CSWE recently collaborated with Marazul Charters; KAKI; the Council on Global Learning, Research, and Practice; and the Global Commission to host a faculty development trip to Havana, Cuba. Under the leadership of David Strug, 13 CSWE delegates spent a week in Havana in June learning about the unique ways social work functions in a Communist society. For example, they found a clear distinction between health care social workers and other social workers.1 The CSWE delegates followed a schedule similar to those of previous faculty development trips (in 2012 and 2013), with the addition of a few new meetings and visits. One new visit was to the Cuban Institute for Friendship with People, where they learned about the history of Cuba–U.S. relations; the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the majority of the leadership of which are social workers;1 and CENESEX, which provides support to the LGBT community. The feedback from the trip was positive and has helped CSWE continue to strengthen its relationship with the social work community in Cuba.
CSWE Delegates
Robert Barney, Richard Stockton College
Marla Berg-Weger, St. Louis University
Marquessa Brown, Gallaudet University
Brenda Armstrong Clark, Benedict College
Cynthia Hunter, James Madison University
Celeste Johnson, Widener University
Lani Jones, University at Albany SUNY
Sharon Milligan, Case Western Reserve University
Gary Stein, Yeshiva University
David Strug, Yeshiva University
Mary-Beth Vogel-Ferguson, University of Utah
Rita Walter, Michigan State University
Lynn Warner, University at Albany SUNY
Larry Williams, North Carolina Central University
1. Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson , Field Notes, June 16, 2014