Meetings In Jamestown to Focus On UB Offering Master's Degree Program In Social Work At Jcc

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Public information meetings on the feasibility of the University at Buffalo offering a masters in social work (MSW) degree program in Jamestown will be held there at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 and Dec. 2 in the Katharine Carnahan Jackson Center at Jamestown Community College.

Lawrence Shulman, dean of the UB School of Social Work, said the meetings will be held to ascertain whether residents of the western Southern Tier of New York and northwestern Pennsylvania are interested in having the program offered in Jamestown.

He said UB and JCC have reached an agreement for the program to be offered at JCC if there is sufficient community interest. "We must have a minimum of 30 people admitted and registered in the MSW program for it to be offered in Jamestown," he noted.

Robert L. Barber, JCC dean of continuing education, added: "We are very pleased with the decision of UB to conduct these public information meetings to explain the MSW program, which could be offered at JCC using our distance-learning facilities. If there is adequate community interest in the MSW degree here, it means that area residents will come to JCC to take their courses and not have to drive to Buffalo."

Students in the program, he added, will have live two-way audio and video communication with the professors teaching courses in Buffalo.

The Nov. 17 and Dec. 2 meetings will include a formal presentation on the MSW degree program, including discussion of courses to be offered and costs.

The presentations will be made by UB School of Social Work faculty members, including Howard Doueck, associate dean for research and program development; Janet Palya, assistant dean for field education and off-campus programs, and Alison Mohammed, director of admissions, recruitment and student affairs.

"I strongly urge area residents interested in the MSW degree to attend one of the public information meetings," Barber added.