School News
Led by Sang Maeng, Korean Social Workers are Welcomed at Our School
Social workers from Korea were welcomed to our School by deans, faculty, staff, and students.
On February 9, Sang Maeng, MSW ’91, brought 10 social workers from the Korean Association of Social Workers (KASW) to the School of Social Work, where they were welcomed by Anjulie Ganti and other staff from the School’s Community Engagement Initiative; Dean Edwina Uehara; Margaret Spearmon, Associate Dean for Professional Development and Community Partnerships; and Nancy Hooyman, Hooyman Endowed Professor of Gerontology. PhD student Karen Tabb, who had spent two years in Korea studying the language, led the receptive group on a campus tour. This is the first time representatives from KASW have visited our School; on previous visits Maeng brought Korean social work students to learn about our MSW program.
Maeng is founder and chair of the Hanju Foundation, which seeks to improve the lives of Koreans by elevating the quality of social work education. She has been learning about future training needs of Korean social works and intends to develop continuing education programs that directly meet their needs. “If we have our own program,” Maeng said, “we’ll want to collaborate with the School of Social Work.”
Maeng, who lives in both Issaquah and Korea, explained that this select and distinguished group of practicing social workers in gerontology from all over Korea was here to study the long-term care system in Washington State as well as gain insight into future needs for a similar system in their country. They were visiting a variety of eldercare organizations in the state, including Covenant Shores and Pioneer Network, which offers an intergenerational program for the elderly. The group’s visit was sponsored by the Samsung Corporation.
Sang Maeng points out a highlight during the campus tour (led by Karen Tabb, left) for the group from KASW
While at our School, the Community Engagement Initiative organized a continuing education course for the KASW delegation. Karen Kent, Clinical Supervisor of Evergreen’s Geriatric Regional Assessment Team and instructor in our Geriatric Mental Health Certificate Program, gave a well-received presentation on long-term care and dementia. Though there are cultural differences, the delegation found that the presentation targeted their needs with information they can apply in Korea. The KASW delegation will be publishing a paper about they learned from the long-term care system in Washington State.
In a warm reception for Maeng and her group, the alumna thanked Deans Uehara and Spearmon for their “everlasting support” of the many exchange programs she has coordinated with the SSW.
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