DU, CMC partner to offer master’s degree

Glenwood Center new home for advanced degree in social work

Dr. Walter LaMendola, professor in the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, and Dr. Brad Tyndall, senior vice president of academic affairs at Colorado Mountain College, are among those in the DU-CMC partnership bringing a Master of Social Work program to western Colorado. Photo Stefanie Kilts
Dr. Walter LaMendola, professor in the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, and Dr. Brad Tyndall, senior vice president of academic affairs at Colorado Mountain College, are among those in the DU-CMC partnership bringing a Master of Social Work program to western Colorado. Photo Stefanie Kilts

In a partnership that will strengthen the Western Slope’s network of social support services, as well as create career opportunities for people already living in the region, Colorado Mountain College and the University of Denver are working together to bring a master’s degree in social work to Garfield County.

The Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) at the University of Denver has recently started enrolling students into its Master of Social Work (MSW) program in western Colorado. Colorado Mountain College will host the program at its Glenwood Center, which is located at 1402 Blake Avenue (behind the City Market) in Glenwood Springs.

Classes will start in fall 2013. Available spots are already being filled, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

“By partnering with the University of Denver, we’re able to help empower our local residents with greater access, so they can earn an advanced degree from a well-respected university,” said Dr. Charles Dassance, interim president of Colorado Mountain College. “Not only will this degree prepare people for careers in social services, it will provide the highly educated professionals to meet a very real need in western Colorado communities.”

Innovative program brings in-demand degree to Western Slope

Over the past year, the University of Denver has studied the viability of making the MSW available in western Colorado, similar to the degree they offer in Durango in cooperation with community partners that include Fort Lewis College. With support from Garfield County Department of Human Services staff, which discerns the great need for social workers in this part of the state, the private university from the Front Range and the public college from the Western Slope joined forces.

This innovative program, designed to meet the needs of western Colorado communities, combines both classroom and online instruction. Classes held Friday evenings and on Saturdays will accommodate the needs of working professionals, and students enrolled in the degree will enjoy a reduced tuition rate from the University of Denver.

In addition, the Colorado Department of Human Services, in partnership with GSSW’s Butler Institute for Families, has committed to offering eight Title IV-E child welfare stipends of $8,000 each to this program. Stipend recipients must commit to working in public child welfare in Colorado one year for each year they receive the stipend.

For more information and application instructions, contact Richard Bishop, program coordinator, at GSSW.WestCO@du.edu or 303-871-3615, or go to www.du.edu/socialwork.

Strong need exists for professionals in social services, related fields

The partnership between Colorado Mountain College and the University of Denver is timely and much-needed, say area providers of social services.

“This collaboration is absolutely critical to prepare our western Colorado students to meet the regional workforce demands of human services departments,” said Mary Baydarian, LCSW, Garfield County human services director. “It also fills our needs for locally based social workers for a wide range of career positions, expanding our local workforce to the master’s level to serve our western Colorado residents and clients.”

CMC is a longstanding partner with the Garfield County Department of Human Services in providing such programs as LINK to Success, Go to Work Workshops and GarCo Sewing Works to help public assistance clients transition successfully into jobs and careers.

The two-year MSW program is available to applicants with a baccalaureate degree in an academic discipline other than social work, earned at a regionally accredited college or university. In addition a one-year degree option is available to qualified applicants with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree.

“Our students who’ve earned a bachelor’s in sustainability studies will be able to feed into the University of Denver’s master’s degree,” said Dr. Brad Tyndall, senior vice president of academic affairs at Colorado Mountain College. “It gives them a pathway to an advanced degree, and to well-paying jobs.”

“We’re greatly impressed with CMC’s sustainability studies degree,” said Dr. Walter LaMendola, a professor in the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. “In our MSW degree, we have a second-year concentration in global health and sustainability. So students earning the degree at Colorado Mountain College’s location could get international experience, and bring that expertise back to their community.”

GSSW’s alumni surveys found that the MSW has proven to be one of the most versatile graduate degrees students can earn, opening the way to hundreds of diverse careers – from school social worker to adoption specialist, agency director to mental health counselor, immigration reform advocate to family therapist and much more.

Graduating students find opportunities to work in human services departments, mental health and substance abuse treatment centers, hospitals and programs serving seniors. There also is an increasing need, especially in rural areas, for social workers with expertise in integrated health care, due to implementation of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act.

Other social work careers include work with returning veterans, in criminal justice and victim advocacy, and in clinical private practice.