Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW): Key Initiatives and Directions

AGESW was founded in 1981 by a small group of individuals who were deeply concerned about the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) lack of attention to aging. Originally called the National Committee for Gerontology in Social Work Education (NCGSWE) (name changed in 1995), AGESW has been a central to keeping the issues of older adults on the radar of social work educators and scholars in the United States. AGESW works collaboratively with the Gerontology Society of America (GSA), CSWE, and the social work Baccalaureate Program Directors Association to support educators and social workers at all stages of their careers to have access to mentoring, access to professional development opportunities, and a venue to publish research that aims to ensure that older adults and families experience the highest quality health and well-being possible. Since its inception, AGESW has grown into a complex national organization in the United States that draws in scholars at various stages of their professional development. AGESW has grown from 10-20 scholars at its inception to over 175 current members, including those from outside the United States. Current activities of AGESW include preparing social work doctoral students with an interest in gerontology for a career in academia, providing education about older adults and aging to social work faculty members without aging expertise, recognizing the accomplishments and leadership scholars and faculty members in the field of gerontological social work, and producing the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, the official journal of AGESW and a publication of the Taylor & Francis Group. These are highlighted below are greater detail.