02/10/2024
Student Advisory Board
Eastern Kentucky University's Master of Social Work Program has a Student Advisory Board (SAB) comprising five MSW students who serve as a liaison from the student body to the faculty at EKU. In our ethical responsibility to the profession, implementing effective interventions to further the educational experiences of our students is imperative to the innovation of social work programs (NASW Code of Ethics, 5.02). We ultimately enhance the overall learning experience by liaising between students and faculty. By providing a student-to-student option for sharing concerns and feedback, we ensure that the student’s message is heard and that the appropriate action is taken.
SAB’s Vision Statement: To build our cohort through various opportunities to connect, assisting students with emerging program and life challenges through compassion, brainstorming, and directive support.
SAB’s Goals: The goal is to strive toward deeper human connection within the social work cohort, while simultaneously alleviating unnecessary stress, confusion, and anxiety for those within the program.
SAB’s Values: As stated in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, the SAB team is rooted in the same core values: Service, Social Justice, Dignity and Worth of the Person, Importance of Human Relationships, Integrity, and Competence.
SAB has a four-pillar program for executing our goals to help enhance the students at the MSW academic level. Each SAB member is overseeing one pillar of the program, while the Chair SAB member is helping to support each SAB member and conducts weekly meetings. This four-pillar program has been established as a group effort and conducts itself in such a fashion. The four-pillar program includes:
• Mentorship/CEUs:
By offering a mentorship program that allows recent alumni to mentor MSW students and MSW students to mentor BSW students, SAB is fostering the idea of helping each other with the next stage in their professional careers. The comradery and professional relationships that will be built from this experience will help future social workers network and build contacts for future endeavors.
As LSW and LCSW, we need continuing education credits. Providing opportunities free or at reduced rates for current students and alums would be given back and give a helping hand to our colleagues to advance in their careers.
• MSW Alumni Roster:
We will be keeping an active MSW alumni roster. With that roster, we will be able to stay in contact with alumni for various reasons. One of the reasons is a mentor program for new MSW students and alumni. Another reason is a way for MSW alumni to connect students with practicum opportunities. We will also stay connected with alumni via social media.
• Scholarship Ideas:
The scholarship idea for MSW students would be wonderful. An MSW scholarship would be very beneficial for current MSW students. A scholarship would be good assistance for MSW students. MSW students do not have as many opportunities to obtain a scholarship as other EKU students do. On EKU giving day, there can be an MSW category for people in general or former students to give to help with the MSW scholarship. An MSW scholarship would be able to help lift the burden that master's students have.
• Complaints/Concerns:
EKU’s MSW Program established the Student Advisory Board in hopes of having a student lead group work as a liaison from the student body to faculty members. One of their job responsibilities is to receive feedback from the student body. This feedback may come in form of complaints and concerns regarding the class structures, teaching styles, overall program questions, etc. SAB has been fulfilling this obligation by creating an anonymous suggestion box that is emailed out each Monday in the weekly newsletter that SAB creates. As SAB members are made aware of concerns, the team will share their findings with the appropriate faculty member. All concerns will go directly to the SAB faculty representative first for the appropriate action that needs to happen. Names are not given unless approved by the person sending the concern, question, or complaint in the anonymous box.
