Ahfiya Howard, interim chair of the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program, has joined the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE’s) Program Director Academy.
The academy is a certificate program for undergraduate and graduate program directors who have been in their positions less than three years. The training focuses on topics related to program management competency domains and job functions.
Howard will participate in a summer leadership institute at CSWE in Alexandria, Va., this month and attend the CSWE Annual Program Meeting in Atlanta this fall.
Howard is a licensed social worker and has served as the interim chair of the BSW Program for the past year. She said, “I am extremely honored to have been selected as a participant in the Council on Social Work Education Program Director Academy. I look forward to learning new strategies and developing new ideas to bestow upon the School of Social Work.”
Furthermore, she said, “It is at Jackson State University that I understand the value of academic success and the importance of one’s skills development.”
Dr. Isiah Marshall Jr., associate dean of the School of Social Work, said, “Professor Howard represents a new regime in social work leadership. Many social work educators and leaders are retiring out, leaving academic programs with inexperienced leaders. This new program will provide the necessary tools to assist Professor Howard and others to effectively meet the challenges of accreditation, resource allocation and constituent management.”
Dr. Ricardo Brown, dean of the College of Public Service, said, “Professor Howard’s selection as a Fellow in the 2016 Class of CSWE’s Council on Leadership Development is a wonderful professional development opportunity and is one that will strengthen our Social Work programs at Jackson State University.”