Brown School

The Global Service Institute (GSI) of the Center for Social Development (CSD) at George Warren Brown School of Social Work (GWB) will host its second international research forum, “Civic Service: Impacts and Inquiry,” Sept. 24-26. Symposium participants, drawn from more than 20 countries, will address the impact of civic service, and will continue the discussion that began at the first GSI conference in Buenos Aires last year. The first conference addressed the history, implementation, and forms of civic service worldwide.

Photo by Mary Butkus / WUSTL PhotoFor some people, exercise can turn into an addiction.Since the 1980s, Americans have recognized the importance of exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. But for some people, exercise can turn into an addiction. According to a recent study at the George Warren Brown (GWB) School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, symptoms of exercise dependence are common among college-age adults, and significantly higher in college-age women. “Exercise dependence in individuals with eating disorders can pose serious health risks, but perhaps just as important are those individuals with primary exercise dependence,” says Matthew O. Howard, Ph.D., associate professor at GWB and co-author of the study. “These people include those who work out in the gym for hours at a time, those who always seem to be at the gym, and those who routinely cancel events with family, friends and co-workers so that they can complete their strenuous workout routines.”

Washington University is among 15 universities across the country selected by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, Mo., to participate in its “Kauffman Campuses Initiative,” a new program aimed at making entrepreneurship education a common and accessible opportunity campus-wide. The Kauffman program builds on an emerging trend at colleges and universities — expanding […]

Older workers enrolled in a computer training class.Some economists predict that by 2030, the United States could experience a labor shortage of 35 million workers. Many businesses, including retail giants such as Wal-Mart and McDonalds, have responded to a looming labor shortage by encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce. But a recent study issued by the U.S. General Accounting Office finds that many of the government’s existing employment assistance programs are not providing computer training and other high-tech skills to workers over the age of 55, a demographic that may soon constitute roughly one-third of the entire American workforce. Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D., a professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis and a leader in the emerging field of productive aging research, contends that America’s economic future may well hinge on our ability to help older adults continue making contributions to society.

An American Indian powwow, traditional cuisine, crafts, a film and presentations by Kerry Bird and Rebecca Tsosie are among the highlights of Washington University’s American Indian Awareness Week March 17-22.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is today and runs from 5-9 p.m. in Brown Hall.

SherradenThe social work professor who pioneered the idea of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) — matched savings accounts for low-income Americans — says that President Bush’s new individual savings proposals benefit the wealthy but leave behind the working poor. Michael W. Sherraden, Ph.D., the Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development and director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, says that President Bush’s proposals to expand individual savings are wise, but fall far short of their potential. Sherraden offers suggestions for making investing opportunities available and profitable to all.

GWB inaugurates Alliance for Building Capacity

Photo by Mary ButkusNancy Morrow-Howell was installed as the first Pumphrey professor of social work March 9.

Photo by Mary ButkusShanti K. Khinduka addresses attendees of a recent conference that brought deans from research-oriented schools of social work to GWB.