Brown School

Photo by Mary ButkusAdministrators, students and alumni enjoy a March 16 Social Work Month celebration in Brown Lounge.

The School of Law and the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University will host the fifth annual access to equal justice conference, “Poverty, Wealth and the Working Poor: Clinical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. April 1 in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom of Anheuser-Busch Hall. The conference will explore the many barriers to economic prosperity and well-being for America’s working poor. Particular emphasis will be given to the interplay of race, gender, wealth, and power in regards to employment, welfare, housing, health care, education and the environment.

With the first wave of baby boomers preparing for retirement, the 2005 White House Conference on Aging to be held this fall in Washington, D.C., will be an important opportunity to assess aging in America and improve the lives of older Americans. “The demographic revolution is upon us, and there is widespread agreement that we need to do something differently regarding older adults,” says Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D., productive aging expert and the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. “The U.S. government and other service agencies need to expand and create institutions that make volunteering a natural part of later life,” she says.

Sherman Alexie, a writer known for his poetry, novels, short fiction and screenplays, will deliver the Buder Center for American Indian Studies Lecture for the Washington University Assembly Series at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 16. His talk, “Without Reservations: An Urban Indian’s Comic, Poetic and Highly Irreverent Look at the World,” will be held in Graham Chapel, located just north of Mallinckrodt Student Center (6445 Forsyth Blvd.) on the Washington University Hilltop Campus. The talk is free and open to the public.

The dean of the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago will assume the helm at GWB on July 1.

Enola E. Proctor will chair the 14-member committee, appointed by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton; Khinduka will step down after 30 years of service.

Photo by Joe AngelesResearch opportunities for undergrads like David Corley (left) will be facilitated by the University’s new Office of Undergraduate Research.Under Director Henry Biggs, it will help place students in research positions, promote their findings and award scholarships.

With the first wave of baby boomers preparing for retirement, the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) will be an important opportunity to assess aging in America and improve the lives of older Americans. St. Louis will play a significant role in shaping the discussion at the conference through “Maximizing Civic Engagement of Older Adults,” a public forum and official WHCOA event hosted by the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the Center for Aging at Washington University 9 a.m. Feb. 15 in Brown Lounge.

Money going to faith-based organizations can bring a financial benefit to donors.In the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, Americans generously donated money to relief groups around the world. But it appears Americans don’t need a major disaster to give money. Annually, Americans donate $183 billion, with nearly half of that amount going to faith-based organizations. Money going to faith-based organizations, such as churches, mosques, the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities, not only can help provide needed social services to communities, but it can also bring a financial benefit to donors, says a noted community development expert at Washington University in St. Louis. “People who donate money on a regular basis take a closer look at where their money is going,” says Stephanie Boddie, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. “They are able to figure out and set aside the money they can donate on a weekly or monthly basis. This can lead to more financial responsibility in the areas of debt repayment and asset building.”

The George Warren Brown School of Social Work’s spring lecture series addresses a broad spectrum of issues from elder care to the future of social policy. The series will kick off Feb. 7 with a lecture by Melvin Oliver, Ph.D., titled “Can We Preserve the Progressive Soul of Asset-Based Social Policy?” Oliver is a professor of sociology and dean of social sciences in the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. All lectures will be held at noon in Brown Hall, Room 124.