By GALEN HAWES
ADA – East Central University’s Social Work program has received a grant from the Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program (CWPEP) for the second time in the past three years and will use the funds to develop an inspiring learning space.
The ECU Social Work program will use the $40,000 CWPEP grant to transform an out-of-date classroom in the Horace Mann building into an inviting, interactive classroom. The program has received this grant once before, in 2018, using those funds to create a Social Work Simulation Lab inside Fentem Hall.
“It is always a positive when we can find grants to make classrooms more suitable for students in their specific departments here at ECU,” said Dr. Amy Ward, Social Work assistant professor and the program’s director. “The renovated classroom will make working in groups much easier for students, better facilitating class discussions, problem-solving and collaboration.”
The renovations are set to begin in a couple of months and include replacing the flooring, painting the room, installing a dry-erase or chalk wall, installing LED televisions, and bringing in ECU-appropriate orange and black furniture.
“This new classroom will be a space that inspires creativity and innovation,” said Ward. “We hope it will be a space that students look forward to utilizing.”
Cutline: East Central University Social Work student J'Vian Jackson talks with Ms. Carrol Maxwell. ECU’s Social Work department is planning a classroom renovation with its latest grant award. (Jaylea Harpole)
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