For further seminar information, or to register, contact the Goshen College Social Work Department at (574) 535-7400 or e-mail margemb@goshen.edu.

– By Alysha Landis

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, ” Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report‘s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

To learn more about and order copies of the reports, contact Goshen College’s Center for Intercultural Teaching & Learning at (574) 535-7800, or visit their website at www.goshen.edu/citl. Reports can be purchased for $10 per volume, or for $20 for all three volumes.

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College’s Institute for Latino Educational Achievement, in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, published a three-volume series of research reports, titled “Latinos in Northern Indiana,” during the spring of 2011. The reports assess the educational experiences of local Latinos and provide recommendations for improvement.

The research shows a rapid growth of the local Latino population over the past 20 years, though the source of the growth isn’t from immigration; it is from births in the United States.

During a press conference to announce the publication of the reports, Associate Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies Allert Brown-Gort said, “We need to work on how we integrate these young people and how we make them part of Indiana’s future. We cannot do well unless they do well.”

Many local Latinos have low incomes along with low high school graduation rates and high poverty rates. According to the research, they are generally welcomed and comfortable in schools, but foreign-born students face more social difficulties than those born in the United States.

The report includes several recommendations: better cultural awareness (cultural knowledge and bilingual counselors and teachers), more guidance in college preparation and peer-support programs for parents.

Robert Reyes, director of research for Goshen’s Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning, said, “We are responding to one of the greatest social problems of our time – the challenge of education inequality in America.”

Reyes described the reports as written in a qualitative manner, using stories and quotes to bring the research to life. The first volume, “A Demographic Profile,” examines the recent demographic surge of the Latino population in St. Joseph, Noble and Elkhart counties in North Central Indiana. The second volume, “A Historical Account of Their Settlement 1990-2009,” describes the settlement and adjustment experiences of Latinos in the four cities of South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen and Ligonier. The third volume, “Educational Challenges and Opportunities,” assesses how Latino immigrant students and parents experience the educational systems in North Central Indiana.

Brown-Gort said that he hopes people beyond the academic setting will use the information. “They’re not academic documents; they’re not meant to be stored in a library,” he said. “They’re really meant for working decision makers at all levels from the local to the state and, not only in government, in business also.”

– By Alysha Landis

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

### 

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Urban Faith Works

Gwen Birky Miller ’75 and her husband, Gary Miller ’76, got the surprise of their lives last year when a man who had introduced himself as a stock broker and documentary filmmaker later revealed that he was actually a “Secret Millionaire” from ABC’s television’s reality show and wanted to donate to the nonprofit program they help operate.

Urban Faith Works (UFW) offers after-school and summer programs for youth in the distressed city of Gary, Ind. UFW helps children with homework and teaches them life skills and how to set and achieve goals. It also offers Bible and life lessons.

For the Millers, UFW is a mission and a family affair: their son, Ben, founded and directs the program with his wife, Jacque, who is treasurer and serves on the board and works full time as a teacher. Gwen volunteers full time and is the board secretary. Gary is board president and a volunteer and works full time as a pharmacist. “We moved to Gary 12 years ago as an intentional move into this harsh community to live and work among the people here, specifically trying to keep kids off the streets,” Gwen said.

Into their lives last summer arrived James Malinchak, who claimed he was helping produce a documentary on grassroots groups. In reality, he is a motivational speaker and a millionaire. Following the “Secret Millionaire” format, Malinchak spent a week in poor Gary neighborhoods volunteering at nonprofits before revealing his identity. On the show, which was broadcast nationally on March 20, he was seen giving UFW a $10,000 check.

The Millers say it was a true blessing. “We certainly did not receive a million dollars but enough to help keep the doors open,” Gwen said. “Praise God for He is so good. His provision is simply amazing to us. On the “Secret Millionaire” website, Ben added, “We were able to use some of it (money) to procure one of the lots next to our property… Receiving $10,000 was more than we could have ever imagined.”

To learn more about Urban Faith Works and see the Miller’s “Secret Millionaire” segment, go to www.urbanfaithworks.com.

—By Richard R. Aguirre, with help from Sara Alvarez, and The Record