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Specific Pioneering Contributions
While serving as Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Hawai'i from 1987 to 2000, Patricia Littlefield Ewalt, PhD, MS, developed strong partnerships between the School and community organizations that provided practicum opportunities for social work students. These collaborations continue today as a result of her visionary leadership and dedication to advancing social work education in Hawai?i.
Dr. Noreen Mokuau, who succeeded Dr. Ewalt as Dean, remarked that Ewalt “demonstrated an incisive understanding of the intersections of research and practice… and served as an exemplary role model for faculty to develop and transmit knowledge on practice with unique relevance for the diverse peoples of Hawai'i.” Ewalt was also instrumental in refocusing the School’s curriculum to emphasize multicultural education and was a strong advocate for courses that taught students about Native Hawaiian culture and its influence on social work practice.
Ewalt was innovative in her approach to social work education. In the 1990s, she launched distance-learning programs for neighbor island students and hired instructors on each island to oversee fieldwork courses. As a result, the University of Hawai'i School of Social Work grew to be regarded as the premier institution for social work education across the islands.
Career Highlights
Ewalt’s career reflects a lifetime of service and leadership at the national, state, and community levels. Within the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), she held a number of influential positions, beginning as Secretary of the National NASW Board and Executive Committee from 1982 to 1984. She later contributed extensively to the field’s scholarship, serving on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Social Work from 1984 to 1990 and later as its Editor-in-Chief from 1994 to 1998. Her editorial expertise also extended to the Encyclopedia of Social Work, where she was a board member from 1991 to 1993. In addition, from 1990 to 1992 she testified before Congress on behalf of NASW, bringing the voice of the profession to national policy debates. At the state level, she was equally active, participating in legislative advocacy on social issues and earning widespread respect as a social work leader.
Her involvement with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) was similarly distinguished. From 1975 to 1978 she served as Vice President of the NASW–CSWE Joint Board Committee, and in the late 1980s and 1990s, she held multiple leadership roles, including member of the Commission on Accreditation (1988–1990) and the Commission on Educational Policy (1992). She chaired the Commission on National Legislation and Administrative Policy from 1992 to 1998 and, in 1993, led the Social Work Congressional Fellows Selection Committee.
Beyond NASW and CSWE, Ewalt’s influence extended into other national organizations. She chaired the Social Work Research Implementation Committee for the National Institute of Mental Health in 1994 and, from 1998 to 2000, served as President of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work, helping to shape the direction of social work education and research across the country.
In Hawai'i, she played a pivotal role in community engagement and policy reform. Appointed by the Governor, she chaired the Advisory Committee on the State Human Services Functional Plan from 1988 to 1992. During this same period, she also contributed to the Allocations Executive Committee and Panel for Aloha United Way (1987–1992) and served on the Board of Directors for Ke Ola O Hawai'i, an interdisciplinary community health training program funded by the Kellogg Foundation (1991). She was also a member of the Child Welfare Reform Task Force from 1994 to 1995, working to strengthen services for children and families across the state.
Biographic Data
Ewalt was born on August 21, 1934, in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from Newton High School in 1952 and began her college studies at Smith College, later transferring to Radcliffe College, Harvard University. She married Dr. Stuart Flerlage, Jr. in 1953 and had two sons before graduating cum laude in 1956. She later had two more sons before the couple divorced.
In 1964, she married Dr. Jack Ewalt. She earned her MSW from Simmons College in 1968 and her PhD from Brandeis University in 1978.
In 1982, Ewalt was appointed Dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas. In 1987, she became Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Hawai'i, where she served until her retirement in 2000.
In retirement, she lived in Virginia, then Maine, and eventually moved to Colorado, where she passed away on January 8, 2022.
Significant Achievements and Awards
- 1991: NASW Hawai'i Chapter Social Worker of the Year Award in Professional Education and Training
- 1995: NASW Presidential Award for Social Work Educator of the Year
Significant Publications
- Ewalt, Patricia L., Anne E. Fortune, Edith M. Freeman, Dennis L. Poole, & Stanley L. Witkin (Eds.). (1999). Multicultural Issues in Social Work, Vol. II. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
- Ewalt, Patricia L., Edith M. Freeman, & Dennis L. Poole (Eds.). (1998). Community Building: Renewal, Wellbeing, and Shared Responsibility. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
- Ewalt, Patricia L., Edith M. Freeman, Stuart A. Kirk, & Dennis L. Poole (Eds.). (1997). Social Policy: Reform, Research, Practice. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
- Browne, Colette, Margaret Smith, Patricia L. Ewalt, & Duane D. Walker. (1996). “Advancing Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings: A Structure for Collaborative Partnership and Continuing Education.” Health and Social Work, 21(4), 267–276.
- Ewalt, Patricia L., Edith M. Freeman, Stuart A. Kirk, & Dennis L. Poole (Eds.). (1996). Multicultural Issues in Social Work Practice. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
- Ewalt, Patricia L. & Noreen Mokuau. (1995). “Self-Determination from a Pacific Perspective.” Social Work, March, 168–175.
- Mokuau, Noreen & Patricia L. Ewalt. (1993). “School-State Hospital Collaboration: Enriching Teaching, Scholarship, and Service.” Journal of Social Work Education, 29(3), 328–337.
- Ewalt, Patricia L. (1991). “Trends Affecting Recruitment and Retention of Social Work Staff in Human Service Agencies.” Social Work, 36(3), 214–217.
- Germain, Carel B. (Ed.), Phyllis Caroff, Patricia L. Ewalt, Paul Glasser, & Rebecca Vaughan (Assoc. Eds.). (1985). Advances in Clinical Social Work Practice. Silver Spring: NASW Press.
- Ewalt, Patricia L. (1983). Curriculum Design and Development for Graduate Social Work Education. New York: Council on Social Work Education.
- Ewalt, Patricia L. & Robert M. Honeyfield. (1981). “Needs of Persons in Long-Term Care.” Social Work, 26(3), 223–231.
- Ewalt, Patricia L. & Lola A. Perkins. (1979). “The Real Experience of Death Among Adolescents: An Empirical Study.” Social Casework, 60(9), 547–551.
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