Patricia W. Ivry, MSW
Interim Dean, School of Professional Studies
B.A. Goucher College
M.S.W University of Maryland
Doctoral Studies, City University of New York
Office Location: White Hall Suite 123
Phone: 203-837-9500
E-mail: ivryp@wcsu.edu
Mrs. Patricia W. Ivry, was born and raised in Fairfield County. She attended Goucher College where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing, and then attended the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She worked in Baltimore for several years as a community organizer and advocate, and then returned to the local area to begin teaching at WestConn. At this time, she began her doctoral work, served as the Field Coordinator for WestConn’s Department of Social Work for ten of those years and then as its Chair for eleven years. Mrs. Ivry has always been involved in community work. She has led major initiatives at the University to promote University/Community relations, and has done research in the areas of early childhood and pedagogy of social work. She provides consultation services to non-profit agencies and boards of directors, primarily about agency structure, and board development. She has served on the Council of Social Work Education’s, Educational Policy Commission, a national Commission that sets the course for social work education, and for two successive years has been awarded the Influencing State Policy Award for an Outstanding Community Project. She has also held elected office in her home community, and currently serves on several boards of non-profit human service agencies. Currently, Mrs. Ivry serves as Director of the Executive Forum of Western Connecticut State University, a capacity building initiative in the non-profit sector of the community. Since its inception in 1995, the Executive Forum has received over $25,000 in grants and contributions. Mrs. Ivry serves as a consulting editor for Journal of the National Association of Social Workers. Mrs. Ivry has also traveled extensively and more recently spent a year’s sabbatical leave at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver British Columbia.