The MSSA Leadership Fellows Program
The MSSA Leadership Fellows Program will focus on exceptional students who want to assume
leadership in clinical practice within an agency context. It is a two-year program of study for
direct practice students in aging, alcohol/drugs, children and youth, health or mental health.
The skills and education of student participants will be augmented by additional course work,
innovative practice-oriented field placements, integrative seminars, mentorships and leadership
training. Students will conclude the program with a capstone project developed over the two-year
period. Each fellow will have a faculty mentor as well as a community agency mentor.
Criteria for Selection
Cohorts for the Leadership Fellows Program must be outstanding students who can take on
additional academic work and outside activities, as well as a more intense field placement
experience. A limited number of students will be admitted to the program each year to help ensure
our ability to select exceptionally qualified cohorts that are prepared to undertake the
rigorous requirements of the Leadership Fellows Program.
Students will be selected for the Leadership Fellows Program based on clearly defined criteria
including:
- Superior undergraduate educational performance. (Requred: cumulative grade point average of 3.2
or higher on a 4-point scale.)
- Evidence of leadership capabilities as demonstrated by previous positions of leadership,
letters of reference and personal statement provided in program application.
- Previous social work or human service-related work experience or volunteer service.
- Interest and capability to pursue a rigorous academic program including additional program
requirements.
- Satisfaction of all admission requirements of the MSASS master's degree program.
Questions about the program may be directed to
David E. Biegel, PhD, Henry Zucker Professor of Social
Work Practice and director of the Leadership Fellows Program. You also may call him at
216.368.2308, or
download the brochure for more
information.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the MSSA Leadership Fellows Program is to improve the quality of human services for
vulnerable populations by educating the next generation of social work leaders in the
implementation of evidence-based clinical practices. Graduates of the program will have a direct
and profound impact on the quality of service delivery in human service agencies and the lives of
its residents.
The program was designed with the help of community leaders in the social service, education and
philanthropic fields. As a result, the following program objectives were established for the Mandel
School, the community and participating students:
Objectives for MSASS
- To enrich and strengthen the student body of The Mandel School by recruiting "the best and
the brightest" students to the school's Master's Degree Program, including students who
previously may not have chosen social work as a career
- To incorporate -- over time -- educational innovations from the Leadership Fellows Program
into the master's degree program's full-time and intensive weekend formats
Objectives for the Community
- To enhance the ability of human service agencies to address the needs of vulnerable populations
through the students' knowledge and skills in the design, implementation and evaluation of
evidence-based practices
- To augment agency recruitment of future clinical leadership through the program's ability to
fast-track its graduates into clinical leadership positions
Objectives for the Leadership Fellows
- To prepare fellows for leadership in the design, implementation and evaluation of
evidence-based practices for vulnerable populations by providing a cutting-edge educational
experience
- To educate fellows to be effective change agents on behalf of vulnerable populations
- To attract students who have already demonstrated a commitment to community service and social
justice to a career in social work
Specialized Course Work
Students will be required to take two specialized courses for this program, in addition to
required master's level courses for other direct practice students:
-
Development and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices - This is a new course that
will be developed for this program based on the nationally recognized leadership of Mandel School
faculty and staff in the implementation of evidence-based practices through our Center on
Evidenced-Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University. The course will focus on processes to
identify and select appropriate evidence-based practices, the identification of facilitators and
barriers to implementation of evidence-based practices and strategies to address implementation
barriers.
-
Theory and Practice of Leadership - This course is currently offered as an elective in our
master's degree program.
Innovative Field Placements
- In their first-year field placement, students will be exposed to various evidence-based
practices through rotations in several agencies. Students also will meet and consult with agency
administrators for a broader understanding of agency operations.
- In their second-year field placement, students will serve as a member of an agency team
planning and/or implementing a specific evidence-based practice.
Integrative Field Seminars
- The first year's seminar will focus on presentations by outstanding social work professionals
in the community involved in implementing evidence-based practices as "exemplars" of leadership, as
well as nationally recognized social work leaders.
- The second year's seminar will focus on implementation of evidence-based practices in systems
of care for clients with multiple problems and needs (e.g., youth served by both the child welfare
and juvenile justice systems). Speakers will include outstanding local and national leaders in
evidence-based practices and systems of care.
Student Portfolios
- Leadership Fellows will develop electronic formative, summative and career portfolios during
the course of their two-year studies at MSASS.
- Portfolios will be tied to the
eight abilities of the master's
degree program curriculum.
- Faculty advisors will provide students with feedback on their portfolios throughout the
two-year program.
Capstone Project
- Students will be required to prepare a capstone project on evidence-based practices during
their two years of studies.
- During the first year, in consultation with the program's director, they will select a
population and problem, and prepare a report on the needs of the selected population and the
evidence-based practices that have been developed to address the needs of this population.
- During the second year, in consultation with the program's director, fellows will continue to
work on their projects with a focus on the facilitators and barriers to implementation of the
selected evidence-based practices in routine practice settings.
- Student projects will be presented at a student-led conference in their final semester, which
will be open to MSASS students and agency representatives.
Mentoring
- Each fellow in the program will be matched with an outstanding community agency mentor who will
provide individual consultation and support on leadership and career development.
- Fellows also will have a faculty mentor who will serve as their academic advisor and assist
them in coordinating program components with Mandel School degree requirements.
Informal Group Activities
- A series of informal group activities -- including lunches, seminars and discussions -- will be
organized by the program director in consultation with the fellows each year in order to help build
ties among the fellows and to augment the formal educational program.
Leadership Fellows Alumni Network
- Graduates will be invited to serve as mentors to current fellows.
- Graduates will be encouraged to participate in leadership activities of the program, including
seminars, lectures and informal meetings.
- Graduates of the program will be linked to each other, to current fellows and to the Mandel
School, via distance learning, a listserv, the website, an electronic newsletter and e-mail.
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