Happy Holidays! On behalf of the Alumni Association, we wish all the best to you, your family and friends for a joyous and healthy new year. We look forward to seeing you in 2008!

Sincerely,

Penny Schwartz '78
President

Ps. We recently received this great photo. Do you recognize anyone from the CUSSW Marvels?

Discussion Groups on AlumniConnect
You can now chat with other CUSSW alumni about careers, publications, current issues, etc. For those of you who would like to post information on social work related conferences and events visit the Professional Development Discussion Group. If your topic is not listed, you can request to begin a new group. To access the groups, click here. You will need your UNI and password to post a message and/or access the discussion groups. To obtain your UNI or password, click here.

Hall of Fame Nominations Deadline
CUSSW Alumni Association's Hall of Fame deadline is fast approaching!  If you would like to nominate an alumna/us for consideration for the 2008 award, please complete the nomination form by Monday, December 31, 2007.  All nominees must have graduated from a CUSSW degree program at least 15 years prior to the year of nomination. Graduates from all fields of practice will receive full consideration in the nomination process. All nominations will be confidential.  If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at 212-851-2375 or sswalumni@columbia.edu.

CUSSW Welcomes New Career Director
Kim Barberich has joined CUSSW as Director of Career and Leadership Development. Kim comes to CUSSW from American Express where she managed a leadership development program for high potential employees.  Before joining American Express, Kim was a director in the Office of Career Development at Barnard College where she was responsible for the B.E.S.T (Barnard Experience for Seniors in Transition) Program. As a director in Career Development, Kim managed the on-campus recruitment process and counseled students and alumnae on their life and career goals. Before Barnard, Kim worked at Project Zero on the GoodWork Project, a large-scale research project which studies the relationship between exemplary work and social responsibility among individuals across various professions.  Look to hear more from Kim in the Spring 2008 semester!

It's Not too Late
You still have time to make your gift to the CUSSW Annual Fund and receive a valuable tax deduction for the 2007 calendar year. Your gift is an investment in the future of the Columbia University School of Social Work and the social work profession. Its impact will be felt beyond our campus to points across the globe. For more information, please click here.

CUSSW Alumni Honored by the New York Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers
Alumni Jamie Favaro ’04, Raysa S. Rodriguez ’05, Kimberly A. Steinhagen ’04 and Lisa White ’99 have been named the 2007 Emerging Social Work Leaders by the National Association of Social Workers New York Chapter. Read more.



Alumni Profile: Megan Crowe Rothstein
"Why did you take this job?" This was the first question alumna Megan Crowe Rothstein '07 was asked when she joined the Open Society Institute's Justice Initiative in Mexico. Read more.



CUSSW Collaborates with the National AIDS Foundation to Conduct Intervention Study with Sex Workers in Mongolia
Dr. Susan Witte, associate professor CUSSW, is leading a study with the National AIDS Foundation (NAF) to test the efficacy of an HIV and alcohol abuse prevention program. Funded by National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the study aims to reduce HIV risk among sex workers in Mongolia.
Read more.



First Year Students At a Glance
Over 300 students entered the MSW program in the Fall. Here's a brief close-up of three of our exceptional students. Read more.

A Message from Barbara Silverstone
Barbara Silverstone, chair of the Doctoral Graduates Committee, is pleased to announce that Dean Takamura has sent a formal request to the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for the approval of a conversion of the DSW degree to a PhD degree - based upon the fact that the DSW was always a research- oriented program. While a final determination is yet to be reached, this is an important step forward.  More information will follow as it becomes available.

Class Agents Needed
Did you graduate in a year ending with a '3' or an '8'? This year, along with the Golden Anniversary Class of 1958 and the Silver Anniversary Class of 1983, the CUSSW Alumni Association is encouraging alumni who graduated in years ending with a '3' or an '8' to celebrate their reunion the evening of Friday, May 2, 2008. If you would like to be a class agent and assist in getting your classmates together for the reunion, contact the alumni office at sswalumni@columbia.edu or 212-851-2375.

Our alums are making news. Read all about it!

Marjorie Tiven '69
"Bringing the U.N. Up to Code," The New York Times. Click here.

Hollee McGinnis '81
"South Korea and its Children," The New York Times. Click here.

Hollee McGinnis '81
"Blood Ties and Acts of Love," The New York Times. Click here.