The University of Southern Indiana’s Social Work Department within the College of Liberal Arts will offer a fully online Master of Social Work degree beginning in Fall 2024. This new offering is based on the current in-person Master of Social Work degree but will offer the same classes in an online environment that fits any schedule.

Master of Social Work courses will prepare students to provide desperately needed services to help people cope with issues like mental illness, substance abuse, poverty and discrimination. Positions in hospitals, mental health clinics, schools, employee assistance programs, residential treatment facilities, prisons, senior centers, government agencies and many more settings are attainable after degree completion.

“When reflecting on my education at USI, I believe that my professors made more of an impact on my perspective toward the profession than a specific course” says Macie Cox ’21, USI Master of Social Work Graduate, Behavioral Mental Health Therapist, Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home. My professors did an amazing job at balancing textbook knowledge with their professional experience. I remember most of my classes transforming my perspective on the world.”

This online degree is meant to open the doors to higher education for working individuals that need more flexibility to earn their degree. This fully asynchronous program allows students to work on assignments at their convenience with no meeting time each week to plan around. The courses have a student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1, so students will have ample opportunities to interact with faculty and peers.

“The new online MSW program was designed to provide accessible and flexible opportunities for individuals to obtain their MSW at USI,” says Dr. Quentin Maynard, incoming Director of the Master of Social Work Program. “The online MSW program will educate and train social workers to provide clinical, mental and behavioral health services in our community. We are excited to see how this new program option will benefit our community partners and the individuals living in the Tri-state area.”

This degree is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, which uses a rigorous process to evaluate Master of Social Work colleges for the quality of their education and student outcomes.

For more information on the Online Master of Social Work program, contact Maynard at qrmaynard@usi.edu, or visit the Master of Social Work webpage. 

Evansville, IN – The Ivy Tech Community College Evansville will confer degrees and credentials at its annual Commencement Exercise on Friday, May 10. The event begins at 7 p.m., at the Ford Center. The public is invited to attend.

Guest speakers for the 2024 Commencement include Superintendent of the Perry Central County Community School District and Campus Board of Trustee member, Tara Bishop; and Outstanding Graduate for Liberal Arts, Alyssa Ayze.

There are nearly 1,500 students who are on track to graduate, earning nearly 2,200 associate, associate of applied science, technical certificate and/or certificates. Of those totals there are 348 high school students, including Early College High School students on the Evansville campus, Perry Central County High School, Tell City High School, Cannelton High School, and Southridge High School. 324 students are earning their Indiana College Core degree.

In the graduating class, 42% are graduating with honors and 198 of those students are graduating Summa Cum Laude, with a perfect GPA.

There are 193 students earning a credential in the Building Trades, and 56 students who have come to Ivy Tech through the Achieve Your Degree program, where employers pay tuition.

Honored during the event will be:

2015 Ivy Tech graduate Malcolm Wickware will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award.Born and raised in Evansville, Wickware’s life story is a testament to determination and perseverance. Wickware began his academic journey at Ivy Tech in his mid-20s, having had no earned degree since being expelled from high school at age 17. While enrolled in Ivy Tech’s General Studies program, he laid the educational groundwork that enabled him to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Evansville. From there, he attended Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) for law school, ultimately obtaining his Juris Doctorate degree. Today, Wickware is an attorney with his own practice, Wickware Law Office, where he specializes in criminal defense.