Download the 2009 Hartford Annual Report pdf How Social Workers
Assist Older Adults
View the Interactive Chart

The Leadership Academy in Aging

(Above) Leadership Academy in Aging conference, held June 19, 2009 at the New York Academy of Medicine.

Leadership development in geriatric social work is important at all levels and in all settings, both academic and clinical. However, the reality in most academic institutions is that leadership starts at the top. Therefore, the Hartford Foundation provided funding to the New York Academy of Medicine and the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work for the Leadership Academy in Aging.

“To be successful in making the programs of the Geriatric Social Work Initiative sustainable, we believed we needed to address all levels in the educational system,” says Patricia J. Volland, MSW, MBA, Senior Vice President, The New York Academy of Medicine, “including deans and directors.” In focus groups, deans and directors of schools of social work expressed a desire to expand their aging programs, but they were also interested in leadership development opportunities.

(Above) Jeanette C. Takamura, PhD, (right) Dean, School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York City, Grover C. Gilmore, PhD, (center) Dean, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, and Sheldon Gelman, PhD, (left) Dean, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, New York City.

At the Leadership Academy in Aging, outstanding deans of social work schools and directors of social work programs further develop as leaders in the field of aging care and build their capacity to address the needs of America’s aging population.

The first Leadership Academy was launched in September 2008 with 12 deans and directors, and the second one began in November 2009. Sessions included workshops on management, student recruitment, legislative outreach, media relations, community development, fundraising, and faculty relations. Each participant developed a plan to introduce the aging agenda into their work and school.

Deans and directors who have participated in the program have:
• Raised their social work school’s visibility and status within the university
• Recruited students by strengthening their school/university’s presence in the field
• Strengthened legislative outreach and education skills
• Strengthened community development skills while increasing their school’s role in the community and broader environment
• Strengthened capacity-building and management skills
• Increased resource development skills

Building on the success of the Leadership Academy in Aging, the NYAM’s Social Work Leadership Institute created the Leadership Committee on Aging for social work students. This program fosters leadership skills in the students who are the future leaders in geriatric social work.

Next: Conclusion ›