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By Jeff Hagan
Nearly two dozen students at the MSASS—all recipients of prestigious scholarships—gathered in early April at the Case Western Reserve University Alumni House for a luncheon with Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel to celebrate their accomplishments and for two Mandel Scholars to present findings of their research. They were joined by members of the Mandel Foundation Board and staff, and faculty and staff of the Mandel School, including Dean Cleve Gilmore.
“We’re very grateful that the Mandel family and the Mandel Foundation began a relationship with the school some time ago,” said Dean Gilmore, when introducing Morton Mandel.
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Top Row (L-R) Jack Mandel, Joseph Mandel, Dean Gilmore, Morton Mandel; Bottom Row (L-R) Monica Bricker-Thompson, Jennifer Kennedy
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Morton Mandel called the students, which also included Dean’s Scholars and Mandel Merit Scholars, “the fighters who are going to change the world.”
“My brothers and I lived in a home where sharing with others was an important value. We were taught to work to improve the human condition,” said Morton Mandel. “And the central thrust of our philanthropic efforts, is to invest in people,” he explained. |
Mandel Scholar Jennifer Kennedy presented her research - “Aging Out of Foster Care: The Need for a Smoother Transition”- on individuals who reach the age of maturity (18-21 years of age) while still in the foster care system. These children who have aged out of the foster care system face significantly worse conditions than their peers, on average. Therefore, according to Ms. Kennedy, focusing on the time before aging out begins can have the largest impact on making a smoother transition into society as an independent individual.
Mandel Scholar Monica Bricker-Thompson presented her research “A Look at Our Infinite Identity.” Ms. Bricker-Thompson presented the development of the professional identity of social workers since the beginning of the 20th century, and showed how the professional identity has changed through the years. Accordingly she raised some questions concerning the presentation of a professional identity in the future: if the social work professional identity is changing so frequently, how does the social work community collectively define who they are? How is the profession communicated to others not in the field of social work?
Mandel Scholars, selected by a committee consisting of representatives from faculty, admissions and field advisors, and Dean Scholars, selected by the Dean, all receive full tuition, while admissions-selected Mandel Merit Scholars receive awards of $10,000-12,000.
To learn more visit the MSASS website http://msass.case.edu
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