September 2024 Dean's Update Newsletter

Earlier this month, we announced that the School of Social Welfare is saying goodbye to our longtime campus home. At the end of the fall 2024 semester, the School will move out of Twente Hall, to a newly renovated space on the third floor of Green Hall.

Our School community is invited to a Farewell to Twente Hall Open House on October 18. If you will be in the Lawrence area during Homecoming Weekend, I hope you can join us to catch up with alumni, faculty, staff and students.

On October 25, the School will host a reception for alumni and friends in Kansas City, at The National WWI Museum and Memorial. The reception coincides with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting, happening Oct. 24-27.

The Center for the Advancement of Health Equity (CAHE) – a new research center within the School of Social Welfare – launches this fall. The center will focus on health equity research, training and collaboration. Read more about the new center in this month’s newsletter.

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

The School of Social Welfare will move out of Twente Hall this winter, relocating to Green Hall on the Lawrence campus.

“This move will give the School of Social Welfare a student-centered space to continue our work of educating, training and supporting qualified, compassionate social workers,” said Michelle Carney, dean of the School of Social Welfare.

The new space will include:

Twente Hall Open House - Friday, Oct. 18

Our community is invited to say goodbye to Twente Hall during Homecoming Weekend. The School of Social Welfare will host a Farewell to Twente Hall Open House on Friday, Oct. 18 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Share your Twente Hall memories

Share your KU Social Welfare memories of Twente Hall to add them to an online timeline.

The Center for the Advancement of Health Equity (CAHE) will elevate health-related research, training and collaboration. CAHE is committed to improving health, behavioral health, and long-term care systems, and promoting health equity and access.

"Locally, regionally and nationally, access to health and behavioral health care remains spotty and disparate," said Jason Matejkowski, a co-director for the center. "This center aims to reduce this problem by developing, implementing and evaluating innovative systems-level and targeted approaches to care."

The Sigler Aging Scholars Program provides students with more than a purpose and a goal for the future.  

For social work students, it’s a program that aims to develop a generation of leaders in a social welfare space that deserves their passion. Meet three recent graduates of the program.

The Toni Johnson Center for Racial and Social Justice has selected 14 students as a part of the Toni Johnson Scholars Program.

Scholars receive financial support, mentoring, leadership and professional development opportunities dedicated to enhancing community, student retention and success.

Free, online events this fall will engage social workers and other community partners in discussions about research and its implications for practice and policy.

The Center for Community Engagement & Collaboration (CCEC) is organizing the events. CCEC promotes public scholarship and represents the School of Social Welfare in community-university alliances.

Three students will make up the 2024-2025 cohort of the Sigler Family Aging Scholars Program. The 2024-2025 Sigler Aging Scholars are:

Join us 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

Applications for the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs open on Oct. 1.

Join the School of Social Welfare for a virtual info session to learn about the curriculum, admissions requirements and application process for these programs.

DSW Virtual Info Sessions
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 12-1 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6-7 p.m.

MSW Virtual Info Sessions
Thursday, Oct. 10, 12-1 p.m. CT
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6-7 p.m. CT

BSW Virtual Info Sessions
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 4-5 p.m. CT - Majoring in Social Work
Online

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

Farewell to Twente Hall Open House
Friday, Oct. 18, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
1545 Lilac Lane, Lawrence, KS 66045

KU Social Welfare Reception in Kansas City
Friday, Oct. 25, 7-9 p.m.
The National WWI Museum and Memorial

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

Eric A. Sader, MSW 2013, received the Bonsignore Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the International Academy of Legal Studies in Business. Sader is on faculty at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Molly Mendenhall, MSW 2021, was interviewed about Housing First for an article in The Journal, a publication of the Kansas Leadership Center. Mendenhall is director of Destination Home. Read the article.

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.

Dolores Van Rensalier Macey-Hayes, MSW 1961, passed away on August 16, 2024, at age 87. Read obituary.

Leigh Ann Zeller, MSW 2002, passed away on August 28, 2024, at age 50. Read obituary.

KU School of Social Welfare faculty and staff connected with the community at recruitment events, conferences and alumni events this month.

We hosted a reception for alumni and friends at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas, during the annual conference of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas (ACMHCK).

Several faculty spoke at conferences, including Melinda Lewis, who moderated panels at a financial independence policy conference, and Christina Boyd, who spoke at the ACMHCK conference.

Recruitment staff and faculty attended Haskell Highlight Night at Haskell Indian Nations University. Follow KUSSW on Instagram to stay up to date on upcoming events and outreach.

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