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CMU appoints experienced social worker and professor to faculty
Ms. Buetta Warkentin will join CMU's social work program at the end of May 2024 as Associate Professor of Social Work and Field Education Coordinator for Social Work.
Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) continues to establish its new Bachelor of Social Work degree program as it welcomes Ms. Buetta Warkentin. She will join the university on May 27, 2024 in the roles of Associate Professor of Social Work and Field Education Coordinator for Social Work.
Warkentin comes to CMU with a wealth of experience both in academia and in the field. She is a registered Social Worker and a member of the Manitoba College of Social Workers. She spent the last 18 years teaching social work at Booth University College in Winnipeg, where she joined the faculty in 2006. Her professional experience includes working in child welfare and as a therapist for children, youth, and families—both in Manitoba and Ontario.
Warkentin's research interests focus on the intersection of faith and social work practice. She recently co-authored and published an article based on qualitative interviews that explores how social workers' beliefs impact their motivation to enter the profession, their willingness to explore spirituality and religion with clients, and the role that their own sense of spirituality or religion has in supporting or challenging them in the face of a difficult profession.
She has taught a diverse variety of courses, including ones exploring human behaviour and the social environment, spirituality in social work, and introductory foundational skills for the profession. She was also the program's Field Education Coordinator for many years.
"I am deeply invested in building a strong and respected social work program," Warkentin says. "Field education is a critical part of social work education and I am thrilled to take on the work of building relationships with agency partners and facilitating the development of skills and character that will enable CMU social work grads to make a real difference in their communities."
CMU's social work program is already underway—students currently have the capacity to take prerequisite courses. The full program will launch in September 2024. It will prepare students to be ethical, adaptable, and effective social workers, through rigorous academic coursework integrated with field education placements that will provide students with hands-on experience in diverse social work settings.
Warkentin is on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Society for Spirituality and Social Work, and holds a Master of Social Work and Master of Theological Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. She is also an alumna of Canadian Mennonite Bible College, one of CMU's predecessor colleges.
"Joining the faculty at CMU feels in many ways like a homecoming. That time in my life was so formative with deep and meaningful learning conversations and experiences with faculty and fellow students, exploring the social implications of the scriptures and our role in working towards justice," she says. "This set me on the path to graduate education in theology and social work. I am so excited to return to CMU and walk that journey with students who are exploring their place in the world and their contribution to it."
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