School of Social Work News

The Curtis Research and Training Center at the School of Social Work hosted the first annual Program Evaluation Symposium on Friday, February 14, 2014.  This day-long event was organized by the Program Evaluation Group and culminated with a keynote address by the President of the American Evaluation Symposium (AEA), Dr. Beverly Parsons.

Dr. Parson's keynote, "Visionary Evaluation for a Sustainable, Equitable Future," highlighted the need for systems thinking, buidling new relationships, and an emphasis on sustainable, equitable living in evaluation. After the keynote address, attendees were invited to participate in small group discussions based on the topic of the keynote. Dr. Parsons will use feedback from the event to inform the direction of the AEA Annual Conference.

Asssistant Professor Desmond Patton's paper titled, "Exploring the Social Media Behaviors of Gang Members," has been accepted for presentation at the 6th Annual Health Disparities Conference at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Bill Vanderwill along with MSW students Emily Whitley, Kimson Bryant, and Hannah Reinmann have had their proposal, "Creating Socially Just Neighborhoods: The Power of Art," accepted for presentation at the COLC-NASW Michigan Conference.

MSW Students Phylicia Allen, Ashley Eason and Lauren Emerson have been awarded the Place-Based Evaluation Fellowship project from the Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group. These students will be placed into community-based non-profit organizations in southeast Michigan.

MSW student, Evan Major was recently appointed to the Hamtramck Board of Education. 

Assistant Professor Daphne Watkins will deliver the presidential address at the American Men's Studies Association annual meeting.  

MSW Candidate, Laura M. De Palma wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post about The James and Grace Lee Boggs School, a new community-based school on Detroit's east side. She highlights the ways in which the school is creating a community which carries out Dr. Martin Luther King's visions.

Assistant Professor Luke Shaefer is a new member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.  New members are nominated by current Academy members in recognition of their significant and ongoing professional contributions to the field of social insurance.  The National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization made up of the nation’s leading experts on social insurance. Its mission is to advance solutions to challenges facing the nation by increasing public understanding of how social insurance contributes to economic security.