MSW Program News

Kristina Agbebiyi, MSW'18 was awarded the 2018 University of Michigan NASW Student of the Year. The award selection is based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated leadership qualities
• Contribution to the positive image of a social work program
• Commitment to political and community activities
• Success in academic performance
• Degree to which the student represents the professional ethics of social work as defined in the NASW Code of Ethics

Susannah Feinstein, MSW ‘18, was selected as a 2018 Dow Sustainability Fellow. 

Dow Fellows focus on interdisciplinary approaches to a broad array of sustainability challenges related to water, energy, transportation, built environment, climate change, food, health, human behavior, and others. In addition to co-curricular activities and interactions with the Dow Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows, each Masters/Professional Fellow will complete an interdisciplinary team project focused on developing collaborative and practical sustainability solutions in the real world.

Daniel Kaplan (MSW student) wrote a Jewschool article about Birthright Israel. 

Madel Leal (MSW‘17) was featured in the Michigan News video, “Research, education, service: How we spent our summer vacation.”

Shelby Andersen-Holt and Breanna Ostrander (MSW students) along with mentor Professor Larry Gant received a grant from the Graham Sustainability Institute for The Belding Community Youth Food Collaborative project. The project uses youth empowerment and community engagement models to develop knowledge of and infrastructure for sustainable horticultural practices and nutritious eating in a rural setting.

Kunal Namballa, Gabrielle Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Horning (MSW students) along with mentor Julie Cushman (LEO lecturer) and the Critical Intersectionality Learning Community received an Innovation Grant from the U-M Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to create an experiential learning game, “Power: A Game of Positionality and Intersectionality” which can be used in courses and other settings.

Avery Drongowski (MSW'17) wrote a piece for eJewish Philanthropy about her experiences with the Jewish Communal Leadership Program at the U-M SSW.

Clinical Assistant Professor Barbara Hiltz was appointed as the U-M School of Social Work director of the MSW Program. This is a new position designed to deepen the School's commitment to providing the highest level of professional social work education. The MSW director will work collaboratively with the Associate Dean of Educational Programs. Responsibilities include:

• support for student academic performance
• faculty training and development
• curricular development
• accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education

She will also work closely with the Social Work Student Union, and focus on issues that arise with MSW students. Hiltz has been at SSW since 2013, most recently as a clinical assistant professor. In 2016, she received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Student Union.