August 2024 Dean's Update Newsletter

The fall semester is here! As we start the 2024-2025 academic year, the School of Social Welfare welcomes new students, faculty and staff to our community.

Five new faculty members join us this fall: Logan Shinkai Knight, Ricka Mammah and Kathryn Berringer, Roslyn Christopher and Nicholas Simons-Bracken. They bring a range of teaching, research and social work practice expertise to our classrooms and our School. 

Over the past several years, the School of Social Welfare has increased wrap-around services for our students, to provide comprehensive support from the first day of class through graduation. In this month’s newsletter, read about our student support services and hear from the dedicated academic staff.

During welcome events and program orientations, I’ve had a chance to meet students in our BSW, MSW, DSW and PhD programs. As these programs grow in Lawrence, Overland Park, across Kansas and online, the School is committed to getting students the support they need. Our alumni and our larger community are vital to those efforts, through gifts to scholarships and to our Emergency Fund.

I'm looking forward to sharing KU Social Welfare news during several alumni events this fall. We are hosting receptions for alumni and friends in Manhattan, Kansas on Sept. 19, and in Kansas City, Missouri on Oct. 25.

As always, please reach out 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

Joseph Bush doesn’t come from a social work background, but his role at the KU School of Social Welfare as a professional writing consultant enables him to help students express their enthusiasm about the field. 

“It’s truly humbling to be able to see how many of those students, even if it was just one appointment, get that next step done in their educational career,” Bush said. 

The impact of a role like Bush’s is a focus for the School of Social Welfare, which added or expanded on multiple positions over the past two years to provide a more dedicated and detailed system to help students.

The first group of KU MSW students to graduate from a new partnership program with Kansas State University Salina formed a close-knit cohort.

“We spend time together, we lean on each other, we support each other. … You can’t ask for better than that,” said Jamie Womochil, a 2024 graduate of the Salina MSW program.

Watch video interviews with Salina MSW students about their experiences in the program.

Join the KU School of Social Welfare on Sept. 19 for an alumni and friends reception in Manhattan, Kansas. Catch up with former classmates and colleagues, talk with Dean Michelle Carney and current faculty and staff, and learn about updates from the School.

KU Social Welfare Alumni & Friends Reception in Manhattan, KS
Thursday, Sept. 19
5 to 7 p.m.
Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, KS

Nicholas Simons-Bracken joins the KU School of Social Welfare this fall as the School’s first senior lecturer/academic program associate. Simons-Bracken brings extensive experience to his role as a full-time instructor for School of Social Welfare students.

“The School of Social Welfare has been an intricate part of my life for the past eight years and will continue to be a large part of my life,” Simons-Bracken said.

Hazel Rogers joins the KU School of Social Welfare this fall as the new student support coordinator and brings her wealth of experience in educational spaces to the school.

The student support coordinator works to create supports for students’ well-being and success at all levels and in all educational spaces – Lawrence, Edwards, Pittsburg, Salina and online.

Join the KU School of Social Welfare on Oct. 25 for an alumni and friends reception in Kansas City. Catch up with KUSSW faculty, staff, alumni and friends while you enjoy refreshments and appetizers. Explore the exhibit galleries at The National WWI Museum during the event.

KU Social Welfare Alumni & Friends Reception in Kansas City
Friday, Oct. 25
7 to 9 p.m.
The National WWI Museum and Memorial, Kansas City, MO

BSW Virtual Info Sessions
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 4-5 p.m. CT - Careers in Social Work
Online

DSW Virtual Info Sessions
Wednesday, Sept. 18, 12-1 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 12-1 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6-7 p.m.
Online
Covering the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program and application process

MSW Virtual Info Sessions
Wednesday, Sept. 18, 7-8 p.m. CT
Online
Covering the MSW program and application process

Real Self-Care in Election Season
Thursday, Sept. 19, 12-1:30 p.m. CT (FULL)
Friday, Sept. 27, 2-3:30 p.m. CT
Zoom
Free
CEU: 1.5 ethics

KU Social Welfare Reception in Manhattan
Thursday, Sept. 19, 5-7 p.m.
Flint Hills Discovery Center
Catch up with KU Social Welfare alumni, faculty & friends

Survivor Link: Partnering with Agencies to Build Health System Capacity to Respond to Domestic Violence
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 12-1:30 p.m. CT
Zoom
Free

KU Social Welfare Reception in Kansas City
Friday, Oct. 25, 7-9 p.m.
The National WWI Museum and Memorial
Catch up with KU Social Welfare alumni, faculty & friends

Gender-Affirming Care: Research-Informed Strategies for Improving the Mental Health of Transgender Youth
Wednesday, November 13, 12-2 p.m. CT
Zoom
Free
CEU: 2 clinical diagnosis/treatment

Marisa Mendoza, MSW 2007, is now dean of students at Haskell Indian Nations University.

Sierra Two Bulls, MSW 2017, joined Haskell Indian Nations University as a new faculty member in the College of Natural & Social Sciences, teaching social work courses in the Department of Indigenous and American Studies.

Lauri Goheen, MSW 2024, joined Pawnee Mental Health as a mental health therapist. Read article.

Annie Rifkin, MSW 2024, joined Jewish Family Service in Omaha as a therapist and program specialist.

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.

Janelle Cowan Carson, MSW 1981, passed away on Aug. 2, 2024, at age 73. Read obituary.

Glenda Chiles, MSW 1991, passed away on July 30, 2024, at age 81. Read obituary.

The School of Social Welfare held its annual Back to School Bash to welcome students to Lawrence for the academic year.

The event included shaved ice, bingo, T-shirts, cookies and service dogs as students mingled with faculty, staff and one another. Welcome back for the fall semester!

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