Social Work Program Director Wade Luquet, PhD Receives Prestigious Educator of the Year Award

Gwynedd Mercy University Social Work Program Director Wade Luquet, PhD was presented with the Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) during their annual conference on October 27, 2020.

Dr. Luquet founded GMercyU's Social Work program in 2017. He has taught at GMercyU for more than 15 years, where he draws from his 30+ years of experience as a clinical social worker specializing in marriage and family therapy.

"In the past year, Dr. Luquet led [GMercyU's Social Work Program] through the accreditation process with tenacity, and he celebrated his first graduating class. Throughout, he has led his students with compassion and concern," said NASW-PA Conference Chair Rebecca Suglia, LSW, at the conference, which was held virtually this year.

In February 2020, GMercyU's Bachelor of Social Work Program earned accreditation from the Council on Social Work Educations' Commission on Accreditation. Graduates of GMercyU's BSW Program are eligible to sit for the Pennsylvania Social Work Exam and apply for state licensure. GMercyU's BSW program accreditation also enables graduates to have eligibility for advanced standing in CSWE master's degree programs, saving them a full year toward completion of a Master of Social Work (MSW).

"We are very proud that Dr. Luquet received this well-deserved award. He worked hard to build a robust and enriching Social Work Program at Gwynedd Mercy University that prepares students for success in graduate studies and in social work professions," said Lisa McGarry, PhD, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at GMercyU.

Dr. Luquet is also currently Vice President of the Pennsylvania Association for Social Work Education (PASWE). At the conference, Suglia commended Dr. Luquet's work in building a new partnership between PASWE and the NASW-PA through expanded programs and services to students - not just at GMercyU, but across the state.

"Thank you to the NASW-PA, all of my faculty colleagues, and my family who put up with long nights of paper grading, who made this possible," said Dr. Luquet. "I appreciate and treasure this award, but here is something you should know. While this is one of the thrills of my life, as educators, we don't do it for the award, we do this because we were given a spark and feel compelled to pass it forward."

More About Dr. Luquet

Dr. Luquet is the author of the best-selling professional book Short-Term Couples Therapy: The Imago Model in Action, now in its second edition. He is co-editor, with Mo Hannah, of Healing in the Relational Paradigm: The Imago Relationship Therapy Casebook, and co-editor with Harville Hendrix, Helen LaKelly Hunt, and Mo Hannah of Imago Relationship Therapy: Perspectives on Theory.

He has also authored eight book chapters and more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is a frequent presenter at regional conferences and is described as a warm, engaging, and knowledgeable presenter. He maintains a private practice in marriage and family therapy in North Wales, Pa.