Southwestern Michigan College and Western Michigan University signed a social work articulation agreement April 7 formalizing a longstanding informal partnership.

The agreement signed by retiring SMC Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr. Keith Howell and WMU Dean of the College of Health and Human Services Dr. Lillian Smith takes effect immediately.

“It’s a really great clear pathway for students,” WMU Director of Academic and Student Services Nancy E. Cretsinger said. “Students get such a strong beginning here at Southwestern Michigan College. You’ve always been a great partner — earlier, in health sciences and education. I’m thrilled we can offer this to students.”

“The transfer agreement will be extremely beneficial to our students,” agreed SMC Social Sciences Department Chair Dr. Barbara Karwacinski. “They can complete their A.A.S. in social work at SMC, transfer all their credits to WMU, finish their bachelor’s degree in two years, then complete their Master of Social Work degree in just 10 months on an accelerated track.”

Western’s College of Health and Human Services is like a sun orbited by Community and Public Health Sciences (Addiction Studies, Holistic Health Studies, Public Health and Social Work), Healthcare Sciences (Health Administration, Healthcare Services and Sciences, Nursing and Physician Assistant) and Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Sciences (Blindness and Low Vision Studies, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences).

WMU has been educating social workers since the 1940s, established its own school in 1969, has more than 600 field-placement partnerships and offers study-abroad opportunities in places such as Guatemala, India and Puerto Rico.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of social workers is projected to grow by 7 percent from 2023 to 2033, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Approximately 67,300 openings for social workers are projected each year, on average, over the next decade.

There are more clinically-trained social workers employed in mental health services in the United States than there are psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses combined.

SMC Professor of Social Sciences Christi Young, who is working on her doctorate in instructional systems technology through Indiana University, like many students started as a psychology major before gravitating toward social work.

Young, a Western graduate, said the seeds for the articulation agreement were planted when SMC program representatives attended meetings about the 2014 Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA), which is designed to help students move credits from community colleges to a four-year college or university.

To fulfill MTA requirements, a student must successfully complete at least 30 credits in six defined areas with a grade of 2.0 (or C) or higher in each course.

“A formal agreement takes the guesswork out because courses transfer seamlessly,” said Young, department chair prior to Karwacinski.
“We set up our social work and psychology classes to be pretty much identical the first two semesters,” Young said.