December 2023 Dean's Update Newsletter

It's finals week here at KU, and it's hard to believe the fall semester is already wrapping up. This has been an eventful year for the School of Social Welfare, with new students, new faculty and staff, a new degree program and more.

As I reflect on all our accomplishments in 2023, I am grateful for this community - for all our students, graduates, faculty, staff and community partners. You make our growth possible, and your passion for social work is a constant inspiration.

I wish you all a restful and joyful winter season, and best wishes for the new year.

As always, please reach out to me with questions or concerns at any time at kusswdo@ku.edu. Your feedback and collaboration are extremely important to us.

Take good care and Rock Chalk,

Michelle Carney, PhD, MSSA
Dean and Professor
KU School of Social Welfare

Nearly 250 graduates of the Integrated Health Scholars Program are now providing integrated health care to under-served communities in Kansas and western Missouri.

“One of the things that I feel most proud of is that we have 246 graduates who are out there in the world doing great work and making a difference,” said Michelle Levy, a co-principal investigator and a founder of the program. “It’s a great legacy to leave to contribute to that need in our state.”

Three recent IHSP graduates shared what they learned in the program.

The KU School of Social Welfare welcomed the first class of students in a new online Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program this semester.

The 23 students in the inaugural KU DSW class come from seven states and hold Master of Social Work degrees from 11 universities, including 11 students who earned their MSW at KU. Their work experience covers a range of social work areas, including school social work, behavioral health, child welfare, government program administration, and therapy.

During a five-decade career in social work, Meg Scott worked in community counseling centers, state psychiatric hospitals, marriage and family therapy settings, and a small private practice as an LCSW. 

Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Kansas in 1967, shortly before the social work department transitioned into the School of Social Welfare.

Ensuring that current and future students have access to scholarship funds is important to Scott personally, and to the profession, she said.

“It fits my values to help the students coming in,” Scott said. “It’s just what we need to do.”

Substance use facilities where faith or religiousness are centered often offer a wider range of services and are located in racially diverse communities, a School of Social Welfare study found.

The study - co-written by Associate Professor Nancy Jo Kepple and KU PhD graduate Ammitia Parker - was published in the Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work.

Just over one year ago, Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Jina Amini was killed, setting off some of the largest protests in Iran’s recent history. A study from KU School of Social Welfare researchers examines how social media has powered the protests and if the cause has shifted away from a women’s rights focus, like many before it.

Pegah Naemi Jimenez, research associate; Ariana Nasrazadani, assistant researcher senior, and Rose Hicks, a student staff member, worked on the study.

KU offers the MSW program at five campuses. Want to learn more? Sign up for an MSW Virtual Info Session.

Apply to the PhD program at the School of Social Welfare by Jan. 5 for the priority application deadline. PhD students receive four years of tuition support.

Apply to the fully online Doctor of Social Work program by Feb. 1 to join the fall 2024 DSW cohort.

Reshaping the Future of Aging with Intergenerational Alliances
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 12-1:30 p.m. CST
Zoom - Virtual Event
Free
CEU: 1.0

Trauma-Informed Organizational Culture: An Ethical Imperative for Social Workers
Thursday, Feb. 29, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. CST
Zoom - Virtual Event
CEU: 3.0, Ethics Course

Screen Sanity: Exploring the Impact of Technology Use on Mental Health
Tuesday, March 26, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. CST
Zoom - Virtual Event
CEU: 3.0

Ethical Considerations for Building a Professional Digital Presence in Rural Practice
Thursday, March 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
St. Catherine Hospital, Classroom B
401 E Spruce St., Garden City, KS 67846
Free
CEU: 3.0, Ethics Course

Sarah Brooks, BSW 2001, was appointed chief deputy director of health care programs at the California Department of Health Care Services. Brooks – who previously worked with the Department of Health Care Services from 2012 to 2020 – received the appointment from California Governor Gavin Newsom. The appointment requires confirmation by the California State Senate. 

Shane McCurdy, BSW 2003, MSW 2004, is the founder and owner of a therapy practice, Level: Wellness Mind, which has locations in Wichita and Topeka. 

Kristy Klein Davis, BSW 2004, became president and CEO of Georgia Health Initiative in June 2022. The Initiative is a private foundation created by the conversion of public assets resulting from the merger of two large nonprofit health insurers. 

Sarah Kahn, MSW 2005, was appointed interim CEO for Housing Forward, a leading organization for fighting homelessness in Dallas. Kahn has been with Housing Forward since 2021, previously working as chief program officer. 

Monica Sierra-Mayberry, MSW 2007, is director of community mental health at Maddie Rhodes Center. Sierra-Mayberry has been in social work for over 25 years, including serving as clinical director at Maddie Rhodes. 

Grace Townley-Lott, BSW 2010, MSW 2011, is a co-founder of Simple Mischief Studio, a puppet design and performance business. The studio’s clients have included HBO Max, Nickelodeon and TriStar Pictures. 

Andrew Brown, MSW 2012, was promoted to deputy secretary for programs in the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). Brown was previously KDADS behavioral health services commissioner. Brown joined KDADS in 2017. 

Sierra Two Bulls, MSW 2017, spoke at the Lawrence Public Library as part of a panel to raise awareness of the MMIWG2ST movement – missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and trans people. 

Belinda Flores, BSW 2020, MSW 2022, co-presented a session as part of the prevention track during the 2023 National Sexual Assault Conference. The session illustrated how agencies are working to reduce disparities and address social determinants of health in Kansas RPE-funded communities. Flores is a program officer with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. 

Whether you just received a promotion, started a new position or project, or moved across the country, the School of Social Welfare wants to keep updated on your life adventures. Update your contact information and share your alumni news.

One Day One KU is coming up on Feb. 15! Save the date for KU's one-day giving event.

We will be raising funds for some exciting projects during this year's event. Look for more details in the next Dean's Update newsletter.

Interested in being a Social Welfare ambassador during One Day One KU? Email Margaret Hair, communications director, at mhair@ku.edu.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Salina on Oct. 19 to celebrate the launch of the KU MSW at K-State Salina!

This new MSW program is made possible through a collaboration between Kansas State University Salina and the University of Kansas. The first group of Advanced Standing MSW students started classes this summer.

Program courses are taught in a blended format, with in-person classes at the K-State Salina campus every other Saturday. The first group of students in the Traditional KU MSW program at K-State Salina will start classes in fall 2024.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

The University of Kansas is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.