We are pleased to share several organizational developments at the North American Network of Field Educators and Directors (NANFED). In August, we gained federal non-profit status as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. We also expanded our board of directors.
Our new members include Theresia Johnson-Ratliff, Director of Field Education, Jackson State University; Kimberly Setterlund, Director of Field Education, Azusa Pacific University; and Michele Sienkiewicz, Associate Director of Field Education, University of Denver. They join returning board members Patti Aldredge, Program Director, Champlain College; Ronnie Glassman, Director of Field Instruction, Yeshiva University; Beth Halaas, Assistant Professor, Eastern Washington University; and Lisa Richardson, Director of MSW Field Education, St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas. Our gratitude goes out to Bill Fisher and Rebecca Brigham, who stepped off the board after playing key roles in NANFED’s recent reorganization. We’re pleased to have such wide geographic representation on the board of directors, with members in Washington, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, and Vermont.
A special welcome goes out to new regional field collaboration, the Alabama Field Consortium. The consortium spans the entire state of Alabama, a large geographic area with numerous social work programs. The group plans to meet in-person twice a year with conference calls in-between, providing an opportunity to talk about issues that are specific to field education and the field director role. Allison Curington, Director of Field Education at the University of Alabama, who initiated the process and is currently coordinating the group, explained that she was interested in creating the type of collaboration and networking she experienced in national arenas, such as at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting. “We can be so isolated in our roles,” she said, “I wanted to try to pull people together in some way.” For more information on the development of the Alabama consortium, and on the twenty regional field consortia representing nearly 300 schools in 38 states, go to the NANFED news section of our website.
NANFED continues to foster best practices in field education by supporting collaboration and networking among field educators. Nearly 100 field-related presentations, workshops, meetings and events are on the program for the 2015 CSWE Annual Program Meeting, which speaks to the centrality of field to social work education. The APM offers a special opportunity to celebrate excellence in field instruction and field education. NANFED is pleased to recognize Jo Ann McFall with the Dean Schneck Memorial Award for Distinction in Social Work Field Education, and Carol Heinisch with the Heart of Social Work Award. Both awardees will be celebrated at NANFED’s Heart of Social Work Award reception on Saturday, October 17, 2015. All are welcome.
For detailed information on NANFED’s activities and events, links to other field education resources, and information on membership, please visit our website.