Dr. Tom Zirpoli
Coordinator of the graduate program in Human Services Management & CEO of Target Community & Educational Services
Since 1993 McDaniel College has been a partner with Target Community & Educational Services (Target, Inc.), a non-profit agency based in Carroll County that provides residential, vocational, educational and family support services to children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Students in the Human Services Management graduate program receive a 75% tuition scholarship, a graduate stipend of $18,000 per year, free room and board, and health and dental benefits by interning as a Community Living Manager (CLM) with Target, Inc. for the two years of their graduate program.
The twenty-two Target Scholars each live in a Target home or apartment in either Carroll or Montgomery County and supervise the care and support of Target’s residential clients with disabilities. Students are paired with another graduate student and the two students share in the responsibilities of the internship. During this two-year internship, each student attends classes at McDaniel two evenings per week, alternate weekends with their fellow intern, and supervises the other employees at the residential site.
Target’s residential sites include nine custom built homes, seven of which are in Carroll County, and an apartment complex.
A current student, Andrea Arango, started the program in May. When asked what her proudest accomplishment was as a first year Target Scholar, Arango stated, “I’ve gone from being a new girl who just sort of shadowed everyone, to the new girl who can pull her share of the weight. That’s pretty cool, if you ask me.” Arango and her roommate, Latonia Haines, who also attended McDaniel as an undergraduate student, provide care and support to three individuals in a home located close to campus. Haines will graduate from the program in May 2011 and Arango will train a new roommate before graduating in 2012.
A recent graduate of the program, Jason Cole, stated that, “This is one of the best experiences that someone in Human Services can find in the whole country; trust me, I looked! The chance for a student to earn a master’s degree and gain two years of supervisory experience at the same time is a great opportunity.” Cole is now a program director in his home state of Missouri.
For more information about this unique graduate program opportunity at McDaniel College, contact Dr. Tom Zirpoli at 410-848-9090.
