Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program

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 2018. 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 2018 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

Cover Sheet (see below—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, 2018, 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 69th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America to be held in 2018 including: