Strengthening Academic Programs with Proactive Fiscal Management and Other Innovative Strategies

Price pressures in the form of escalating tuition will continue to impinge upon colleges and universities in an unabated fashion. While distance learning experiments and electronic assisted teaching may provide some relief in training-centric sectors of higher education, the university enterprise remains a labor intensive endeavor. Technology and healthcare expenses will continue to grow at most institutions at a rate far above the cost-of-living index. Public institutions are finding strong resistance to additional support based on tax revenue. Private institutions are increasingly being questioned about the “valueadded” they provide and whether it justifies their premium tuition

CONSIDERATIONS ON A THEORY OF DESCRIPTIVE ACTIVITY

From a working definition of description, the meaning of idealized representation is presented. I t is suggested that, as a universal means of depiction, idealized representation stands in a contradictory relationship with the concrete conditions of its production, generating descriptive irresponsibility. Features of descriptive activity are presented, which serve as a basis for redefining the moral character of idealized representation

Issues in Evaluative Research: Implications for Social Work

Various issues in evaluative research are reviewed according to their relevance for the evaluation of social work practice. Specific items discussed are: plausible studies, what should be changed and why, the change agent, criteria for positive assessment, traditional research designs, time-series designs, organizational aspects of research, researchers vs clinicians, researcher\u27s distance from populations served, incentives for research, and the dissemination of information and application of relevant knowledge. Where relevant, aspects of certain evaluative studies are discussed to illustrate the items reviewed

Emotional Dysregulation as a target in the treatment of co-existing substance use and borderline personality disorders: A pilot study

Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) are frequently co-morbid and their co-occurrence exacerbates the symptomatology and associated harms for both disorders. However, few intervention studies have examined the delivery of an integrated intervention for BPD and SUD within alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment settings. This single arm pilot study examined the clinical utility and outcomes of a 12-session emotion regulation intervention for clients with co-occurring SUD and BPD symptoms delivered in an outpatient AOD treatment setting. Method: Forty-five adult treatment-seekers (64.4% women, mean age 35.8 years [SD=10.4]) attending an outpatient AOD service, who exhibited three or more symptoms of BPD, engaged in a 12-session emotion regulation intervention. Clinical measures assessing alcohol and drug use, BPD symptoms, emotion dysregulation and acceptance, non-avoidance of thoughts and emotions, and psychological flexibility were collected at baseline, session six and session 12. Treatment engagement, satisfaction and rapport were also measured. Results: Fifty-one percent of participants completed the 12-session intervention. The results demonstrated that the number of drug using occasions in the past 28 days significantly reduced from baseline compared to session 12. Furthermore, a significant reduction was identified in BPD symptom severity, emotion dysregulation, and non-acceptance, experiential avoidance and psychological inflexibility from baseline to session 12. Conclusions: For those individuals who completed the 12-session emotion regulation intervention, there were significant reductions across a number of clinical outcomes. However, retention in treatment for this vulnerable client group remains a significant challenge in the AOD setting

Disputes and Going Concerns in an Institution for "Troublesome" Boys

Everett C. Hughes's classic concept of a "going concern" should stand for both entire institutions and for chains of activities within institutions. In this article the author explores this expanded version of Hughes's concept to show how staff and residents in a youth care setting interweave everyday concerns-meals, lessons, breaks, meetings, or other mundane but concerted projects-with interpersonal disputes. The author thereby offers a more nuanced understanding of how antagonist actors in institutions invoke daily affairs. The author also raises questions about the conditions under which adults can impose concerns for youth in care to preserve social order and the conditions under which youth can make trouble to criticize adults' imposed concerns