From 2004 - 2007, the Social Work Department received funding from the John H. Hartford Foundation to participate in the Council on Social Work Education Gero-Ed Center's Curriculum Development Institute.  The purpose of this funding was to infuse gerontology content into foundation curriculum as well as the social work program as a whole.  The gerontology education infusion initiative grew out of recognition that the majority of social workers, regardless of practice setting, work in some way with older adults and their families, but few possessed the knowledge, values, and skills to effectively serve an aging population. 

With the support of both Hartford funding as well as the College, the Social Work Department has committed itself to preparing students with entry-level competencies in order to meet the needs of older adults by infusing aging content into all of its major courses through class exercises, readings, written assignments, inviting older adults to speak in class, requiring students to visit programs that provide services to older adults, or providing direct exposure to older adults through internship opportunities. Students' capacity for working with older adults is incorporated in ongoing program evaluation.

As a result of its successful completion of the Curriculum Development Institute (CDI), social work faculty member, Dr. Penelope Moore is presently serving as a Gero-Ed CDI mentor for other programs seeking to similarly infuse their curricula.