Ball State's Department of Social Work has received a three-year grant from The Hartford Foundation, a New York-based private philanthropic organization.

The project will strengthen the department's curriculum to prepare more students to work with older adults and their families, said Ron Dolon, social work professor and project director.

"This country faces a need for more people to specialize in the area because the number of older adults will increase substantially in the next few years," he said.

Ball State's social work program is among 23 undergraduate programs to be selected for the grant. The university has about 200 social work majors and 65 minors.

According to the Hartford Foundation, there are now more than 33 million individuals, age 65 or older, living in the United States. By the year 2030, it is expected that this segment of the population will exceed 70 million. Older Americans will represent 25 percent of the U.S. population and by the middle of the 21st century every third older person will be from a minority group.

Dolon said about 12.4 percent of Indiana's population, or 696,000 people, are 65 and older. By 2015 the number is expected to expand to 963,000 and increase to 1.26 million in 2025.

In addition to reworking the curriculum and increasing the number of students prepared to work with older adults, goals of  the program include:

• Strengthening relationships between the social work program and agencies that provide services to older adults and their families.
• Increasing the number of sites at which social work students may work with older adults.
• Providing additional financial assistance and internship stipends to social work majors preparing for careers in geriatic fields.
• Recruit individuals working with older adults to participate in a continuing education certificate program from Ball State's Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology. The geriatric certificate is offered through the School of Continuing Education and Public Service.

Judith Gray, social work professor, is the project's curriculum faculty member. An advisory committee consisting of social work professions will also assist with the project.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Gray at jgray2@bsu.eduor (765) 285-1012.)