Psychology

For application information, please contact: Ms. Michelle O'Boyle (815-740-5072); Dr. Ruth Osuch (815-740-3412), or Dr. Billie Terrell (815-740-3460). Contact any one of them for the deadline for 2007 application.

In Memory of Dr. McCabe and Dr. Ponquinette - by Billie Terrell, Associate Professor of Social Work

Dr. James McCabe and Dr. Christine Ponquinette were both founders of the Social Work Program at the College of St. Francis in the early 1970's. James McCabe was Irish. He was a beloved husband, father; grandfather, brother, son and friend to many in the Joliet and University community. Dr. Christine Ponquinette was African-American, a beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, and well known and respected in the community. She was the mother of two (2) adopted and two (2) biological children.

Both Dr. McCabe and Dr. Ponquinette were my teachers, mentors, and my friends. They were different in personalities but complimented each other, and the program, well. He was tall. She was short. Jim provided the research component to the program and Christine provided the practicum skills and placement options for social work internships. They were either Program Director or Department Chair of Social Work/Psychology at different times. They met the challenges presented by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) together.

In one of their reports the CSWE Directors received the following comments from Jim McCabe (1992): "Finally, some comments must be made with regard to program strengths. The site visit team has accurately captured the essence of the Undergraduate Social Work Program at the College of St. Francis. This combination of dedicated, student-oriented faculty, enthusiastic and committed student body, excellent field supervisors, and a supportive administration coupled with a curriculum which is committed to beginning level generalist social work practice, arising out of a strong liberal arts base, produces well prepared graduates who have consistently performed well in the profession of social work. We are proud of our program and its graduates, and are pleased that the site visit team saw these strengths so clearly."

This is how I remember them and the education I received from them both. They were warm, caring and accessible to us; they encouraged us in wherever direction we chose to practice social work and expected us to represent the program well. Jim and Chris began the Social Work Program with master degrees in Social Work but both earned their PhD in the 1980's, working full-time and having families at home.

They were both responsible for the 1982 accreditation of the program and continually worked to maintain the high standards of the CSWE and the University's NCA accreditation standards. The results were high in percentage of graduate school admission, employment opportunities and visibility in the community. Because of their skills and commitment to the students, their untimely deaths were extremely traumatic to the students in the program at this time and those that had graduated. They have been missed terribly.

Chris was diagnosed with cancer in May 1992. She died July 1992 at the age of 51. Jim, the students and I worked together to create a scholarship in her name in the spring 1993. The Joliet community and St. Francis provided the funds needed to create the scholarship. Jim's health started to decline in 1994, resulting in a need for several dialyses. In spite of his health, he continued to work, supporting the program and its students. He was able to "Hood" his daughter Kristen when she received her degree in Social Work. Because of his kindness, humor and great compassion of others; and adoration to his mother, his loss was felt deeply by the faculty, community, and colleagues in the Social Work community. It was only natural to create a scholarship to be given in his name. His scholarship was initiated by his family and supplemented by the students, their families, and the faculty.

Since the establishment of the scholarships, fundraising events have been organized in a variety of forms from Fashion Shows, Bridal Shows, Trips to Bahamas, to a Valentine Dance. The University, Joliet, and Professional communities have given great support to the funds each year. Somehow, fundraisers have made their loss easier to accept, because we pause each year to remember these two exceptionally gifted human beings, who had a profound effect on my life and many, many others'.