School of Social Welfare Dean's Update

In this month’s newsletter, we share stories about students, faculty and researchers working in communities across Kansas and Kansas City.

Kaila Anderson, a second-year DSW student, drew on her background in social work and experiences in rural communities to build a mental health training toolkit for healthcare providers working in agricultural communities.

Faculty are partnering with departments across the university to provide a day of classroom-style learning in Salina in October. They will lead community conversations about behavioral health in rural areas.

A research group recently published a study based on time spent with New Roots, a sustainable farming training program. Their work to connect with New Roots participants is an example of community-engaged, collaborative research.

Over the past decade, the KU School of Social Welfare has worked to build community partnerships and access to social work education across Kansas. Enrollment in our MSW program continues to grow through the Online MSW and our partnership program with Kansas State University in Salina. With that growth, our Practicum Education Office added 52 new agency partners over the past year, including 21 new partners in Kansas.

Thank you to all our community partners who make it possible for the School of Social Welfare to make connections across Kansas.

As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback at kusswdo@ku.edu.

Take good care and Rock Chalk,

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

Kaila Anderson’s personal experiences growing up in rural areas around farmers shaped her perspective on mental and behavioral health.

Anderson, a second-year student in the online Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program, witnessed the lack of care available in rural areas of Kansas, particularly for farmers. So she co-founded and co-developed the LandLogic model, which provides training to healthcare providers working with agricultural communities.

"I saw a gap in serving our farmers with behavioral health licensed providers out in rural America, and medical providers who were also faced with being therapists. All these systems finally came together," Anderson said.

Kelly Jones, director of practicum education in the KU School of Social Welfare, was promoted this summer to full professor of practice.

Jones has worked in practicum education at KU since 2015 and became director of the Practicum Education Office in 2020.

"I'm honored to be among the 15 instructional faculty members promoted this past year and grateful to be part of the KU School of Social Welfare, where dedicated staff, educators, and practitioners prepare exceptional students to advance equity and social justice," Jones said.

"Most rewarding has been working alongside community partners across Kansas and the nation, whose commitment to this important work persists despite funding challenges and growing social needs."

New research from the KU School of Social Welfare found that a project helping resettled refugees and immigrants learn sustainable farming improved people’s mental and physical well-being while training them to run independent agricultural businesses.

Joonmo Kang, assistant professor, and Cheryl Holmes, research project director, formed a research group to learn more about New Roots. New Roots is a four-year training program that helps resettled refugees, immigrants and English language learner farmers develop sustainable agriculture-based businesses.

The study, written with the two organizers of New Roots, Benjamin Carpenter of Cultivate KC and Kristin Selby of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, was published in the Journal of Community Practice. The research team also produced a report with its findings for the organization, which was translated into all of the native languages of the participants.

The research team deliberately took its time to get to know the program and people involved. Community‑based participatory research isn’t the fastest way to producing academic findings, Kang said, but it makes it possible to see how people build relationships and collaborate through shared work, mutual learning and everyday interaction.

“I think how we do research matters just as much as what we research," Kang said.

“Just as New Roots creates belonging through farming, our research team tried to create its own form of belonging, one built through years of showing up, listening and building trust before ever asking a question. We wanted to be mindful, not extractive, and provide findings of value for the organization and the people it serves.”

Catch up on research in the KU School of Social Welfare with the latest Research Connections Newsletter.

Highlighted research includes:

Admissions applications for graduate programs in the KU School of Social Welfare open on Oct. 1.

Learn more about admissions requirements and application deadlines for the Master of Social Work (MSW), online Doctor of Social Work (DSW) and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (Ph.D.):

Register for an upcoming virtual information session to meet program faculty and learn how to apply.

KU School of Social Welfare faculty will host two classroom sessions on behavioral health during KU in the Community: Salina on Oct. 10.

“Let’s Make It OK to Say We Really Are Not OK: Talking About Behavioral Health in Our Communities”
Saturday, Oct. 10
12:30 to 2 p.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m.
KU’s Salina Campus – Health Education Center

This community conversation will create a safe, welcoming space for community members to talk about stress, mental health and substance use. Rebeca Sandoval, assistant professor of practice, and Christina Boyd, associate professor of practice, will lead the presentations.

Additional KU in the Community classroom sessions on Oct. 10 will focus on health, workforce development and other issues that matter to communities across Kansas.

Mocktails and Mingle: Nonprofit
Wednesday, Oct. 7
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Jayhawk Welcome Center
1266 Oread Ave., Lawrence, KS 66045
Network with students interested in careers in nonprofits
Presented by the KU Alumni Association and KU Career Center

Beyond Burnout: Practical Strategies to Address Compassion Fatigue in Helping Professionals
Friday, Oct. 16
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Online
CEU: 2 hours
Presented by Kiley Luckett, LMSW, director of mental health, Lawrence Public Schools

DSW Info Session
Tuesday, Oct. 20
7 to 8 p.m.
Online

DSW Spotlight Series: Grand Challenges - Ensure Healthy Development for Youth: DSW Innovations to Reform Systems
Wednesday, Oct. 21
12 to 2 p.m.
Online
CEU: 2 hours

MSW Info Session: Paying for Your MSW Degree
Wednesday, Oct. 21
6 to 7 p.m.
Online
Learn about scholarships, financial aid and funding options

PhD Info Session
Thursday, Oct. 22
12 to 1 p.m.
Online

Culturally Congruent Engagement and Assessment with Military Service Members and Their Families
Thursday, Nov. 12
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Online
CEU: 3 hours

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.

Cynthia D. Bisman, MSW 1971, passed away in February 2026, at age 80. Read an in memoriam article from Bryn Mawr College.

Beverly Powell Becker, MSW 1976, passed away on July 3, 2026, at age 89. Read obituary.

David W. Drevits, MSW 1976, passed away on Aug. 19, 2026, at age 76. Read obituary.

Mary Kay McNeive, MSW 1977, passed away on July 27, 2026, at age 84. Read obituary.

Harry J. Satariano, MSW 1977, passed away on July 26, 2026, at age 75. Read obituary.

Tanya Depew Miller, MSW 2000, passed away on July 6, 2026, at age 57. Read obituary.

Social Welfare faculty and staff joined KU's Sunflower Sunday at the Kansas State Fair on Sept. 20.

Our booth included a "Create Your Calm" art activity that invited fairgoers to illustrate what brings them joy on a small canvas, then take their artwork home to look back on during stressful times. We also shared stress management tips and talked with Kansans about how social workers serve our state.

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