Pitt MSW Program at Pitt-Bradford Celebrates 10 Years, Honors Cleland

Alumni of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work who earned their master’s degree through the program on the Bradford campus gathered Friday to celebrate the program’s 10th year and honor one of its strongest champions, the Judge John M. Cleland.

Since its inception in 2002, the MSW program at Pitt-Bradford has graduated 76 social workers. Currently, 37 students are working to complete their degrees.

“I believe that it is very important for us to strengthen our network, support one another and to work collaboratively every chance we can get to make our communities the best they can be,” said Stephanie Eckstrom, MSW coordinator. “I believe that each one of you has made a difference in someone’s life. Together, we can really make an impact.”

To honor Cleland’s role in beginning the program at Pitt-Bradford, he was made an honorary alumnus of the School of Social Work.

Dr. Larry Davis, dean of the School of Social Work, spoke about the involvement of Cleland, who is a former president judge of McKean County and former chairman of the Pitt-Bradford Advisory Board.

“In his years on the bench, Judge Cleland was intimately aware of the troubles experienced by the communities’ most vulnerable citizens, children,” Davis said. “These children deserved the best interventions, the best coordination, the best advocacy, and he saw a consistent need to expand the region’s pool of professional social workers, particularly in the realm of child welfare.

“He took his firsthand knowledge and, in his role as a Pitt-Bradford Advisory Board and Pitt Board of Trustees member, he spoke up. At the right time, to the right people, Judge Cleland advocated for the establishment of the Pitt-Bradford MSW program. He will downplay his role, but there are many of us who know that it was Judge Cleland’s efforts, his championing of the program, that broke the bureaucratic logjam so that all of the collaborative efforts of everyone else could come to fruition.”

For more information about the MSW program or its alumni network, contact Eckstrom at (814)362-7527.

Pictured, Judge John M. Cleland, center, is made an honorary alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work by Dr. Larry Davis, dean, left, and Stephanie Eckstrom, coordinator of the school’s Master of Social Work program at the Bradford campus. Cleland was honored for his advocacy, which was instrumental in creating the regional program.
Photo by Shawn Murray

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