McCarthy to give Ramsey lecture Oct. 14

Peter McCarthy, coordinator of Skidmore’s Social Work Program, will deliver the 18^th annual John Ramsey Lecture at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Murray Aikins Dining Hall, second floor. The campus community is welcome.

McCarthy’s talk is titled “From Theory to Practice:  A Quarter Century of Practicing Social Work.” After graduating from Skidmore with a B.A. in psychology, McCarthy did graduate work at the University of South Carolina and fieldwork at the Medical University of South Carolina, Institute of Psychiatry. After earning the M.S.W., he spent five years as a clinician at a walk-in mental health clinic and three years as director of an adolescent youth shelter. His private practice has centered on working with adolescents and young adults on the issues of anger, decision-making, and goal setting. He also consults in the private sector in the areas of strategic marketing, problem solving, and goal setting.

In 2014 as the faculty speaker at commencement, McCarthy shared details about Skidmore’s Social Work Program. “We stress the goal of taking an idea from conception and seeing it through to implementation, putting theory into practice,” he said. “This is in direct support of one of Lucy Scribner’s original missions of the college—‘words into action’. Without the action of engagement to implement those creative thoughts, there is little progress. It is our actions that allow us to move forward,” he added.

According to Catherine Golden, professor of English and director of the Honors Forum, the annual Jon A. Ramsey Lecture recognizes the vision of Skidmore’s former Dean of Studies, who encouraged the Skidmore faculty and administration to create a welcoming space for students with high academic aspirations. In 1995, Dean Ramsey presented an outline for what is now called the Honors Forum, which supports Skidmore’s highest achieving students in their academic careers and co-curricular endeavors. Each year, Honors Forum students nominate a professor to speak to them, and this year we honor Professor McCarthy.