fter over 30 years of teaching social work at Elizabethtown College, Dr. Vivian Bergel is retiring this spring. In addition to teaching, she has acted as the field director and liaison for the social work department and as an advisor for Hillel, the Jewish student association and has played a vital role in the women and gender studies and service learning program.
If you ask any student who’s taken Bergel’s classes, you’ll hear nothing but good things. ”
Dr. Bergel has contributed to my education by teaching me the importance of counseling skills and helping me gain confidence when using those skills for the field. She was able to help me, and others, learn more about the values in others’ cultures in order for us to be able to connect with our clients as social workers,” junior social work major Angelina Sypolt said. She has remained a prominent figure in the social work department and has always brought liveliness to all of her classes.
Bergel began working at Etown on a whim. She had been working in northern Dauphin County at a job that required her to do a minor amount of teaching others. This began to intrigue her, so she decided to look for a teaching position. She saw an ad in a paper for Etown and took a leap.
This choice turned out to be fruitful for her as she has been with Etown for quite a while. She started as an adjunct professor and worked her way up after she received her Ph.D. She eventually became an assistant professor. In 1986, Bergel took a break, but returned a year later. Bergel then served as the director of the social work department. She then decided that it might be best to make the social work department its own entity aside from sociology/anthropology, and she took over the new position of department chair.
It has always been apparent to Bergel that she has had an interest in social work, as it has dominated much of her career path. “No one lives in a vacuum. We are affected by and affect everything in our lives,” Bergel said. “As social workers, we intervene in these systems to affect change. All of these concepts and ideas made the most sense to me.” It goes without saying that Bergel has found her calling.
In addition to teaching social work, Bergel has been instrumental in service learning programs which have allowed students to directly help others. She helped develop the program in 1992 and since then it has thrived. She loves the idea of helping students become active in the community and has continued to help for that reason. For many years, she has helped students locate sites for their projects and has helped find people in need.
Bergel knows that it is the right time for her to retire, even though it is difficult. She will miss teaching at Etown and will miss all of the people she has worked alongside here. It has been hard for her to say goodbye. On April 25, she held a retirement party and invited faculty and teachers to attend. It was obvious that many people cared about her, as the room was full with people. She went back and forth chatting with others and making sure to see everyone.
When she leaves, Bergel wants to travel with her husband. She also wants to relax and spend time with her family, especially her grandkids. Most importantly, she plans to continue to give back to the community. She still wants to contribute by helping the elderly. Even after retirement, Bergel remains committed to helping others. “I will always remain involved and proud of my profession,” Bergel said. She makes this obvious to every person she meets.
“Dr. Bergel’s impact has definitely been made in Etown and in the social work department,” Sypolt said.
