Social Workers Are Essential is the theme of Social Work Month 2021. Anna Maria College is fortunate to have many talented practitioners working with its students and within the community. We’d like to introduce you to some of them.
Meet Mary Ann Ulevich, MSW, ACSW, LICSW, Diplomate in Clinical Social Work.
Mary Ann Ulevich was first appointed Assistant Professor in Anna Maria College’s Social Work Program in 2005. Since her retirement in 2013, Ulevich has returned as an adjunct instructor and enjoys introducing our students to social welfare and justice. Her course, Introduction to Social Welfare, meets a general education requirement and enrollment is a healthy mix of freshmen and sophomore students. This is often students’ first introduction to the broad profession of social work with its wealth of opportunity. The need for professional social workers is strong. The projected job growth through 2022 for social workers overall is 22% with child, family and school social workers seeing a 19% increase; medical, public and health social workers a 24% increase; and mental health and substance abuse social workers a 20% increase.
Anna Maria College is the only college in Central Mass providing an undergraduate degree in social work, and since 2017, a master’s degree in social work. The bachelor degree in social work provides students with a professional credential, placing their job prospects above those with undergraduate degrees in psychology, sociology, human development. Only those with a social work degree can be licensed as a social worker.
Anna Maria College graduates work throughout Worcester County as professional social workers in the Department of Child and Family Services, medical centers and hospitals, behavioral health clinics, schools, and a range of social service agencies in both governmental and private settings. Many graduates make strong connections to employment through their internships. Students frequently are mentored in workplaces by Anna Maria College graduates.
Ulevich is passionate about preparing the next generations of social workers. In more than forty years of post-master’s social work practice, she has provided direct services in child welfare, behavioral mental health, administration, consultation and supervision. She is active in professional organizations, including the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, having served on the state board of directors and on the Central Mass. Regional Council. She works on local political campaigns, and has served on several community agency boards. Appointed by Governor Baker in 2016 to the Board of Trustees of the Wrentham Developmental Center, Ulevich advocates for the rights and needs of this vulnerable population.
Ulevich is most proud of Anna Maria College’s Annual Social Work Conference series that she established in 2003. These professional conferences, highlighting social issues and best practices, continue to be produced by senior social work students as part of their social work course in organization, administration, and community organization. These conferences have grown over the years, with collaborative support from the community, professional organizations, and the Anna Maria College community.
