School of Social Work News

Joyce Lee, PhD ’21, co-authored the book "Young, Proud, and Sung-jee: A Children's Book on Fighting Anti-Asian Racism During COVID-19." It is featured by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in their Educator|Resource of the Month and generate meaningful discussions between adults and children about anti-Asian racism.

Hi SSW,

I hope everyone is feeling excited for the beginning of a new semester, or for the beginning of a  summer break!

[TW: transphobia, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments]

This email comes with great sadness because as of last week, 2021 officially became the worst year in recent history for anti-LGBTQ bills that have been passed into law according to the Human Rights Campaign. As the Queer Advocacy Coalition, we wanted to send out some information about some of the bills being considered that could be signed into law at any moment, and offer advocacy opportunities and resources for you all to voice opposition to this harmful legislation. (Linked here is an email template that can easily be edited for multiple communications.)

Arkansas has two bills sitting on the desk of Governor Hutchinson right now. Senate Bill (SB) 389 will undermine access to sex education, and Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 14 would allow discrimination under the guise of religious refusal. Contact Governor Hutchinson by email at [email protected] or by phone at (501) 682-2345 to voice opposition to these bills.

Florida has three bills waiting for Governor DeSantis to sign into law at any time. SB 1028 is an education bill that includes an anti-trans sports ban. House Bill (HB) 545 is an anti-LGBTQ sexual educaiton bill, and HB 241 is along the exact same lines. Contact Governor DeSantis by email at [email protected] or by phone at (850) 488-7146.

Tennessee has three bills awaiting a signature from Governor Lee. HB 1233 is an anti-trans bathroom bill for schools, HB 1182 is an anti-trans bathroom bill targeting businesses, and HB1027 will regulate medical care for trans youth. Contact Governor Lee by phone at (615) 741-2001.

To follow more imminent bills standing in state legislatures in states, visit and follow Human Rights Campaign for weekly updates. An additional resource to stay up to date on the anti-transgender legislation in other states can be found at the following link: Legislative Tracker: Anti-Transgender Legislation.

Finally, if you or a loved one are in need of resources, several are included below:

In Solidarity,

Clinical Assistant Professor Abigail Eiler represented U-M in a series of Big Ten Mental Health Awareness Roundtables. The panel discusses how widening the range of interventions have provided student-athletes with more options — a trend that was happening before the pandemic but has accelerated in the last year.

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.