faculty transitions
CATHARINE RALPH
Field Consultant, Lecturer and Title IV-E Project Coordinator Perhaps Berkeley Social Welfare Field Consultant Cathy Ralph was destined to bookend her long and productive career at her alma mater, starting when the School of Social Welfare’s legendary dean, Harry Specht, personally selected her — fresh out of the MSW program in 1977 — to help lead the revived Social Welfare Alumni Association (SWAA). Ralph served as an officer in the organization for six years and went on to spend 16 years working in the public child welfare sector, with Dean Specht all the while keeping her in mind for a place at the School. A Title IV-E coordinator opening in the MSW program eventually presented itelf, though Ralph, invited to apply, ultimately lost out to another beloved Berkeley Social Welfare stalwart, Anne Ageson. “Harry broke the news to me and said there will be other opportunities,” recalls Ralph. “Within a year or two, there was one, and that’s when I came.” That fateful hiring as a lecturer and field consultant took place 25 years ago, and in 2007, the same IV-E coordinator position that Ralph originally missed out on was added to her role. Ralph says that the special milestone anniversary, along with Berkeley Social Welfare’s own 75th birthday, seemed like the perfect time for her to close out this longterm career phase. As she transitions into retirement, Ralph shares her thoughts about the expansiveness of the Title IV-E program, the beauty of the Berkeley campus and plans for sleep (some) and social justice (lots). What are you proudest of in your career? There have been about 400 lovely UC Berkeley Title IV-E students that have come through the program in the past 25 years, and I was a teacher or field consultant to almost all of them. When I look at the whole IV-E alumni list, I can put a face to everyone’s name — and that is pretty cool. A lot of
40
SOCIAL WELFARE AT BERKELEY FACULTY TRANSITIONS
them, even some from the very first class, are still going at it. What will you miss most? Coming to the Berkeley campus! I’m going to have to find other means of doing that, whether it’s in an advisory role or cultural, like the Botanical Gardens or the Pacific Film Archive. Those are things I’ve had to ignore because I didn’t have time, but now I might actually be able to visit them. And you know what I will miss? My little balcony [outside of my third-floor office in Haviland Hall]. I have a view of a big spruce tree, and my office feels like it’s in old Berkeley, out in the countryside. What are you most looking forward to in retirement? Anne Ageson said for the first two months after she retired she just slept. I’ll get some sleep, but I don’t think it will be as long as two months. I will be organizing a long list of projects, including some social justice activism that needs to happen in my neighborhood. There’s also an organization in my town called Unity in the Community, and I’ll be working with them. What are your hopes for the future of Berkeley Social Welfare’s Title IV-E program? It is a warm handoff because [Berkeley Social Welfare Field Consultant] Christina Feliciana has agreed to take the job, which is perfect. She herself is a IV-E graduate, and all the students are excited. They know and love her, and there’s some continuity for them. I also love that it’s a different kind of energy that Christina brings to the position. She will be very conscientious about how this goes forward, which leaves me in a peaceful place. I’m so relieved somebody who is that good will be taking care of the IV-E students. •