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Robert Taylor Named Harold R. Johnson Professor of Social WorkRobert Joesph Taylor was installed as the Harold R. Johnson Professor of Social Work on March 6. Taylor delivered an installation address "Family and Church Support Networks of Older African Americans" highlighting his research. He is one of the nation’s foremost experts in the informal social support networks (i.e., family, friends and church members) of adult and elderly Black Americans as well as religious participation among African Americans.
He is the founding editor of African American Research Perspectives and is currently on the editorial boards of the Journal of Marriage and the Family and Race and Social Problems. Taylor was ranked number one in the top 20 most cited African American scholars in social work.
- March 8, 2016
Daniel Fischer and Mary Ruffolo Appointed to Interprofessional Curriculum Work GroupLEO Adjunct Lecturer Daniel Fischer and Professor Mary Ruffolo, who is also the co-chair of the workgroup, have been appointed to the curriculum group for the interprofessional education initiative. The curriculum work group is charged with exploring the curricula and accreditation standards of the health science schools to assess the role of interprofessional education at U-M.
- February 13, 2016
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David Córdova Presented Research at Urban Research Center 20th Anniversary SymposiumAssistant Professor David Córdova, along with his Detroit community partner Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, presented his research, "Preventing Substance Abuse and Mental Health Problems Among Detroit Hispanic Youth," at the Urban Research Center 20th Anniversary Symposium on January 21, 2016. The project aims to narrow and ultimately eliminate Hispanic health and mental health inequities in Detroit.
- February 13, 2016
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- Mathieu Despard Named Faculty Associate at School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis
Assistant Professor Mathieu Despard was named a Faculty Associate with the Center for Social Development at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently conducting research on the outcomes of a large scale tax-time savings experiment and on the promise of employer-based financial wellness programs in partnership with the Center for Social Development.
- February 13, 2016
- Robert LaRoe Chosen as Session Presenter at HighEdWeb Michigan Regional Conference
Webmaster Robert LaRoe was chosen as a session presenter and will give his talk, "Improving Your Website's Performance" at the May 5th-6th HighEdWeb Michigan Regional Conference at Grand Valley State University.
- February 13, 2016
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- Laura Sundstrom and Megan Elyse Williams Write for the American Evaluation Association Blog
Laura Sundstrom and Megan Elyse Williams, Evaluation Associates with the Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group, were invited to write a post for the American Evaluation Association blog, AEA365. Their post highlighted the tool they developed for the Program Evaluation Group, the Tiers of Skill Development. The Tiers of Skill Development intentionally guide students through developing their evaluation skills. You can read their blog post here.
- January 6, 2016
- Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group Staff and Students Present at American Evaluation Association Conference
Evaluation Associates and students from the Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group presented at the American Evaluation Association national conference in Chicago, IL on November 11-14, 2015, including three poster presentations and three oral presentations.
Oral presentations included:
- Intentionally Developing Skills and Competencies in New Evaluators: The Tier Approach. Presenters: Laura Sundstrom, MSW, and Megan Elyse Williams, MSW (Evaluation Associates)
- Using the Social Work Approach to Enhance Evaluation Practice. Presenters: Megan Elyse Williams, MSW, and Laura Sundstrom, MSW (Evaluation Associates)
Poster presentations included:
- College Access and Social Anxiety: How Evaluation Results Led to Targeted Curriculum Redesign. Authors: Sue Ann Savas, MSW; Laura Sundstrom, MSW (Evaluation Associate); Sue Schooner, MBA (client); and Natalya Wawrin, MSW (former field student)
- Data Automation 101: A step-by-step approach to effeciently handing multi-stide evaluation data. Authors: Sue Ann Savas, MSW; Megan Elyse Williams, MSW (Evaluation Associate); Meredith Philyaw, MS (Evaluation Associate); and Jennifer Nulty, MSW Candidate (current work study student)
- Evaluating a Human Trafficking Course Diversion Program: Building Knowledge to Better Serve Victims of Human Trafficking. Authors: Sue Ann Savas, MSW; Laura Sundstrom, MSW (Evaluation Associate); Chad Jobin, LLMSW (Evaluation Associate); Mary O'Brien, MSW Candidate (current work study student); and Cainnear Hogan, MSW Candidate (current work study and special studies student)
Laura Sundstrom and Megan Elyse Williams (Evaluation Associates) also participated on a panel discussion entitled, "Strategies for Teaching and Enhancing Cultural Competence in Novice Evaluators."
- November 18, 2015
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Community Health Worker Sustainability in MichiganEdie Kieffer and Katie Mitchell hosted the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance (MiCHWA) annual meeting in Lansing for 206 community partners and participants. Meeting materials and summaries are available on the MiCHWA web site.
- November 11, 2015
Julie Ribaudo Selected as 2015 SSW Student Union Teacher of the YearClinical Associate Professor Julie Ribaudo was selected as the 2015 SSW Student Union Teacher of the Year. She will be recognized at the Student Awards Ceremony in March. Below are several student statements about Professor Ribaudo:
"Julie has such wisdom and compassion from her experiences and an amazing ability of teaching this wisdom in a way that is both clear and sensitive to the identities and unique needs of each student. She teaches her course content with a strong PODS lens and is mindful of the diverse experiences and identity intersectionalities of her students. I've learned so much in her courses thus far and want to take every mini course offered with her! Julie is truly the epitome of empathy and compassion!"
"She has so much passion for what she teaches that it rubs off on her students. She also has a huge depth of knowledge that anyone wanting to pursue social work would be lucky to be exposed to."
"Julie has been an amazing teacher. I have learned more from her in my classes than I have in any of my others. She creates an open, safe class environment where people feel comfortable speaking their minds and are able to build meaningful relationships with one another. She also was very helpful with the transition back into a school setting first semester, and was conscious and understanding of the fact that many people were having a difficult time transitioning."- February 16, 2015
- SSW Responds to Grand Jury Decision Not to Indict in Eric Garner’s Death
Photo Courtesy of Kate Wells & Michigan Radio
Dear Social Work Colleagues,
Racial discrimination and inequality remain ongoing and pervasive aspects of our society brought again vividly to light by the recent grand jury decision not to indict in Eric Garner’s death. In combination with the National Association of Social Workers and the schools of social work across the country, many of whom have issued statements following the recent refusal to indict Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner in New York, we need to draw together as a school and a profession on an agenda that can lead to the fundamental changes necessary to address racism in the U.S.
In the weeks after the shooting death in Ferguson, one of my colleagues teaching in St. Louis wrote, “People have asked if they can help. My advice is to look at yourself and your community. There are so many communities like Ferguson and so many places where something similar can happen. Also, work with your legislators. Our governor is forming a Ferguson Commission to make suggestions for change. No real change will happen unless our Legislature is involved.”
How can we make change? We need to start with ourselves.
- Work in our classrooms and other school venues to continue both critical discussion of the role of racism in our society and the design of social and policy responses to racism and inequality.
- Study and research the impact of racism in our communities and document publicly its effects.
- Work in the organizations and agencies in which we participate to put the fruits of these discussions and analyses to work.
- Work throughout the political system to engage in the work of changing the persisting painful inequities.
As one example, we can engage more specifically with our criminal justice system, towards the goals listed by NASW.
- National standards on the use of lethal police force.
- National standards on how police handle persons living with mental illnesses or disabilities.
- Trainings to help end police bias and racial profiling when dealing with people of color.
- Make body cameras standard police equipment.
Along with others in the social work community, we must remain committed to addressing and remedying the pain and trauma caused by these events and by the myriad of other, less publicized events, now and in the future. We must also work towards the fundamental changes that will attack the racial inequities that stunt our society. I hope that we may come together as a community to address these tasks that we face in the weeks, months, and years to come. We must also put this commitment into both words and actions, drawing strength and inspiration from what we can each contribute.
With Regards,
Laura Lein
Dean and Katherine Reebel Collegiate Professor of Social Work
University of MichiganThanks to Assistant Dean Tim Colenback, Assistant Professor Desmond Patton and Associate Dean Mike Spencer for collaborating with this statement.
- December 5, 2014