Social worker shared field experiences

Fort Worth, TX

3/31/2008

The former president of the National Association of Social Workers spoke about his experiences and the state of the profession at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni and Visitors Center, the social work department chair said.

Gary Bailey, who served as president of the organization from 2003 to 2005, was the Green Honors Chair this year, said David Jenkins, chair of the social work department. Bailey serves as chairman of the National Social Work Public Education Campaign.

He is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers Foundation Board of Directors and is an associate professor of social work at Simmons College in Boston, said Lorna Runge, social work administrative assistant.

The topic of the speech was "The Future of Social Work and the Need for Diversity Within the Profession."
"We as a profession really don't look like what we represent," Bailey said. "People of color are overrepresented as being recipients of service, while underrepresented as practitioners."

Junior social work major Andrieka Lockett said in a field where students work with people of diverse backgrounds, having a diverse workforce makes it easier to empathize with clients.

"We're able to emphathize and understand more where clients come from," Lockett said. Lockett said she was the hostess of the event as a representative from the department to the community.

Bailey also addressed the need in the social work profession to acknowledge the past and work together to move the profession forward.

The Cecil H. and Ida Green Honors Chair was created to bring distinguished scholars, scientists, writers and other career persons to the campus for short visits, according to the Academic Affairs Administrative Handbook. Each department within a school has the opportunity to invite a Green Chair every three years.

"Anyone interested in social justice found this beneficial," Jenkins said.

Lockett said that students who attended saw a side of social work that may be different from their assumptions about the field.

"It will help students in many fields develop their own social awareness of diversity in any field," Lockett said.
In addition to the Green Chair event, Bailey also spent his time at TCU visiting classes and meeting with administrators and the community.