School of Social Welfare Dean's Update

Social workers know how to work together. Collaboration is essential to helping our clients overcome challenges, supporting our communities, and enhancing well-being for all.

In this month's newsletter, we share stories about collaborations in the classroom and in the community. 

You'll read about a campus partnership that has brought prevention education to more than 7,000 KU students; an exhibition that draws on faculty research, historical texts, and contemporary artwork; and a research discussion that brought together students, faculty and staff. 

We welcome your ideas, questions, and feedback at kusswdo@ku.edu. Your collaboration and support help us meet our mission to educate, train, and support qualified, compassionate social workers. 

Take good care and Rock Chalk,

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

An academic seminar designed to prevent sexual violence on the KU campus earned national recognition for collaboration and innovation.

The Prevention is Possible Seminar received a NASPA Innovative Program Award this fall. The course is a partnership between the KU Sexual Assault Prevention & Education Center (SAPEC) and the KU School of Social Welfare.

Since Prevention is Possible began in 2018, more than 7,000 KU students have completed the course.

“This partnership is the only one of its kind that we know of in the country,” said Kelsey Hunter, MSW 2024, SAPEC assistant director and coordinator for the seminar.

“There are other sexual violence prevention courses, but this model of partnership and the way we’ve been able to bring so many students into the course is groundbreaking in this field.”

Aurea Bailey is used to being on the move. She’s lived in Kansas, Missouri and Germany, embracing the surroundings depending on where her military family was stationed. It’s a lifestyle that allowed her to meet many people and see different perspectives, and she grounds herself now in pursuit of a Master of Social Work degree.

Bailey, who will receive her MSW in May, lives in St. Robert, Missouri. Her family moved there abruptly when her husband was relocated, but the nature of KU's online MSW program kept options open for Bailey.

A new exhibit at KU's Kenneth Spencer Research Library invites intergenerational exploration and new ideas about the universal experience of growing older. 

“Aging, Art, and Activism: Reimagining Our Aging Futures through Creative Representations and Personal Narratives” is a collaboration between KU Libraries and Sarah Jen, KU associate professor of social welfare.

Jen’s background in social work, gerontology and intergenerational art projects combined with the libraries’ curatorial expertise and collection knowledge to bring the project to life, creating an installation that integrates archival pieces, artworks, interpretive labels and an online exhibition.

An opening reception is planned for 5:30 p.m. on March 31 at Spencer Research Library. 

Social work is a profession that requires consistent and effective communication with a variety of audiences. That’s a major reason why SW 410 Professional Writing Skills in Social Work is offered at the KU School of Social Welfare. 

The course helps students learn the principles of organizing, developing, writing and revising documentation for different professional social work settings.

Joe Bush, professional writing consultant and adjunct instructor for the KU School of Social Welfare, is teaching SW 410 this spring. Bush worked with the Bachelor of Social Work curriculum committee to update and modernize the course.

Join the School of Social Welfare on April 28-29 for One Day One KU, the university's annual 24 hours of giving.

For this year's giving day, the School of Social Welfare is raising funds in three areas:

Donors who give $25 or more to the School of Social Welfare during One Day One KU will receive this year's KUSSW T-shirt.

Help spread the word by signing up as a One Day One KU ambassador.

Alumni Reception in Salina
Tuesday, March 31
5-7 p.m.
K-State Salina Campus, Salina, KS

Complicating the Frame: Multi-Level and Survivor-Centered Levers for Ending Gender-Based Violence
Thursday, April 9
12-2 p.m.
Online
CEU: 2

Diagnosing Children and Adolescents: Best Practice Strategies for Clinical Interviews and Assessment
Hosted by Bert Nash's Director of Youth Community Services, Annas Boyer, LSCSW, LCAC
Friday, April 10
12-2 p.m.
Online

Justice and Healing for People & Planet: Eco-Social Work Approaches in Research, Teaching, and Practice
Thursday, April 23
12-2 p.m.
Online
CEU: 2

Applying Data & GIS to Strengthen Community Health Strategies
Monday, May 4
12-1 p.m.
Online
Registration will open soon

Everyday Ethics: Embodying Social Work Values in Practice
Tuesday, May 12
12-1:30 p.m.
Online
CEU: 1.5 hours

Conversations for Change: Talking About Substance Use as Part of Integrated Health Care
Friday, June 12
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Pittsburg, KS
CEU: 6 hours

Aurora Yager, BSW 2015, was chosen as the next city manager for Wayzata, Minnesota. Yager received a Master of Public Administration degree from KU.

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

Evelyn Peck Unkefer, MSW 1979, passed away on March 15, 2026. Read obituary.

On March 25, KU Social Welfare Assistant Professor Joonmo Kang helped lead an event at the KU Libraries, highlighting a recent research project that uses comic book illustrations to discuss the carbon footprint of academic conferences.

Social Welfare students, faculty, staff and other friends attended the event to learn more, ask questions and participate in artistic expression. Event partners included the KU Libraries, The Commons, the School of Social Welfare, the Center for Community Outreach CREATE, and the Office of Community Impact.

View more photos

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