On Thursday, February 14th at the J.D. Boyd Library in the Medgar Evers’ Auditorium from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm, Alcorn State University (ASU) hosted the 2019 Humanities Teacher Award Lecture presented by Sandra M. Dembly-Davis, Coordinator of Field Education and Instructor of Social Work. The award was sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council.
Dr. Babu Patlolla, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, began the program with opening remarks welcoming the faculty and staff that attended the event. He later introduced Dr. Valtreasa Tolliver-Cook, Associate Professor of Social Work, who read the many accolades of Dembly-Davis before introducing her.
Dembly-Davis’ lecture was entitled “Global Perspective on Social Work Practice” where she went into elaborate detail about the importance of Social Work and the critical need for it overseas in impoverished areas. Dembly-Davis stated, “Social Workers face diverse challenges when providing services for people of different cultures in different countries. Some of the challenges that Social Workers face when attempting to engage in practices outside of the United States are issues surrounding governmental regulations.” She went on to say that having the proper Social Work skills and being members of organizations within the field are vital to helping people worldwide. “As global perspectives developed internationally, professional organizations began to form and develop a mutually agreed upon single concept of the profession. There are two international organizations that provide the basic leadership for the globalization of Social Work which are The International Federation of Social Workers and The International Association of Schools of Social Workers,” said Dembly-Davis. She emphasized that international Social Work can be an interesting career path to an individual who is looking to make a difference in someone’s life. She ended her presentation with a Question and Answer session with the audience.
Next, Carol Anderson, Mississippi Humanities Assistant Director, spoke on how the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC) gives these awards to members of Mississippi’s colleges and universities. Part of the award is the winner is asked to present a public lecture on a Humanities’ related subject, they will receive a monetary gift, and they will be an honored guest at MHC’s annual award’s gala on April 5th in Jackson, Mississippi. The gala recognizes the contributions of educators around the state. Anderson stated, “We think that it’s very important to recognize the excellence that these teachers bring to the work of the Humanities and also we support their ongoing work as scholars.”
Dr. Patlolla brought the event to an end with closing remarks by thanking the audience for attending the event. For more information about the Mississippi Humanities Council you can visit their website at www.mshumanities.org.