By Nikki Johnson
Staff Writer

This year at UNCP, not only is learning personal for students, but learning is getting personal for the teachers as well. The faculty at Pembroke is striving to take their teaching and their careers one-step forward, making personal and professional leaps toward their goals.

Dr. Steve Marson is one of those teachers.

Dr. Marson, director of UNCP’s Social Work Program, received his doctorate in Sociology from North Carolina State University, and published the first edition of his and co-editor Dr. Jerry Finn’s online journal, The Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, on Sept 1.

Marson, who has been a part of UNCP’s social work program since 1977, knew that of the nine curriculum areas of social work, “social work values and ethics” didn’t have a journal. As the chair of the subcommittee on social work values and ethics, Marson thought it was important to start a journal in order to promote development in the industry.

Taking a total of four years to get the journal off the ground was the most difficult task for Marson.

“During the critical negotiations and time-consuming period with the lawyers, Dean Tom Leach made a special effort to assist me. If it were not for his help in the matter, the journal would’ve taken an additional year to start up,”
Marson said.

The mission of the journal is to “examine the ethical and value issues that impact and are interwoven with social work practice, research and theory development.”

Marson said that contributing to the journal are social work professors and practitioners; also, a surprising number of contributors from Europe and Australia.

In the years to come, Marson hopes to accomplish more in the field of social work: “I’m currently working on a study on the relationship of student learning and the use of computers,” Marson said.

He also hopes to see improvements in the proper use of technology in the social work industry.