Project Co-Directors
Marla Berg-Weger, Ph.D., LCSW Tracy Schroepfer, Ph.D.
marla.bergweger@slu.edu tschroepfer@wisc.edu
314-977-2151 608-263-3837
The Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW), along with support from the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) will begin accepting applications for its Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program the first of January 2019. Social Work/Social Welfare doctoral students who, at the time of application, are in the first or second year of their program are eligible to apply. Selected Fellows will receive more than ten hours of programming delivered by nationally recognized faculty who are experts in the field of gerontological social work. The Program will be delivered at the 2019 Gerontological Society of America Annual Conference and will cover the following topics: teaching, publishing, qualitative and quantitative methods, networking, and dissertation. A webinar will also be held the following spring.
Program Outcomes
Upon completion of participation in the AGESW Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program, participants will have the skills necessary to:
- Engage in teaching, quantitative and qualitative research, and publishing.
- Seek financial support for their dissertation research in gerontology
- Develop a career plan that demonstrates a combined record of work experience, teaching experience/interests, and a research agenda in the field of aging.
Participant Benefits
- A $1,200 stipend to attend the pre-conference AGESW Pre-Dissertation Fellows Training at the GSA Annual Meeting
- One-year membership to AGESW
- Registration for the GSA Annual Meeting
- One-year membership to GSA
- Ongoing mentoring from a member of AGESW
- Participation in a webinar on a topic to be determined by the cohort.
Program Eligibility
An applicant must at the time of application:
- Have a Master’s degree in Social Work
- Be enrolled in a social work doctoral program (full or part time) in the U.S.
- Be in the first or second year of their doctoral program if attending full-time or the equivalent if attending as a part-time student
Note: Multiple applicants from a given doctoral program may be selected
Questions: Contact Dr. Marla Berg-Weger (bergwm@slu.edu)
The Application
- Applicant Information (please submit typed copy)
- Applicant’s Curriculum Vita
- A two-page single-spaced personal statement indicating:
- Applicant’s educational journey and post-MSW experience prior to entering the doctoral program
- Interest in gerontological social work research and education
- Career goals upon graduation and ways in which this program may be helpful in reaching those goals
- A letter of support from an institutional faculty sponsor indicating 1) the student’s match to the program’s goal of preparing students for academia and 2) the student’s capacity to develop into a competitive applicant for an academic career
- A letter confirming $600 institutional support from program director for attending the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA)
By May 1, 2019, applications may be submitted as one PDF file via email to Tracy Schroepfer at tschroepfer@wisc.edu.
Selection Process
Applicants will be chosen based on the AGESW Advisory Council criteria:
Personal Statement [60%]
Letter of Support [20%]
Institutional Support [20%]
Program
Full-day Pre-Conference Intensive at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America to be held in 2019 including:
- Interdisciplinary research
- Quantitative-qualitative-mixed method research proposals
- Writing for publication
- The role of teaching in your academic career
- Seeking funding for gerontological dissertations
Daily Eye-Opener Sessions
- Day 1 Working with mentors
- Day 2 Building your plan for funding support
- Day 3 Next Steps
Follow-up Web-based session to be held in Spring 2020
Questions: Contact Dr. Marla Berg-Weger at marla.bergweger@slu.edu
