School of Social Welfare Dean's Update |
|
|
There is something special about the start of a new academic year. Green Hall is once again filled with students, faculty, and staff, and you can feel the energy and excitement as we begin another year.
This fall, we welcome new students just beginning to imagine where social work might take them, alongside returning students moving closer to becoming the professionals and scholars they came to KUSSW to become.
At our Back to School Bash, students completed a scavenger hunt designed to introduce them to the people, opportunities, and services that will support them throughout their degree program. They met academic advisors, our writing coach, our student support coordinator, and an embedded mental health counselor. They also connected with faculty mentors, Practicum Education Office staff, and academic program directors.
My favorite part of the day is when students set their intentions for studying social work by adding to the Vision of Justice board. There, they share the inequities they hope to challenge, the communities they hope to serve, and the impact they aspire to make. Seeing their aspirations for a more just world reminds us exactly why this work matters.
The stories in this month’s Dean’s Update capture that same sense of possibility. You will meet BSW graduate Sean Kirk, whose journey has taken him from circumstances he once thought he could not escape to our MSW program, and recent MSW graduate Madisen Kratz, whose family experience inspired her commitment to becoming a social worker. We also celebrate alumnus Eric Rosen, whose social work education continues to shape his leadership as Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court.
A new academic year also brings new opportunities for our School. Juliana Carlson, Laura Ramirez, and Lisa Street are stepping into key academic leadership roles, and our DSW students and graduates are sharing their expertise with the broader social work community through a new continuing education series.
Together, these stories remind us of what a School of Social Welfare can make possible—through education, scholarship, leadership, professional practice, and the relationships we build with one another and with communities across Kansas and beyond.
I am excited to see what this academic year will bring and grateful to begin it with all of you.
|
|
|
|
Take good care and Rock Chalk,
|
|
|
|
Michelle Carney, PhD, MSSA
Dean and Professor
KU School of Social Welfare
|
|
|
|
Alumni Spotlight: Eric Rosen, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice |
Eric Rosen’s memory is precise. He can weave together his own history and his career in social work, public service, and the Kansas judicial system. More noticeably, he often talks about serving others, and his motivations are consistent.
Rosen remembers the specific year of major life events – including graduating with an MSW from KU in 1976. A more recent memory was when Rosen became the Kansas Supreme Court’s Chief Justice in January.
Rosen's social work education and longstanding interest in mental health have shaped his approach throughout his career. He brought those themes together in his commencement speech at the KU School of Social Welfare’s 2007 graduate recognition ceremony.
“It’s funny because, at the time, I remember thinking the speech wasn’t particularly good,” said Rosen, who was appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court in 2005 by Governor Kathleen Sebelius. “But when I look back at it now, I’m proud of what I said. The issues I talked about then are still with us now. In many ways, I could give essentially the same speech today.”
|
|
|
|
Social Welfare announces new administrative roles for faculty |
This fall, the KU School of Social Welfare will have three faculty members take on new administrative roles in the school:
|
- Juliana Carlson, Associate Dean for Research
- Laura Ramirez, Bachelor of Social Work Program Director
- Lisa Street, Associate Program Director for the Doctor of Social Work
|
Juliana Carlson joined the School of Social Welfare faculty in 2013 and was promoted to full professor for the 2026-2027 academic year. As Associate Dean for Research, Carlson will collaborate to strengthen research systems, support faculty at all career stages, expand interdisciplinary and cross-campus partnerships, and continue building a research portfolio aligned with the School and the university's mission and priorities.
Laura Ramirez brings extensive experience in social work education, student mentorship and community-engaged practice to her roles as Associate Professor of Practice, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Impact Advisor, and Liaison to Native Communities in the School of Social Welfare. As BSW Program Director, Ramirez will guide curriculum, assessment, operations and outcomes for the undergraduate social work program.
Lisa Street joined the School of Social Welfare faculty in 2023 as an Associate Professor of Practice. A social work educator for 18 years, Street teaches in the DSW program and leads the development of the school’s approach to DSW capstone projects. She began her role as Associate Program Director for the DSW program this spring.
|
|
|
|
BSW Student Spotlight: Sean Kirk |
For much of his life, Sean Kirk didn’t have aspirations. He spent the better part of 20 years struggling with substance abuse and addiction, with trips in and out of jail and struggling to navigate the criminal justice system.
To be a speaker at the KU School of Social Welfare’s graduation ceremony in May in front of his Bachelor of Social Work cohort was a special moment. After graduation, Kirk immediately entered the Advanced Standing MSW program at KU – an accomplishment he didn’t know he wanted.
“The most I hoped to do was be an auto mechanic someday,” Kirk said. “Coming out of that to now finding myself in a place where I'm about to actually meet those goals is very surreal.”
|
|
|
|
Graduating Student Spotlight: Madisen Kratz |
Madisen Kratz’s inspiration to become a social worker was her dad, who said his social worker saved his life when he was a young boy.
Kratz, who graduated with her MSW from KU in May, wants to be the kind of social worker who saves lives, too. Her ultimate goal is to provide therapeutic services to inmates who are incarcerated for life.
"I think it's really important to help that recidivism rate, to heal these traumas and heal the things that are causing these actions to happen," Kratz said.
During her time in the KU MSW partnership program at K-State Salina, Kratz participated in the Integrated Health Scholars Program and completed a practicum at Central Kansas Mental Health Center.
|
|
|
|
DSW Spotlight Series: Continuing education events |
The DSW Spotlight Series features presentations from KU DSW graduates and current students.
Events include:
|
|
|
|
Teresa Orth Boos, MSW 1994, is a behavioral health therapist at the U.S. Veterans Affairs clinic in Hays.
Megan Bridges, MSW 2024, is the new executive director of HeadQuarters Kansas. Bridges previously served as director of crisis services for HeadQuarters. Read an article about Bridges’ new role.
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.
|
Photos: KU Social Welfare Back to School Bash |
|
|
|
Every year the School of Social Welfare hosts the Back to School Bash, a welcoming event for new and returning students, faculty and staff to gather and mingle. The event includes treats, refreshments, games and emotional support dogs.
Students wrote on the Vision of Justice board, connected over shared career aspirations, wrote letters to themselves and competed in Kansas-related trivia.
Thank you to everyone who joined us.
Photos from Back to School Bash
|
|
|
|
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 person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU 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. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or using the Title IX online report form and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or using the Title IX online complaint form.
The University of Kansas is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.
|
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
1535 West 15th St. Green Hall, 3rd Floor | Lawrence, KS 66045 US
|
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
