School of Social Welfare Dean's Update

At the KU School of Social Welfare, our mission is grounded in service to Kansas – preparing skilled, compassionate social workers; advancing research that addresses real-world challenges; and partnering with communities to strengthen systems and improve lives.

Over the past academic year, that mission translated into meaningful impact across the State:

For our alumni and friends in central Kansas, I hope you can join us in Salina on March 31 for two special opportunities to connect and learn: 

Registration information for both events is included in this month’s newsletter.

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions, ideas, or feedback at kusswdo@ku.edu. Your partnership and engagement are deeply valued and essential to our work.

Take good care and Rock Chalk,

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

Faculty, researchers and students from the KU School of Social Welfare shared their work at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) annual conference in January.

KU attendees shared their research in over 30 presentations, symposia, roundtable discussions, and poster presentations. Their work covered a broad range of research areas, with topics including child welfare, end-of-life caregiving, substance use disorders, climate justice, domestic violence, economic resilience, and more.

An interest in understanding systems, policies and structures drew Emma Kelley to macro social work.

Kelley, MSW 2024, is a research project coordinator with the Urban Education Research Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, doing full-time research work and program evaluation.

Kelley earned a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies and has taught social-emotional learning in schools across the Kansas City metro.

"In all the areas that I found myself working, I was just interested in why they are the way they are, how they're implemented, how they're created, and how they're improved," Kelley said. "I wanted to dig deeper into the bigger picture."

While the national Fight-For-$15 movement to gain better pay and working conditions for fast food and casual restaurant workers was influential and made a lasting mark, the story of the movement could be forgotten if it were not preserved.

Tadeo Weiner Davis, an assistant professor in the KU School of Social Welfare, is part of an ongoing, collaborative effort to document the work of Stand Up KC, a Kansas City, Missouri-based organization.

Weiner Davis, whose research documents community organizing, labor movements, urban politics, race and class, was a recipient of a 2023 KU Racial Equity Research, Scholarship & Creative Activity Award to help establish the community archive.

Jacob McKee carries great pride as a deputy director of improvement in the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Improvement Office. He credits his social welfare education and leans on his prior experience as a social worker every day as he travels the country visiting various VA medical systems to help improve care for veterans. 

McKee, MSW 2011, started at the VA as a social worker nearly 14 years ago. He held a variety of roles within the VA before assuming his current position in October 2024. 

McKee said the lessons he learned in social work guided him throughout this upward career trajectory. 

The Weight We Carry: Understanding Suicide Risk in Helping Professionals
Friday, Feb. 6
12-2 p.m.
Online
Presented by: HealthSource Integrated Solutions' Aaron S. Newton, LSCSW, LCAC and The Guidance Center's Rachel Wolfe, LSCSW, LCAC
CEU: 2

Research Impact Talk: Combating Stigma, Honoring Strengths, Cultivating Resilience
Tuesday, March 10
12-1 p.m.
Online
CEU: 1

Caring for Self and Others in Anxious Times - AM Session: Standard 6, Real Self-Care, and Ethical Social Work in this Political Moment
Tuesday, March 31
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Online and at Central Kansas Mental Health Center
CEU: 3 ethics
To attend in person in Salina, email ccec@ku.edu
Register online to attend via Zoom

Caring for Self and Others in Anxious Times - PM Session: Growing Up in Our Distressing World: Diagnosing and Treating Youth Anxiety
Tuesday, March 31
1:30-4 p.m.
Online and at Central Kansas Mental Health Center
CEU: 3 clinical Dx/Tx
To attend in person in Salina, email ccec@ku.edu
Register online to attend via Zoom

Alumni Reception in Salina
Tuesday, March 31
5:30-7 p.m.
K-State Salina Campus
RSVP for Salina reception

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

Eric Rosen, MSW 1976 and BSW 1975, was sworn in as chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court on Jan. 8. Rosen first joined the court in 2005. Read more.

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.

William R. “Bill” Berger, MSW 1998, passed away on Jan. 3, 2026, at the age of 82. Read obituary.

Final application deadlines are coming soon for several social work graduate programs.

Programs with application deadlines on Tuesday, Feb. 3:

We're happy to see our students, faculty and staff back in Green Hall for the start of the spring 2026 semester!

The photos shown are from SW 623, taught by Associate Professor of Practice Roslyn Christopher. The course focuses on the values and ethical dimensions of contemporary professional social welfare policy and practice while integrating insights from theory and research. 

We're looking forward to a great semester with you all. 

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