THE UNIVERSITY OF M0NTANA
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
MISSOULA, MONTANA 59812

Cindy Garthwait, Chair
5 / 16 / 01

Response to Walla Walla College Letter by Dr. Wilma Hepker
addressed to Dr. Joyce Scott, Deputy Commissioner
Montana Board of Regents
May 15, 2001

COST

The Walla Walla College website lists tuition at $381 per credit hour. It also states that. the cost of obtaining a two year MSW degree (80 credits) is $30,400 and the cost of obtaining a one year advanced standing MSW degree (51 credits) is $19,300. In the fall of 2002, the tuition will be $399 per credit hour.

The cost of obtaining a two year MSW degree from The University of Montana Department of Social Work is projected to be approximately $7,500 per year for Montana residents and $13,300 per year for non-resident students. This is a total of $15,000 for a Montana resident or $26,600 for non-resident students.

The University of Montana MSW program will have the availability of Title IV-E funds for stipends for some MSW students, decreasing the costs for students pursuing child protective services as a profession.

NUMBER AND QUALITY OF FACULTY

The University of Montana MSW program would utilize full time, tenure track faculty rather than adjunct professors. All of the faculty will continue to be recruited through nationwide search processes, guaranteeing the best faculty possible. The Walla Walla College website lists four Montana faculty, three with MSW degrees and one with a doctorate. According to Walla Walla graduates the majority of instructors are adjunct and are often teaching for the first time. Similarly, they do not have an office or provide mentoring, critical elements to professional development training. Several other College Place faculty members are listed as Montana faculty, but they do not reside in Montana and only teach on occasion.

The University of Montana program will offer a comprehensive, campus based program where students can take advantage of university resources central to a quality graduate program. These include the Mansfield library, ample advising/mentoring time with students, inter-departmental electives, and strong ties to community agencies providing internship opportunities.

The letter from Dr. Hepker states that eight of their doctoral level faculty members regularly teach in Montana, supplementing the work done by the Walla Walla-Montana faculty and staff. The University of Montana program, by contrast, would have all of its regular, full time faculty available on a daily basis because of their residence in Missoula.

THE INAPPROPRIATENESS OF THE WALLA WALLA COLLEGE CURRICULUM FOR MONTANA

The needs assessment completed by The University of Montana Department of Social Work surveyed the educational needs and interests of National Association of Social Workers (Montana branch) members, BSW graduates of the University of Montana, and social workers and social work employers across the state. The resulting data did not indicate a need for clinical social work as a specialty, which is what Walla Walla College promotes on its written materials. Rather, the UM program would offer an integrated practice model which is more generalist in its orientation, preparing students for broad practice in a rural state (consisting of direct practice training and administration/social development training)

UTILIZATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA RESOURCES

The Department of Social Work has been told by current and former students that they were encouraged by Walla Walla College to take electives at The University of Montana. Students at The University of Montana would have direct access to library resources in Missoula rather than having to access materials through inter-library loan.