endure, and the power to change the condi-
tions of their life are in people not only utterly
real but indestructible.
I Believe: That common experiences, com-
mon needs and aims make certain that in the
long run [people] will work together instead of
in competition to achieve their goals—theirs,
not the goals of others for them.
I Believe: That the fulfillment of individ-
ual life is in belonging with others who share
the same purposes. In this relatedness an indi-
vidual finds use for what is unique in him/her,
responsibility which develops him/her, and a
sharing which gives both glory and meaning to
life.
Over sixty years later, these core beliefs of
Bertha Capen Reynolds still resonate and in-
spire. As the seasons turn and years pass, our
professional core values have remained intact
as we work together to create a world in con-
sonance with human dignity, social justice,
and service above self-interest.
This I believe: that social work values
offer the best hope for a better tomorrow. I
look forward to the coming New Year and,
with your
help, putting these values into ac-
tion!
You can find NPR’s This I Believe at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?
storyId=4538138
Greetings!
As I write, the chill of winter is in the air,
and the hothouse days of summer are a distant
memory. Autumn is a quintessential time for
reflection, and fall 2005 is no exception. I am
reminded that this fall marks five years since
the first cohort of MSW students entered our
School. We have accomplished much during
these years, and now we have another mile-
stone ahead: the reaffirmation of our MSW
Program’s accreditation. Our faculty and
Advisory Board are engaged in reviewing and
strengthening our curriculum and programs.
This is no small task, but I am confident that it
will be accomplished through the dedicated
efforts of our entire School community.
In this time of reflection, I have been en-
couraged and inspired by the ongoing National
Public Radio series of spoken essays entitled,
This I Believe. As explained on the NPR web-
site, “Americans from all walks of life share
the personal philosophies and core values that
guide their daily life.” I have been cheered by
Studs Terkel who sums his belief in three
words, “community in action”, and by the
poignant words of a young man who struggled
to come to terms with being gay in a hostile
world, who ended his essay with these words:
And this I believe: the “right” story is
the one that helps me to love myself the
most, to create the most, to love others
and to support them in their creations.
For it is for those awesome experiences
that I believe we are here.
From many different perspectives, these
people have reached inside to define ultimate
beliefs—truths that sustain and give hope for
the future. In the same way, social work has
defined a set of core values that are the basis
for the ethical standards of the profession. As
the NASW Code of Ethics states, we believe
in service, social justice, dignity and worth of
the person, importance of human relation-
ships, integrity, and competence. These broad
ethical principles are the ideals to which all
social workers should aspire. These shared
professional values form a framework for the
self-defined values that guide each of us in our
individual pursuit of competent and ethical
practice.
One of the “founding mothers” of social
work, Bertha Capen Reynolds, expressed her
most vital personal beliefs in a 1940 article
with the following statements:
I Believe: That it is possible to understand
scientifically the movement of social and eco-
nomic forces and to apply our strength in in-
telligent cooperation with them.
I Believe: That the needs and desires, the
feelings and the will to act, the strength to
Director’s Corner
Dr. Linnea GlenMaye
Director of Social Work
BSW Beat
Courtney Boettcher
BSW Program Director
WSU. Whatever the situation, thank you
for the guidance you have given our stu-
dents when you find there might be a
“little bit of social work in them.”
Enjoy those who are close to you this
holiday season.
~Courtney
As the holiday break draws near, I
think about how much has happened over
the semester. Though, I am not ready to
close the door for the semester quite yet.
I have enjoyed meeting so many new
faces this semester and getting to know
the familiar on a deeper level. I feel there
is not enough time to get to know our
students well enough; to become ac-
quainted with their successes in class-
room and the field. I hope you enjoy the
new section “Practicum Spotlight” which
highlights the great work our students are
doing out there in Wichita and surround-
ing communities.
The new students who I greet at my
door seem to have heard there is great
opportunity in the field of social work.
These students are seeking direction in
what many of us know as a rewarding,
fulfilling and exciting profession. My
guess is the students have seen these at-
tributes reflected in the work of our
alumni, field instructors and other social
workers in the community and want to
take a bit of that fulfillment for them-
selves. It is the social workers in the
community who often find people who
“never knew about social work, but are
glad they found out!” For our seniors,
they look forward to only one more se-
mester before they graduate. For others,
they look forward to learning about what
social work can offer during their years at
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