A Model for Increasing Minority Participation at Managerial Level in the Field of Aging

This paper reports on the results of a collaborative effort among a public university, public and voluntary agencies and a gerontological center to address a serious shortage of minority administrators in the field of aging. The program is designed to enhance professional recruitment and retention of minorities in aging, to provide career mobility for minorities through professional social work education with specialized content in aging, management, and minority issues, and to strenghten content in services to the aged. The components of the program include: 1. selection and training 2. seminars related to the aged and minority leadership/management 3. a mentoring system 4. continuity between training and employment The outcome of the program includes a replicable model for training and retaining minority managers, improved services for the elderly, and a new cadre of minority professional leaders in the field of aging.