School of Social Work News

Read the ENGAGE team’s case study on Charles E. Williams II, PhD student and pastor at the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church. During the early days of the pandemic, Williams and his congregation spearheaded efforts to coordinate food delivery and other assistance to vulnerable Detroit area residents.  At the height of the response effort, 30 Black churches were mobilized to deliver 700,000 meals across the city of Detroit — allowing vulnerable residents to stay at home and help curb the spread of COVID-19.  Williams’ work exemplifies the power of connecting communities to resources, and how Michigan Social Work supports movements for social change, especially during times of crises.

Professor Emeritus John Tropman’s book “Effective Meetings: Improving Group Decision Making” has been named the number one book of all time on the subject of running meetings by BookAuthority. In his book, Tropman offers practical strategies for running effective meetings by highlighting the processes involved in decision making and the ways individuals contribute to making better quality decisions as a group. BookAuthority uses the recommendations of experts and business leaders to identify and rate the best books in the world.

Joyce Lee, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology, has successfully defended her dissertation entitled “Family Processes Underlying Economic Insecurity, Father Involvement, and Child Outcomes in Families with Low Income.” Her committee consisted of Shawna Lee, Brenda Volling (co-chairs), Robert Ortega, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor and Sheryl Olson. Lee has accepted a position as assistant professor at The Ohio State University.

The Program Evaluation Group (PEG) partnered with the Kresge Foundation to release a new report titled  A Retrospective Look at Kresge Innovative Projects: Detroit.  In 2019, PEG  began an evaluation of the first three rounds of the Kresge Innovative Projects: Detroit (KIP:D), which took place from 2015-2017.  

Through a variety of participatory data collection methods, staff from PEG gathered insights from 45 people connected to KIP:D projects in order to learn about the impact projects had on residents’ quality of life, effective strategies for ensuring inclusive engagement, whether and how projects were catalytic, and the ways in which Kresge could further support the initiative.

Field Faculty and Lecturer Leigh Robertson has been named the 2021 SSW Distinguished Lecturer for her dedication and skill in field education.

Since joining the School in 2004, she has provided exceptional instruction and mentorship to over 1,500 social work students. She has worked closely with field instructors, who routinely testify to the importance of Robertson’s mentorship and support of their efforts in working with our students. In attending to the needs and growth of both students and field instructors, she has ensured that MSW students receive the kind of learning and growth through their field experiences which fulfill a vital and significant aspect of the School’s curriculum.

Robertson has also played an instrumental role in attending to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion concerns and has provided important support to LBGTQIA+ students. She took the lead in creating “Out in Field'' trainings for field instructors and agencies, which not only support LGBT+ students’ ability to fully benefit from their field placements, but also advance the work of inclusion and diversity across our community.

Professors Mary Ruffolo and Mieko Yoshihama have been named 2021 SSW Distinguished Faculty for their dedication to scholarship and teaching, for their excellent service to both the School and to students.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes School of Social Work alumni whose achievements exemplify the values of the School of Social Work and who have made an exceptional impact on the profession, the community and/or Social Work education.

Learn more about the Distinguished Alumni Award »

In recent weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases in India has exploded, overwhelming the nation’s public health, medical and infrastructure capacities, and creating a health care catastrophe.

The U-M Community has close ties to India that go back over a century, resulting in cherished long term research and educational partnerships. We currently have about 1,000 students from and 6,000 alumni in India, many of whom are personally affected by this unfolding crisis.

How you can help:

• Give to the American India Foundation’s COVID Response Fund. Entering “University of Michigan” in the comment box will ensure that your gift is recognized as part of the U-M community’s effort to assist at this critically important time.
• Take five min to call Congress and ask them to encourage and support measures that would increase vaccination rates in India.
  • Find your U.S. Representative.
  • Find your U.S. Senator.

We know many of you with family or friends in India are suffering. Please do not hesitate to reach out to access university support resources if you need help during such a difficult time. Our Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are available to all students.

• U-M Counseling and Psychological Services CAPS resources are shared with students and listed in the MSW News. Alejandro Rojas, MSW, is the CAPS embedded counselor with the School of Social Work,. You can reach him by phone at (734) 763-7894 or [email protected].
• Our Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office is open and available to provide support to U-M faculty and staff on the Ann Arbor.