School of Social Work News

Assistant Professor Shawna Lee was a guest on the Capital City Recap show broadcast on WILS 1320.  She discussed her latest research on spanking.

Congratulations to Sue Ann Savas who has just received an award from the Department of Justice-Byrne JAG Program via the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office. A brief description of the project follows:

The State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) secured a grant from the
Department of Justice to develop, implement and evaluate the "Social Work
Sentencing Project." A social worker and attorney form a dyad to advocate
and represent indigent clients at new sentencing hearings on appeal.  The
CC-PEG will provide evaluation services for the Social Work Sentencing
Project.

The Third Century Initiative (TLTC) is a plan from the U-M President and Provost to develop innovative, multi-disciplinary approaches to teaching and scholarship at the U-M – Ann Arbor. The overall goal of the Third Century Initiative is to stimulate creative thinking among students and faculty, and to develop programs that will intensify learning experiences in and beyond the classroom.

Leslie Hollingsworth and Desmond Patton received a TLTC grant to fund a proposal for student engagement in the creation of a model for enhancing preparation for effective social work services for African American families.

Beth Sherman, Kathleen Faller and Robert Ortega received a TLTC grant to enhance school performance of marginalized and trauma-affected adolescents.

Katie Richards-Schuster received a TLTC grant for a CASC minor student retreat.
 

Congratulations go out to Diane Back who has been selected as the University of Michigan NASW Student of the Year!

Student Social Workers of the Year are selected 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

An awards ceremony will be held honoring all of the southeastern Michigan BSW and MSW program recipients. It is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. and will be held in McGregor Hall at Wayne State University, 495 Ferry Mall, Detroit, MI 48202.

We would also like to congratulate fellow U-M SSW nominees Joshua Meisler, Meredith Perry, and Adi Sathi, all great candidates that were nominated this year.

Mary Rose Naoum (LSA'14/ MSW'16) was a speaker at the 5th annual TEDxUofM conference, which was held at the Power Center this past Saturday. She, along with Fine Arts Acting senior Alex Madda, talked about how integrating the arts into K-12 curriculum, particularly in Detroit Schools, greatly benefits children. The pair even performed a charming skit from one of their educational puppet shows. 

PhD Student Elizabeth Armstrong and Associate Professor Beth Glover Reed have received a grant from the U-M Rackham Graduate School for their work addressing alcohol and other drugs relationship to intimate partner violence.

Assistant Professor Emily Nicklett was awarded a grant from the National Institute on Aging through the University of Colorado, Denver, for her work surrounding health disparities among older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Assistant Professor Michael Woodford's research was referenced in an article entitled, “LGBTQ Microaggressions: Are We Making Mountains Out of Molehills?” in the online magazine, Slate.