Academics
Human Services Revision Reflects Social Change
The recent reorganization of the human services curriculum on the Adrian
campus reflects the “changing dynamics of society,” according to Dr. Tom
Radecki, chair of the former Human
Services Division, newly renamed the
Social and Behavioral Science Division.
The curricular revisions follow
nearly two years of faculty discussion
and study. The key feature of the plan
is the change to three separate academic
majors--psychology, criminal justice,
and human services/social work--rather
than the single “umbrella” human services major. Minors in political science
and behavioral science also have been
added, and the public administration
concentration has been eliminated.
“Students have desired separate majors for some time,” Radecki said. “This
was the time to make a change in their
interest.
“Overall, the new program is more
responsive to student career interests
and better supports our mission to make
students more competent, purposeful
Gerontology Studies Increase with Aging Population
By Dorothy Cunningham
Note: The following story is excerpted from an article that originally appeared in the
April 13, 1997, edition of the Jackson Citizen Patriot, and is reprinted by permission.
In any line of work, it’s smart to know
your clientele. That was important to
Kathy F. Manning, of Clayton, who has
been taking classes in gerontology at Siena
Heights College, hoping to better relate to
the nuns of the Adrian Dominican Sisters,
by whom she is employed.
“The average age of the congregation is
65, and the classes I have taken give me a
better understanding of the sisters’ attitudes
and needs,” said Manning, who deals with
medical bills and Social Security matters
for the Dominicans.
Gerontology, the study of the processes
of aging, has not been a major emphasis
in colleges and universities . . . But it is
growing in importance as the U.S. population ages.
The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the
65-and-older population will grow from 1
in 8 Americans now, to 1 in 6 by 2020 and
1 in 5 by 2050. And the fastest growing
segment of the population will be the over85 group, which will number 7 million by
2020, more than double today’s over-85
population.
There are many and varied work opportunities in the field, according to Whit
Hames, associate professor of psychology
and director of the two-year, associate
degree program in gerontology at Siena
Heights.
“When we took a look at this five or six
years ago, we had two ways to go. Many
programs are strictly theoretical, dealing
with collecting data, but ours is a ‘hands
on’ program. We do the theoretical stuff
in class, but we’re more focused on getting
someone a job,” Hames said.
Current Siena students, many of whom
are older, nontraditional students, are currently working in nursing homes, delivering meals to the homebound, or doing
other volunteer work with the aged getting
practical experience in the field. Several
graduates of the two-year degree program
have gone on to administrative jobs in
retirement communities or nursing homes.
Social workers make up the majority
of Kathy Manning’s classmates, but an
increasing number of business majors are
taking gerontology as a college minor.
“It makes good sense,” said Tom MacNaughton, director of the Lenawee County
Department on Aging, who teaches an
introductory course at Siena. “The older
population controls half of the wealth in
this country, and the person who doesn’t
recognize that misses a big portion of our
society.”
In his classes, MacNaughton talks about
the positive aspects of aging, and brings in
panels of older people to prove that traditional stereotypes are not necessarily true.
“There is a huge wave of seniors coming.
There is no doubt that the need is there, and
taking even a few courses is going to make
job candidates look more attractive and
give them a head start on finding a good
job,” Hames said.
and ethical,” he added. “Our graduates
will be better prepared for professional
contributions to society.”
The new criminal justice program,
for example, allows students to choose
either a law enforcement or corrections
track within the major, depending on
individual career goals.
The Social and Behavioral Science
Division is made up of three academic
departments offering a variety of baccalaureate and associate degree programs on the Adrian campus, as outlined
below:
Department of
Psychology and Gerontology
Bachelor’s Degree
Major: Psychology
Minors: Psychology
Gerontology
Behavioral Science
Associate’s Degree
Majors: Psychology
Gerontology
Department of
Human Services/Social Work
and Sociology
Ba