New MSW program off and running

Aug. 30, 2010

New MSW program off and running

"I like that it's geared for working adults," said Adrian Lopez of Gilroy, a member of the first class of CSU Monterey Bay's Master of Social Work program.

Lopez and the other 40 members of the inaugural class were invited to an open house on Aug. 20 to get to know each other before school started three days later. Students mingled with faculty and staff, community partners and university administrators.

According to Dr. Mayleen True (pictured at right), MSW program director, the "pioneer" students are a mix of working professionals, recent college graduates and career changers. A majority of them come from Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.

Their majors represent a wide range of related disciplines: social work, health and human services, criminology, global studies, health education, human communication, human development (including child development), kinesiology, liberal studies, social and behavioral sciences and psychology.

Approximately 40 percent are Hispanic and bilingual (English-Spanish). Students also reported proficiency in American Sign Language, French, Italian, Russian and Tagalog.

Several of the students grew up as immigrants or migrant workers, dealing with poverty and other challenges.

All of them are thrilled that they have access to a social work graduate program in their community. Some waited for years for this program to become a reality. They all want to learn advanced social work skills for career development.

The MSW program has enjoyed a strong community-university partnership. There has long been a shortage of social workers with MSW degrees in the region. The closest programs are located at San Jose State, CSU East Bay in Hayward, and San Francisco State. All are a considerable distance for working people and those with families. Having a program at CSUMB allows the community to "grow our own," as Dr. True says.

A few highlights of the MSW students who are working professionals:

• Work experience ranges from less than 1 year to more than 10 years
• Social work fields include services for youth, adoption, foster care, case management with children and families (including foster care), group home for mentally and physically disabled children and youth and children's mental health

Lopez (pictured at left) is interested in a career change. He's currently a manager at the Best Buy store in Marina.

"I'd like to work with kids, perhaps as a school social worker," he said. That interest was piqued when he worked with high school students in the Upward Bound program while he attended UCLA. He graduated in 2003 and started a teacher credential program several years later, but his work schedule made that difficult to complete.

"I actually came to visit the teacher credential program here," he said. "But I noticed the sign in the lobby for the MSW program and decided to apply there instead."

Elizabeth Zanzinger of Santa Cruz is also looking for a different kind of career. She's currently the manager of a coffee shop. The graduate of UC Santa Cruz – where she earned a degree in cultural anthropology – was attracted by the internship requirement.

"I'm looking to apply what I learned in my undergraduate degree to real life. I want to learn how to help people," she said. "It's a foot in the door to have an MSW."

The three-year evening program allows students to concentrate in behavioral health or
children, youth and families. Students must also complete an internship of 1,000 hours total – 250 hours per semester (16 hours a week for 9 months) in the second and third years.

More information is available at csumb.edu/msw. Application period for Fall 2011 will open on Oct. 1.

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