School of Social Welfare Dean's Update |
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Social work is a community-oriented profession. We work in communities to help individuals, families, and groups, and we work together as a community.
One of the ways the School of Social Welfare engages with our social work community is by hosting public scholarship events that also serve as continuing education opportunities.
In the first two months of the semester, hundreds of social work practitioners and KUSSW alums joined us online for faculty-hosted Research Impact Talks on topics including ethical use of technology and AI in social work; trauma-informed care in schools and working with varied populations; and ethical social work practice in elected office.
More opportunities are coming up this fall, including a Grand Challenges discussion on Oct. 16; a virtual continuing education session on Nov. 5; and an in-person event in Great Bend, Kansas, on Nov. 7. I hope you can join us to build knowledge and connect with our social work community.
In this month’s newsletter, we celebrate a few of the ways faculty and students in the School of Social Welfare contribute to their communities through research, mentorship and service.
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.
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Take good care and Rock Chalk,
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Michelle Carney, PhD, MSSA
Dean and Professor
KU School of Social Welfare
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Student Spotlight: Rachel Teague |
For Rachel Teague, a fundamental element of social work is being able to have honest conversations – looking at everyday issues through a critical lens.
Teague, a Master of Social Work student at KU, says young people want to have those conversations about topics she can help with.
Teague, who received her Bachelor of Social Work from KU in 2011, works as a health educator at KU's Health Education Resource Center. She calls Lawrence home and has spent the past nine years developing and teaching consent education, sexual assault and abuse prevention, and LGBTQ education.
"I think they're really looking for someone to have honest conversations with them," Teague said of working with college students. "So having been able to provide that has been really meaningful."
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Social Welfare assistant professor selected as 2025-26 Spotlight on Faculty Excellence honoree |
KU School of Social Welfare Assistant Professor Claire Willey-Sthapit is one of 12 University of Kansas faculty members selected as 2025-26 Spotlight on Faculty Excellence honorees. Willey-Sthapit, whose extensive research in Nepal highlights how people and communities deal with domestic violence, was honored during the KU volleyball game on Friday, Sept. 26.
Willey-Sthapit, who is also a mentor and advisor to undergraduate and graduate student researchers in the School of Social Welfare, studies organizations that prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Nepal. She explores how those local practices can be adapted beyond international borders, including in the United States.
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Grand Challenges session on Oct. 16 |
This Grand Challenges session examines how a research partnership with scholars and people who have experienced human trafficking can redefine the concept of resilience.
Speakers, including School of Social Welfare Assistant Professor Logan Shinkai Knight, will share how they've developed new approaches to human trafficking interventions that better align with survivors’ own strategies for navigating their circumstances and asserting their innate strengths.
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Video: Christina Boyd on behavioral health needs in Western Kansas |
Associate Professor of Practice Christina Boyd was recently featured in a video interview with the University of Kansas Area Health Education Center.
Boyd talked about the importance of the integration of behavioral health and medical care in rural areas, the urgent behavioral health needs in western Kansas, and more.
"I think the biggest message that I would love for individuals to hear is that behavioral health matters," Boyd said. "We have to start talking openly about mental health and substance use in order to combat the stigma - to make it really OK to say that we may not be OK."
Boyd works as a liaison to rural communities in the School of Social Welfare.
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Corbett P. Sionainn, MSW 1989, retired in August 2025, after working for 11 years in child protection. She is now a full-time employee at Age Well VT, a regional agency on aging.
Shylah Reuter Karvo, MSW 2010, earned a master’s degree in palliative care with a certificate in palliative care leadership and administration from the University of Maryland-Baltimore in August 2025.
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.
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Virginia M. Ruppin, MSW 1977, passed away on Aug. 6, 2025, at the age of 93. Read obituary.
Dr. Renee White, retired associate professor of practice for the KU School of Social Welfare, passed away on Sept. 9, 2025, at the age of 64. Dr. White joined KU in 2022, bringing over four decades of social work experience to the classroom. She retired in December 2024, after developing ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Read a news article and Dr. White’s online obituary.
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Photos: Social Welfare visits The Giving Grove |
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School of Social Welfare students, faculty and staff took a field trip to Cornerstones of Care and The Giving Grove in September. The group learned more about the behavioral health organization that has roots going back more than 150 years, helping children and families in Kansas, Missouri and more.
The trip also included working in The Giving Grove Garden and a meal prepared from fresh ingredients!
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