Field Directors

Hi All, 

I seem to be posting a lot lately.  I really do appreciate those who have responded to previous requests.

We are developing our program and are trying to consider various ways of structuring the field portion of our program.  I am wondering if anyone would be willing to share the job description for their Field Director and how are other institutions structuring this:

• 1 Field Director/Coordinator over both MSW/BSW programs with assistant coordinators or completely separate positions?
  • How large is your program? 
• 10-month or 12-month employee? Faculty or Staff position? If faculty, do you have a teaching load on top of the field director? If so. what is the course load?
• What should I be considering that I might not be?  If you were to be starting your program, how would you have structured it differently?

I greatly appreciate any insights you might have

------------------------------
Penny McQuinn
Field Director/Lecturer
SUNY Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh NY
------------------------------

Hi, Penny. I'm the field director at Utica University's online MSW program. We are about two years old and still developing our field program as well. We do not have a BSW program. I am a 12-month employee (professor of practice), and I teach a reduced caseload compared to other full-time faculty (50% less, so I am required to teach four 3-hour courses per academic year). I've been in this position since June 2022, and I'm finding that this role entails A LOT!

We currently have about 150 students from all over NY, and the field team consists of me and our field coordinator (she has an education degree and is highly organized, so I honestly couldn't run this program without her!). One of the things that makes our jobs more difficult is that we have continuous enrollment--we admit students in the fall, spring, and summer. And we're starting an advanced-standing program in January 2024. 

The biggest consideration for our field program right now is making sure our students have enough field placement sites to choose from. We do not place students directly, rather, they initiate contact with agencies and we follow through with obtaining a contract and making sure it's an appropriate placement. Also taking a big chunk of my time right now is ensuring the field manual reflects what CSWE requires and also what rules/policies work or don't work. We've found that much of what was written in our original field manual (from 2021) needs to be updated. That's taking a big chunk of my time lately, as has ensuring our field seminar courses are educational and helpful to students in the field. We are about 2/3 of the way through the accreditation process. 

Hope this is helpful! Best of luck to you! 

Leigh Ann

------------------------------
Leigh Ann Hewes
Director of Field Education
Utica University
Utica, NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10/7/2023 9:02:00 AM
From: Leigh Hewes
Subject: RE: Field Director Position job description and what the position looks like for others

Hi, Penny. I'm the field director at Utica University's online MSW program. We are about two years old and still developing our field program as well. We do not have a BSW program. I am a 12-month employee (professor of practice), and I teach a reduced caseload compared to other full-time faculty (50% less, so I am required to teach four 3-hour courses per academic year). I've been in this position since June 2022, and I'm finding that this role entails A LOT!

We currently have about 150 students from all over NY, and the field team consists of me and our field coordinator (she has an education degree and is highly organized, so I honestly couldn't run this program without her!). One of the things that makes our jobs more difficult is that we have continuous enrollment--we admit students in the fall, spring, and summer. And we're starting an advanced-standing program in January 2024. 

The biggest consideration for our field program right now is making sure our students have enough field placement sites to choose from. We do not place students directly, rather, they initiate contact with agencies and we follow through with obtaining a contract and making sure it's an appropriate placement. Also taking a big chunk of my time right now is ensuring the field manual reflects what CSWE requires and also what rules/policies work or don't work. We've found that much of what was written in our original field manual (from 2021) needs to be updated. That's taking a big chunk of my time lately, as has ensuring our field seminar courses are educational and helpful to students in the field. We are about 2/3 of the way through the accreditation process. 

Hope this is helpful! Best of luck to you! 

Leigh Ann

------------------------------
Leigh Ann Hewes
Director of Field Education
Utica University
Utica, NY
------------------------------