BUSSW’s Keefe Develops New Model for Connecting Alumni, Faculty and Agencies: The Network for Professional Education

BUSSW’s nationally-known Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research (CADER) and Professional Education Programs (PEP) will soon be operating under a new overarching model called The Network for Professional Education — an innovative, new entity that will function as a nexus to connect alumni, faculty and external agencies.  The Network will partner with the School’s talented pool of alumni and faculty to create a compendium of teaching and learning opportunities–one that will grow their talents, while sharing their established expertise with organizations nationwide through a new interactive database designed to be a one-stop resource.

Bronwyn Keefe, PhD, MPH, MSW, and director of both programs says, “Our vision is to create something more compelling than just a continuing education platform or a workforce development solution that any other university can replicate. The BUSSW community possesses a unique strength as pioneers of knowledge and impact in the field of social work. This community of expert faculty, researchers, alumni and practitioners, allows us to create a robust resource network the market has not seen before.”

The dramatically changing health care landscape, coupled with evolving complexities in the delivery of patient care, present both a challenge and opportunity for social work professionals. As Keefe explains, “To effectively address these shifting landscapes—specifically within the social work profession—our workforce development efforts require a high degree of connectivity between higher education, and health and social services agencies. Social workers are looking for lifelong learning programs that will help them enhance their skills and knowledge, while state and local agencies are looking for partnerships with academic institutions to build career ladders for their employees. This new model brings all of these groups together in one place.”

BU DL&I‘s Digital Education Incubator will fund this lifelong learning initiative and support the creation of an interactive database designed to engage BU alumni and faculty in nationwide workforce development training. Keefe, also a BUSSW research assistant professor, will serve as the project’s principal investigator with the support of BUSSW colleague and CADER Online Training Manager, Anna Stathopoulou.

During the 24-month grant term, the project team will accomplish the following:

• Create a lifelong learning database portal that will serve as a “one-stop resource” for training and workforce development efforts offered through BUSSW alumni and faculty;
• Develop a “Trainer’s Bureau,” listing subject matter experts on a variety of topics—all of whom are alumni and faculty members at BUSSW interested in developing content and providing training across the country;
• Create a mini-series of online courses designed to ‘train the trainer’ to develop and deliver content and evaluate training outcomes; and
• Recruit a group from the above-mentioned pool of experts to serve as consultants to state departments and agencies across the country — providing guidance in assessing their workforce training needs and developing programs that will grow their staff’s competencies.

“The Incubator team is excited to support and fund this effort to pilot innovative ways to engage the Boston University alumni network,” says Digital Initiatives Director Romy Ruukel. “By leveraging qualified alumni to provide nationwide workforce development training, this project creates novel opportunities for them to continue to be engaged with BUSSW and to further their knowledge and skills through lifelong learning and graduate opportunities.”

Learn more about the project in this Q&A conducted by DL&I.