School of Social Work News

ENGAGE Program Manager and Lecturer Fatima Salman has been named to the Higher Education workgroup of the Growing Michigan Together Council. “The diverse workgroup members of the Growing Michigan Together Council will be instrumental in our effort to grow our economy and population while protecting our natural resources,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “These members represent a range of professions, communities, and perspectives—all of which are essential to developing a comprehensive strategy for growth. I look forward to hearing from the council and its workgroups later this year.”

ENGAGE Program Manager and Lecturer Fatima Salman spoke about the role of social workers in creating policy that supports mental health on the podcast “Breaking Through” with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner.  

“Policy affects all of us,” said Salman. “We actually had the most amount of social workers running for office and winning ever in Michigan which is phenomenal because they approach policy through a mental health perspective. And how critical and amazing is that?”

ENGAGE Program Manager Fatima Salman spoke with WDET about both the critical role social workers play in supporting individuals and communities and how the celebration of Social Work Month supports the profession.

The state of Michigan officially recognized March as Social Work Month thanks to a resolution by State Representative Carrie Rheingans, MSW ’11.

ENGAGE Program Manager Fatima Salman (left) was elected last week to serve as the Chair for the NASW National Council of Chapter Presidents (COCP) for a two-year term. The COCP consists of the board presidents of all the 55 NASW chapters across the country. COCP coordinates the efforts across the chapters and moves as a collective body to influence policy and change for all social workers across the nation. Salman is president of the Michigan Chapter of NASW. “We have so much we can do collectively,” she says.

Fatima Salman, SSW Engage Program Manager was recently interviewed on WDET’s All Things Considered program about how for American Muslims, 9/11 changed life in America. Fatima said, “It wasn’t just worrying about our country, or worrying that that happened to our country, but it was also the worry of what’s going to happen to us as a community in America.”

ENGAGE Program Manager Fatima Salman, MSW ‘15, was elected president of NASW-Michigan.  “I am honored and excited for my new role in this, a time when social workers are needed more than ever,” says Salman. “The effects of the pandemic have magnified the mental health crisis in our nation, the need to destigmatize mental health treatment, and the essential nature of social work practitioners in helping communities heal, deal with loss and be committed to equity and inclusion in all spheres of life.  This is THE moment that all of us social workers must step up and deploy micro and macro social workers committed to anti-racist practice and ethics to address our crisis and lead Michigan in mental health recovery.” She will begin her term on July 1.