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Jim Wahlberg Memorial Award

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Dr. Jim Wahlberg provided longstanding service to and leadership in social work and social work education. He served on CSWE's Commission on Accreditation (COA) for two consecutive terms, 1992-1998. As a commissioner, he undertook the task of developing evaluative grids required for the self-study process, used by both social work programs across the country and the COA.

While on the Commission, he also chaired the Site Visitation Committee and made commissioner site visits to 17 programs that were applying for initial accreditation. Over an 11 year period, he provided consultation to eight additional social work programs. Dr. Wahlberg was a member of and held leadership positions in the North Dakota Conference on Social Welfare for 30 years and was active in North Dakota's Chapter of NASW for 27 years. He was a member of BPD from 1984 until his death and additionally served on the BPD Board of Directors for two, two-year terms. He also chaired the BPD Nominating Committee. Because he was active in the health and wellness component of the BPD conferences, the Jim Wahlberg Walk-Run has become a permanent part of the annual conference.

Jim Wahlberg Dean's Scholarship

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The Jim Wahlberg Dean's Scholarship is provided to the recipient of the Jim Wahlberg Memorial Award. The selection process is conducted by the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD). The BPD Board of Directors annually invites all BPD members to encourage outstanding BSW students to submit a proposal for the Jim Wahlberg Memorial Award. The recipient will present a paper at a special invitational session during the BPD Annual Conference. Conference registration, transportation, and one-night hotel stay will be paid by BPD for the selected presenter, as well as a $250 honorarium and plaque.

** Recipients will be eligible for a full-tuition Dean's Scholarship to the University of Michigan School of Social Work MSW program. Students can receive the Wahlberg Scholar Award without entering the University of Michigan, however, the full-tuition scholarship requires successful completion of the University of Michigan MSW program application and an offer of admission. The recipient will also need to maintain good academic standing while enrolled in the MSW program at the University of Michigan School of Social Work to maintain the full-tuition scholarship.