WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Aug. 11, 2015 — West Liberty University is now one of only six public universities in West Virginia to earn a national accreditation for its Bachelor of Social Work program.

Shown seated in the President’s Office in historic Shaw Hall are Dr. Sylvia Hawranick Senften and Dr. Tammy McClain (Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts). Behind them stand Interim President Dr. John P. McCullough and Provost Brian Crawford.

“I congratulate the faculty, students, and alumni who have worked as a team to establish the strength of our social work program. Top quality social workers are needed in the state of West Virginia and we look forward to providing excellent social workers for many years to come,” said Interim President Dr. John P. McCullough.

“We are proud of the teamwork and accomplishment of achieving initial accreditation status. We are also appreciative of the WLU administration, our field agencies and supervisors, benefactors, and all of the former and current students for their support,” said Program Director Dr. Sylvia Hawranick Senften.

“All of us look forward to expanding our enrollment now that we have received initial accreditation. Social work has many career paths and opportunities and individuals don’t realize how many employment options are available immediately upon graduation. The majority of our current students did not start as social work majors, but rather in a related major. Many found that social work is a better fit for their long term goals, interests, and personal values.”

Dr. Senften is both the director of the program and an active professor in the classroom.

She has 18 years of full-time teaching experience in accredited Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs in the region. Senften has published in scholarly journals, been awarded grants totaling more than $1 million, and has presented at numerous national and state professional conferences.

Her practice experience was working with children and families in foster care, juvenile residential homes and also with pregnant or parenting teens. Dr. Senften has served on the West Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Social Work and is on the Advisory Council of Faculty (ACF) for the state of West Virginia. She holds a MSW degree from West Virginia University School of Social Work and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from West Virginia University.

Additional faculty in the social work program include Professor Sheli-Bernstein-Goff and Program Field Coordinator Brenda Rinkes.

• Professor Bernstein-Goff has taught full-time at WLU since 2003 and amassed more than 30 years experience in her private consulting and therapy practice. She is a well-known presenter at state level professional conferences. A West Virginia licensed Clinical Social Worker, she also is a certified clinical and disaster traumatologist and serves on the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Commission on Disability and the West Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She earned her MSW at Florida State University.

• Rinkes has held the position of field coordinator since 2012. She has more than 40 years of practice experience in the region, primarily as a school social worker. Rinkes has presented at numerous professional conferences and is active with local and regional organizations. A licensed social worker in the state of Ohio, she maintains her school social worker license in Ohio, and holds her ACSW credential from the National Association of Social Workers. She is a certified instructor for communication and parenting skills, and trainer for positive behavior intervention support. Rinkes earned her MSW at Ohio State University.

West Liberty University’s social work program is a combination of academics and real world experience. Each social work student completes more than 400 hours in a professional field internship, serving at social service agencies such as Crittenton Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, the House of the Carpenter, Wheeling Hospital and Ohio Valley Medical Center.

For more information on the Bachelor of Social Work program which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts, please contact Dr. Senften at shawranick@westliberty.edu or 304-336-8089.

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