Areas of Interest

Community practice; intersectionality and social work; social work education, including distance education; the development of critical consciousness through praxis; community-based participatory research; group work and social action; feminist social welfare history.

Academic Appointments

August 2009 - Present
Director and Professor, School of Social Work, Eastern Michigan University.

September 2005 - August 2009
Director of Distance Education and Associate Professor, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.   MSW Program Chair 2006-2008. 

August 2002 - September 2005 
Associate Dean, School of Social Work, Wayne State University (Interim, 2002-2004). 

August 1993 - September, 2005
Associate Professor, 2001; Assistant Professor, 1993-2001, School of Social Work, Wayne State University.   Co-Chair, Concentration on Community Practice and Social Action.

Selected Publications

Refereed Articles:

Alvarez, A.R., Collins, K.S., Graber, H.V., & Lazzari, M.M. (Winter 2008).  "What about women?"  Historical perspectives on the CSWE Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education (Women's Council).  Journal of Social Work Education, 44 (1), 63-84.

Alvarez, A.R., & Moxley, D.P.  (2004).  The student portfolio in social work education.  Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 24 (1/2), 87-103.

Alvarez, A.R. (2002).  Pitfalls, pratfalls, shortfalls and windfalls: Reflections on forming and being formed by groups.  Social Work with Groups, 25 (1/2), 93-105.  Also published in R. Kurland & A. Malekoff (Eds.), 2002, Stories celebrating group work: It's not always easy to sit on your mouth. New York, NY: Haworth Press.

Alvarez, A.R., & Cabbil, L.M.  (2001).  The MELD program: Promoting personal change and social justice through a year-long multicultural group experience.  Social Work with Groups, 24 (1), 3-20.

Alvarez, A.R.  (2001). "Creating a little mischief": A portrait of Mildred Jeffrey's sixty-five years as an activist.  Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 16 (3), 360-380.

Alvarez, A. R. (2001).  Enhancing praxis through PRACSIS: A framework for developing critical consciousness and implications for strategy.  Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 21 (1/2), 195-220.

Alvarez, A.R., & Gutierrez, L.  (2001).  Choosing to do participatory research: An example and issues of fit to consider.  Journal of Community Practice, 9 (1), 1-20.

Gutierrez, L., & Alvarez, A.R. (2000).  Educating students for multicultural community practice.   Journal of Community Practice, 7 (1), 39-56.  Also published in D. Hardina (Ed.), 2000, Innovative approaches for teaching community organization skills in the classroom.  New York, NY: Haworth Press.

Jirovec, R. L., Ramanathan, C. S., & Alvarez, A. R. (1998).  Course evaluations: What are social work students telling us about teaching effectiveness?  Journal of Social Work Education, 34 (2), 229-236.

Gutierrez, L., Alvarez, A.R., Nemon, H., & Lewis, E.  (1996).  Multicultural community organizing: A strategy for change.  Social Work, 41 (5), 501-508.  Also published in P. Ewalt et al. (Eds.), 1997, Social policy: Reform, research, and practice.  Silver Spring, MD: NASW Press.  Translated into Spanish as "Organizacion de comunidad multicultural.  Una estrategia para el cambio."  Cuadernos Andaluces de Bienestar Social, Ano III, No. 4 (1999).

Book Chapters:

Alvarez, A.R. (2004).  Pandora's Box: Social work education for multicultural community practice.  In L. Gutierrez, M. Zuniga, & D. Lum (Eds.), Education for multicultural social work practice: Implications for social and economic justice.  Alexandria, VA: CSWE Press.

Alvarez, A.R. (2003).  Are affirmative action policies increasing equality in the labor market?  YES!  In H. Karger, J. Midgley, & B. Brown. (Eds.), Controversial issues in social policy (2^nd Ed.) (pp. 92-100).  Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.  A version also published in Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial social issues (K. Finsterbusch (Ed.), 2004, 13^th ed.).  Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill Dushkin.

Beverly, C., & Alvarez, A. R. (2003).  Using social development theory and practice to employ and empower people with disabilities.  In D. P. Moxley & J. R. Finch (Eds.), Sourcebook of abilitation and mental health practice (pp. 27-36).  New York, NY: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Tropman, J. E., & Alvarez, A. R. (1977).  Writing for effect: Correspondence, records and documents.  In F. Cox, et al. (Eds.), Tactics and techniques of community practice (pp. 377-390).  Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock.

Encylopedia Entry:

Alvarez, A.R. (2008).  Social work education: Multiculturalism.  In T. Mizrahi and L. Davis (Eds), The encyclopedia of social work (20^th Ed.).  New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Selected Presentations

Refereed Papers, Workshops and Roundtable for National and International Conferences

Alvarez, A.R., & Lazzari, M.M. (2009).  Women aging as social work educators: Invincible and invisible, outraged and engaged.  Presented as a roundtable at the 55^th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, San Antonio, TX, November, 2009.

Alvarez, A.R., Stotzer, R., Youn, E., & Smith, M.L. (2008). "From a distance"...Creating engaged and effective learning communities within distance education.  Presented at the 54^th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Philadelphia, PA, October-November, 2008.

Morelli, P.T.T., Mataira, P.J., Alvarez, A.R., Horvath, V.E., & Matsuoka, J.K.  (2008).  Indigenizing social work education: A call for relevance in the 21st Century.  Presented at the 54^th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Philadelphia, PA, October-November, 2008.

Gutierrez, L., & Alvarez, A.R. (2008).  Action research to identify strategies and techniques for multicultural community practice.  Presented at the International Conference on Community Psychology, Lisbon, June 2008.

Alvarez, A.R., & Smith, M.L. (2007).  Digital divide - or cross-cultural connector?  Using technology to bridge distance and differences.  Presented at the 53^rd Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, San Francisco, CA, October 2007.

Lazzari, M.M., Graber, H.V., Collins, K.C., & Alvarez, A.R. (2007).  "What about women?"  A feminist historical perspective on the CSWE Women's Commission/Council.  Presented at the 53^rd Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, San Francisco, CA, October 2007.

Alvarez, A.R., & Smith, M.L. (2007).  The Road to Hana: Going the Distance to Deliver Social Work Education to Remote, Underserved and Culturally Diverse Populations.  Presented at the 8^th International Conference of Human Services Information Technology Applications (HUSITA8), Toronto, ON, Canada, August 2007.

Alvarez, A.R., & Cabbil, L.M. (2003).  Multicultural learning through immersion: Interlocking groups, overlapping purposes.  Presented at the 25^th International Symposium of the Association of Social Work with Groups (AASWG), October, Boston, MA.

Selected Research and Grants

Alvarez, A. R.Principal Investigator, federal grant through the Hawai'i Department of Human Services to develop and implement distance education delivery of the MSW degree program with a focus on Title IV-E and Child Welfare training.  Awarded $490,000 October 2008 - September 2009; and $250,000 October 2007 - September 2008. (Overall budget from all sources in excess of $650,000, 2008-2009.)

Moxley, D.P., & Alvarez, A.R.  Collaboration of Wayne State University School of Social Work with Core City Neighborhoods and Habitat for Humanity: the Tri-Centennial Village project.

Alvarez, A.R., Project Director and Principal Investigator, "Finding the Key: Culturally Competent Family Planning Services."  Needs assessment and program planning to identify sociocultural barriers to utilization of state-funded family planning services among African American youth and young adults in Detroit.  Under "Opening Doors in Michigan," funded by the Michigan Department of Public Health through the Michigan Public Health Institute. Sponsored by Hartford Agape House.  

Alvarez, A.R., & Gutierrez, L.M.  Building bridges for healthy communities in Detroit: Developing education and training for multi-cultural organizers.  Funded by theNeighborhood Academy of the Detroit Community-Based Public Health Consortium.

Social Work Practice Experience

School Social Worker, Edmonson Junior High, Willow Run Community Schools, Ypsilanti, Michigan. 

Assistant Director, Planning Project, Washtenaw County Council on Aging, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

Administrative Assistant and Tutor, E.S.A.P. Abbeville Tutoring Program, Southern Mutual Help Association, Abbeville, Louisiana. 

Assistant Director, Children's Community Kitchen, Cebu City, the Philippines. Administration, community work, program design and implementation. 

Selected Honors, Recognitions, Special Awards

Award for Best Faculty MSW Project ("Outstanding Achievement") in the Influencing State Policy National Contest, June 2006.

Hali Giessler Volunteer of the Year Award, 2002, Franklin-Wright Settlements, Inc., Detroit, Michigan.

Excellence in Teaching Award, 2001-2002, School of Social Work, Wayne State University.

Emerging Scholar Award, Association for Community Organizing and Social

Administration (ACOSA), presented at CSWE 47^th APM, Dallas, TX, March 2001.

 

Professional Memberships

Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups (AASWG)

Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA)

Council on Social Work Education

National Association of Social Workers

Social Welfare Action Alliance (formerly Bertha Capen Reynolds Society)

Social Welfare History Group