When Paul Freddolino approached MSUglobal in early 2005 to discuss his idea of creating what is now called the "Blended Statewide Model" for delivering Social Work education it goes without saying that I was extremely excited.
I was excited for a number of reasons. First off, Paul is a great idea guy — but he also possesses the ability to follow through — so I knew if we had a good idea, Paul could see it through to completion. Secondly, the School of Social Work had created new models before. They knew how "painful" the process can be, but their track record of success spoke for itself. Finally, the proposed model was truly innovative so I knew this would be a fun project.
Fast forward to May 2009. Picture yourself sitting at the MSU School of Social Work's graduation recognition ceremony. Picture thumbing through the program and coming across the heading "Statewide Blended Cohort" and realizing that a concept that had been brought forward a number of years earlier was actually "producing" the first class of graduates. Think about an extremely innovative program that blends learning, community, mentoring and technology into one dynamic package to deliver a program to students who otherwise would not exist at MSU.
As I have continued to reflect back on that day in May, I am reminded why I enjoy working in higher education so much. All too often we get caught up in the day-to-day issues and forget what it is all about. Thanks Paul Freddolino and the School of Social Work for advancing knowledge in innovative ways and truly transforming the lives of the learners who have the privelege of participating in your programs.
To learn more about the School of Social Work Blended Statewide Clinical MSW Program visit: https://www.msu.edu/~swdisted/
