defining what’s possible
A Publication Celebrating the University of Washington School of Social Work 75th Anniversary
Pickets support Black Student Union sit-in on the University of Washington campus (1968) (Greg Gilbert/Seattle Times)
Our 75th anniversary is a
time to consider how our future is made possible by those who went before us. Established in 1934 at the height of the Great Depression, the School of Social Work and its early founders dreamed of a future without social and economic injustice.
perspec t ive During a period of social unrest, the School of Social Work offered an alternative curriculum at its newly created Social Welfare Education Action Center — and innovated with groundbreaking coursework in black studies, feminist issues, disabilities and aging.
Successive leaders carried this core value forward, building a strikingly influential and diverse community of scholars and students who challenge limits, redress inequity and redefine the possibilities for human flourishing. The vision that motivated the School’s founders inspires us to renew their legacy. Honoring our history, we take a seat at the table. We bring our expertise and energy to bear on solving the seemingly intractable social problems of the day. We join with others, within and beyond the university, who are equally committed to the task. At its heart, social work is social change.
ou r h is tory
history is marked by public service, academic innovation, high ideals and a rigorous scientific approach to deciphering demanding social problems for successive generations.
the 1930s
In 1918 the University establishes a social casework course in the Department of Sociology with Red Cross funding. The class trains caseworkers to provide home services to families of returning servicemen. It’s the first formal social work training in Washington state. Over the next 15 years the program expands, becoming a Division of the Department of Sociology and offering a full range of social work courses. Several instructors go on to become leading social work educators, including Arlien Johnson (University of Washington, University of Southern California), Marion Hathway (University of Pittsburgh, Bryn Mawr) and Mildred Mudgett (University of Minnesota).
Arlien Johnson
e co no m i c col lapse a nd a new sc hool
The School of Social Work’s
ea rly fou nda ti ons a nd l eadersh ip
the 1900s
It’s 1934: the height of the Great Depression. The state unemployment rate hits 13 percent. Responding to the critical need for public agency social workers and administrators, the University establishes a graduate School of Social Work with funding from the Washington State Emergency Relief Ernest Witte Association. Arlien Johnson returns to the University to direct the program. In 1935 the School becomes an independent graduate program. By 1938, over half the county welfare administrators are former School students. In 1939, Ernest Witte is named the School director. Witte expands the curriculum, adopts a two-year master’s program and offers fieldwork experiences in community planning, juvenile justice, child welfare and public administration.
collect Shantytown for the homeless, known as Hooverville, Seattle (1937)
the 1960s
In 1951, Victor Howery is named director, and charged with refocusing the School, rebuilding connections with local welfare agencies and national organizations, and laying the foundations for a stronger research base. Enrollment Florence Stier grows, a Spokane branch program opens and the School becomes a regional leader in social work education. In 1955, the School moves into Social Work Hall — its first dedicated building — and in 1958 is designated an independent professional school, making Howery its first dean. Plans to develop a doctoral program are underway, and several faculty members with doctoral degrees are recruited, including Henry Maier, Florence Stier and Cal Takagi. The undergraduate program is established in 1959.
re cogni ti on a nd spec ial iza ti on
America goes to war in 1941, and the School is hit hard as faculty and students are mobilized for the war effort including Ernest Witte. The Red Cross designates the University as a key training center, and the School’s emphasis shifts to war-related services and medical social work — away from its roots in public welfare. School graduates from the war years go on to establish leading hospital social work departments Grace Ferguson in the Seattle area. An important influence is Acting Director Grace Beals Ferguson.
the 1950s redi rec ted a nd refocu sed
wa r a nd retrenc h ment
the 1940s
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt meets with Japanese Americans in Tacoma (1941)
Henry Maier
“ Social change is inevitable, but human needs are the same from one generation to another.”
ARLiEn JoHnSon
Jim Leigh
In 1960, the School celebrates its 25th anniversary, and, by the mid1960s, is ranked as the country’s eighth largest social work school. The Spokane program, precursor to the social-work program at Eastern Washington University, graduates 125 master’s-level social workers. Charles Brink assumes leadership in 1963 and continues a period of expansion Charles Brink and increased national prominence. The Center for Social Welfare Research is established, and the school becomes the first in the United States to offer a specialization in aging. Faculty Lee Allen diversity and doctoral credentials multiply. The Organization of Student Social Workers makes its debut. School responses to rapid social change include a specialization in community organization, the development of a teaching center in Seattle’s historically African American Central District and the hiring of faculty of color, including Jim Leigh, Jim Anderson and Lee Allen.
Student unrest rocks the University after the U.S. bombings in Cambodia in 1971. Activist social work students and faculty offer an alternative curriculum as well as coursework in black studies. The School’s commitment to social change solidifies. Faculty member Tony Ishisaka takes a leadership role in multiethnic practice. Women faculty members lead the nation in developing feminist social work practice. In 1971, J. Scott Briar is named dean and moves the School in a new academic direction. Empirical research takes a higher acaJ. Scott Briar demic profile, and new recruits help build a strong core of research-trained faculty.
the 1980s The school develops a national reputation for its research, writing and teaching on evidence-based social work practice. The doctoral program is added in 1975. The School’s research capacity is strengthened with programs such as the Social Development Research Group, focusing on prevention science. The bachelor’s in social welfare program is fully accredited in 1974. Federal training grants support curriculum innovations in social work administration, women’s mental health, ethnic minority mental health, child welfare and aging. By the close of the decade, the School has 50 faculty members, some 300 master’s degree students, more than 175 undergraduates, and 24 doctoral students.
practice in nova t io n a nd resea rch l eadership
social unrest and social justice
the 1970s
As the decade opens, the School’s national standing is firmly in place, and a period of expansion and innovation is underway. The School’s reputation attracts funding for pioneering programs such as the Northwest Regional Child Welfare Training Center (later the Northwest Institute for Children and Families), which partners with state social services to promote excellence in child welfare services. Women of color join the faculty, solidifying the School’s commitment to racial and ethnic diversity. nancy Hooyman A three-year evening master’s program is added, and the School opens a new building in the University District. By 1984, more than 3,000 social work students have graduated since the program began in 1934. Nancy Hooyman assumes the School’s top post in 1987, the first woman director since Arlien Johnson. The School’s research expansion continues. New research centers include the Innovative Programs Jim Whittaker Research Group (IPRG), focused on intervention research in health and mental health.
Students demonstrating for child care at University of Washington, Seattle (1970)
The School’s emphasis on diversifying its faculty, student body and curriculum continues, including a focus on hiring LGBT faculty. Researchers at IPRG and the Collaborative Health And Prevention Group (CHAP) conduct groundbreaking HIV/AIDS-related research. A new computer lab and director of social work computing are added to the school’s research and teaching infrastructure.
the 2000s public service a nd p ower ful pa r t nership s
divers ifica t io n a nd ex pa ns io n
the 1990s
The School continues to be a regional, national and international leader in social work education, practice and research.
In 2002, Dorothy Van Soest is named dean, and the Institutes of Excellence are created, supporting innovative connections among teachIn 1996, the School establishes ing, research the Intergroup Dialogue, Educaand practice. tion and Action Center (IDEA) to The West engage students in transformative Coast Poverty dialogues on race, justice and Center, a hub alliance building. A one-year for research, master’s program is added in education and indigenous Wellness Research institute 1997, and the following year policy analysis distance learning opportunities opens its doors are expanded to the Olympic in 2005. The Indigenous Peninsula and Tacoma, where Wellness Research the School opens a branch Institute is established master’s program directed by in 2005 to support the Marcie Lazzari. rights and improve the health of indigenous The School’s research capacity people through research and productivity continues to Dorothy Van Soest and knowledge sharing. grow: between 1987 and 1992, grant funding increases 250 percent.
In 2006, Edwina Uehara is the first person of color to be named dean. While remaining committed to preventive science and research, Uehara reaches out to build collaborative relationships inside and outside the University. Partners for Our Children is launched in 2007. This innovative public-private partnership
Liz Roberts Director of Practicum and LGBT faculty member
is focused on improving the lives of children in foster care through research and collaboration with key stakeholders. In 2008, the Edwina Uehara School more than doubles its fund-raising target with more than $20 million in contributions and gifts— expanding student scholarships and endowed professorships. The U.S. News and World Report ranks the School fourth among 153 social work graduate programs in the country.
new building opens on UW campus (1980)
into the class “You don’t look Chinese” was a comment Suz Chen heard often if the topic of her biracial background came up in a conversation. She’d let the comment slide. She didn’t think much about it. Or tried not to. That changed when Suz took her first Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) class. “It’s about exposure to people’s stories,” says Suz. “It was in this class that I realized how much being multi-racial affects my life and how rarely I have a place to express all aspects of my identity.”
In 2009, IDEA Center Director Biren “Ratnesh” Nagda delivered the Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture
flect
that recognizes a University scholar whose teaching, service and research have transformed our knowledge and teaching about diversity and social justice.
1934
School of Social Work founded with federal relief funds to train students for public agency practice.
1935 Arlien Johnson and Jesse Steiner shared the School’s early leadership.
Social Security Act passed under FDR. The School becomes an independent graduate school, with Arlien Johnson as director.
sroom:
x+
transformative talk
The IDEA Center received the University of Washington Brotman Award for Instructional Excellence, 2006.
Intergroup Dialogue is the core program of the School’s Intergroup Dialogue, Education and Action (IDEA) Center founded by Associate Professor Biren “Ratnesh” Nagda and colleagues in 1996. The program builds on his earlier work at the University of Michigan, where he introduced the IGD model into the college curriculum.
The classes consist “ The biggest part of building community is being vulnerable to others. It’s sharing deep of sustained faceemotions and deep stories — finding out how we are all connected.” S U z C H E n to-face meetings of students from different backgrounds. Trained collaborating for change facilitators guide dialogues on sensitive topics of prejudice, privilege, inequality, empowerment and m o re e n gag e m e n t, e n h a n c e d un d e rs ta n d i n g social change. The model, theoretically-guided and rigorously evaluated, posits that collaboration and problem solving must be informed by critical self6.5 reflection and dialogue across differences. Chen describes it as a “unique opportunity to talk about issues that we deal with all the time as social workers. It gives us the skills to be real with clients and let them be our teachers. It gives us tools of critical consciousness and cultural competence.” Many students continue their involvement with the IDEA Center, facilitating groups on campus and applying IGD principles in their practice internships in the community. And the process isn’t just personal or local; it’s also political and global. Most recently, IDEA partnered with the Desmond Tutu Peace Center and Global Development for Peace and Leadership in Cape Town, South Africa, to integrate the dialogue model in peace-building programs.
1939
Ernest Witte named School director and refocused curriculum on specialized areas and field work.
6
5.5 IGD Students
5.0
4.5 4.0
Comparison Group Students
Appreciating Difference
Engaging Self
Critical SelfReflection
Alliance Building
A national multi-university study found that Intergroup Dialogue students talk more about and delve deeper into differences and inequalities than students in other diversity and social justice courses.*
*Nagda, B. A., Gurin, P., Sorensen, N., Gurin-Sands, C., & Osuna, S. M. (2009). From separate corners to dialogue and action. Race and Social Problems, 1 (1), 45-55.
1941
America entered WWII. School enrollment dropped as war effort expanded.
1942
Japanese in Seattle relocated to internment camps.
into famil
“The School of Social Work is reaching beyond the classroom, making its work even more relevant to Washington’s families by bringing us real-world evidence for social change.” W A S H i n G T o n S T A T E R E P R E S E n T A T i V E R U T H K A G i
form 1943
Grace Ferguson named School’s acting director and shifted emphasis to medical social work to meet wartime demands.
1948
School relocated to Thomson Hall.
1951 Victor Howery named School director and charged with rebuilding connections with local social welfare agencies.
lies:
a true partnership for child welfare reform The School of Social Work received the 2008 Academic Excellence Award from the American Public Human Services Association, citing the School’s academic excellence and Partners for Our Children’s innovative partnership model.
“As legislators, we have a lot of questions: What works? What are other states doing? What does the data tell us?” says Ruth Kagi, who represents north King and southwest Snohomish counties. “It really comes down to how do we make policy.” And that’s what area philanthropist Connie Ballmer first asked when she met with Ruth: How do legislators make decisions about foster care? When Connie understood the need for hard evidence to make real change, she followed up with a commitment to fund an organization that would bring state government and university researchers together to improve the lives of foster children in Washington.
Ruth wasn’t satisfied. She and her Senate counterpart, Jim Hargrove, wanted to pursue a major reform effort that looked at public and private services available to vulnerable families. To examine the issue more closely, Partners for Our Children sponsored a symposium that brought together a broad array of local stakeholders and child welfare leaders from across the country. The symposium built a strong case for change. The resulting momentum crystallized in new legislation that may improve positive outcomes for children through performance-based contracts with independent community providers.
“ The community is a vital partner for focusing on prevention
Soon afterwards, Partners for Our and support for children and families.” R U T H K A G i Children was launched, in 2006, through a collaborative agreement with the University of Washington School of Partners for Our Children will support this Social Work and Washington’s Department process by looking at evidence from other of Social and Health Services. Says Ruth: states, which are lowering caseloads and “I chair the Early Learning and Children’s reducing child abuse and neglect referrals. Services Committee and invited POC “We’re also conducting two pilot programs representatives to testify about placement to see if contracting services with communitystability for foster children. The research we based agencies really improves outcomes for heard was compelling, and the legislature kids,” explains Ruth. “The community is a vital passed Foster Care to 21, which tapped partner for focusing on prevention and support federal funds set aside for the national Fostering for children and families.” Connection to Success legislation.” This new law makes foster care, counseling, health care and independent living arrangements available for youth at a pivotal point in their lives.
1955
School moved to Social Work Hall, its first dedicated facility.
1958
University designated School an independent professional school; research capacity grew and doctoral program was planned.
1963
Charles Brink named dean with mandate to expand school and enhance reputation.
into commun [Real Science
Overall, we moved the needle in the right direction. And it was statistically significant. R Ay H o R o D o W i C z , C o M M U n i T i E S T H AT C A R E C o o R D i n ATo R Q U i n C y, WA S H i n G T o n
For social work to create social change, rigorously tested ideas are required to produce better outcomes for people and public health. The Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system — implemented by the School’s Social Development Research Group (SDRG) — is doing just that: demonstrating dramatically positive results in communities in seven states that adopted its carefully tested scientific approach. For example, binge-drinking rates were 37 percent lower among eighth-grade students in communities randomly assigned to receive training in CTC as compared to eighth-grade students in towns that were not trained to use the system. CTC also reduced the onset of tobacco and alcohol use and delinquent behaviors.
search 1965
School ranked as eighth largest U.S. social work school.
1966
School moved to Eagleson Hall.
In 2009, J. David Hawkins, SDRG’s founder, was awarded the Flynn Prize for Research from the University of Southern California School of Social Work.
1968
Center for Social Welfare Research established. School became the nation’s first to offer specialization in aging.
nity:
preventive science meets community action
+ Real Life = Transformation] Those findings are no surprise to Ray Horodowicz (left), the CTC point person in Quincy, Washington — one of 24 smallto-medium sized communities participating in the recently completed five-year experimental study. Ray explains that CTC teaches communities how to prevent drug use and delinquency by mobilizing and training coalitions of diverse community stakeholders. Communities learn how to choose tested and effective interventions that address elevated risk factors in the community. “My job was to get the CTC planning process up and running. I invited everyone — including principals, pastors and parents — to join the effort.” The locally formed coalition then uses the CTC planning process to make decisions. Every two years, SDRG surveyed Quincy’s sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth graders. In 2003 the coalition reviewed the survey data, which measured 21 risk factors for problem behaviors. “We found that Quincy youth reported three elevated risk factors: antisocial behaviors of friends, low commitment to school, and early academic failure,” summarizes Ray. “Our goal is to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors.” Protective factors are positive supports in youths’ lives that deter them from involvement in drugs, risky sex and from dropping out of school. The Quincy coalition selected three interventions: Guiding Good Choices workshops for parents, Smart Moves for students and
1970
American bombing of Cambodia triggers student and faculty activism focused on social justice, social change and civil rights.
»
intensive 12-week tutoring sessions for younger students. What makes this system different from other prevention efforts? It provides the community coalition with scientifically tested tools to make decisions based on what is important to each town. “The results tell the story,” concludes Ray. The Communities That Care prevention system was developed by Richard F. Catalano, Bartley Dobb Professor for the Study and Prevention of Violence, and J. David Hawkins, Endowed Professor of Prevention. Richard F. Catalano directs the Social Development Research Group, which was founded by J. David Hawkins, in 1979.
The Community Youth Development Study was funded through a unique mix of federal grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer Institute, National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, National Institute for Mental Health, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.
communities that care
r at e s o f b i n ge d ri n k i n g: a ll co m m un i t i e s t h at c a re lo c at i o n s 25.00 20.00 15.00 CTC
5.7 5.00
Control
9.0
10.00 1.3
1.0
0.00 Grade 5 2004
Grade 8 2007
Eighth graders in towns that adopted the Communities That Care system experienced a 37% reduction in binge drinking: that’s five or more consecutive drinks during a two-week period. Binge drinking leads to intense intoxication and, often, personal injury.*
*Hawkins, JD; Oesterle, S; Brown, EC; Arthur, MW; Abbott, RD; Fagan, AA; Catalano, RF. Results of a type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency: A test of Communities That Care, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, released September 7, 2009.
1971
J. Scott Briar named dean and shifts focus to evidence-based social work.
1972
Women faculty and students established Women’s Institute of Seattle, first feminist social work agency.
into the world Today, Kim Kanika Ung, a newly minted School graduate, is in Cambodia helping to build the country’s first undergraduate degree in Social Work at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. What excites Kim Kanika most about returning to the classroom is her approach to teaching the country’s first cohort of social work students. Her goal: to bring the knowledge, experience, excitement, support and motivation she experienced in her UW classes.
store 1975
Doctoral program established.
1976
“We’ve been through a civil war and genocide,” she says. “People have been traumatized. We are a developing country. We have human-rights problems. I believe social work is crucial and needed to work with the issues we face. It’s not just about counseling. It’s about advocacy, policy change and social justice.”
Major five-year federal grant funded curriculum development on women and mental health.
1979
Projects on Aging and Social Development Research Group (SDRG) are created.
d:
exchanging knowledge on a global scale phnom penh
✿ “Global education is the new direction of social work,” says Associate Research Professor Tracy Harachi, who directs the School’s partnership program with
(including Kim Kanika) enrolled and graduated from the School’s master’s program and returned to Phnom Penh to teach.
“ I was 27 years old and had just gotten married when I was recruited to join the UW Social Work program. As the oldest daughter, I was supposed to stay with my parents and help out. I didn’t expect my parents to let me come to Seattle, but they did.” Cambodia’s Royal University of Phnom Penh. This innovative exchange provides Cambodian social workers with graduate-level training so they can become the first instructors in a newly created social work department at the Cambodian university. The country’s educated elite was wiped out during the Khmer Rouge regime that murdered nearly two million Cambodians. At the end of the genocide, just a few hundred people with post-secondary degrees remained, and the country’s educational infrastructure was decimated. The partnership between the two schools, which began in 2003, calls for a three-phase approach to restore teaching capacity within the university. During the first phase, which was successfully completed this summer, five Cambodians
1980
School moved into current building to accommodate expanded faculty and programs.
KiM KAniKA UnG
The next phase, which kicked off in 2009, expands mentoring opportunities; develops practicum and research sites; creates links with Asian social work educators and practitioners; and increases exchange opportunities. The program’s final phase expands the curriculum and introduces a social work master’s degree program. The need for social workers in Cambodia is well documented. Emotional trauma, physical disabilities, child labor, human trafficking and poor public health are persistent social problems. “This country is filled with motivated young people who want to make a difference,“ says Tracy.“They are eager to take leadership roles and anxious to gain knowledge to improve their quality of life.”
1984
School celebrated its 50th anniversary: milestone of more than 3,000 social work graduates since founding.
A RiCh CultuRE AnD A lEgACy of loSS in Cambodia today: 19% of the rural population have proper sanitation facilities 24% of adults are illiterate 40% live below the poverty level ($1.25/day) World’s highest rate of amputees — 1 in 384 Asia’s third highest rate of infant mortality 3 in 10 suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 52% of children, 7 to 14 years old, work more than 20 hours a week Cross-border trafficking of women and children is common
1987
Nancy Hooyman named dean and focused on increased diversity within the School and strong ties to the professional community.
.
roger roffman retires
“Dean Scott Briar recruited me in 1972 to establish a specialization in alcoholism and substance abuse,” recalls Roger Roffman, who’s retiring after 37 years as a teacher and investigator focusing on social work practice interventions. In 1986, Roger established the Innovative Programs Research Group (IPRG). With grants from national and local sources, Roger and his team have conducted studies evaluating interventions for adults and adolescents dependent on marijuana; women, teens and gay men at risk of HIV transmission due to unsafe sex practices; and men who abuse their partners. The research group has adapted an innovative “check-up” intervention model designed to assist individuals in taking stock of their actions and exploring options in a nonjudgmental setting. “The theme of this research,” explains Roger, “is to understand, reach out to and serve people who are engaging in harmful behaviors, are ambivalent about what they are doing, but are not yet committed to change. Many experience stigma, shame and oppression.” Today, the research group’s work is widely recognized — but not without some controversy. Some years ago one of its HIV-prevention projects for gay/bisexual men angered conservatives in Congress who threatened to cut its funding. The University stood behind the project and the staff. “It’s been a privilege to work in a setting that respects and upholds academic freedom, encourages intellectual curiosity and values research on topics that may not be popular.” On the day after his October 1 retirement, Roger and his wife, Professor Emeritus Cheryl Richey — who served on the School’s faculty for 29 years — are traveling to the south of France. There, Roger will continue work on a book focusing on his forty years of research on marijuana.
1992
Child Welfare Training and Advancement Program created.
1996
Intergroup Dialogue, Education and Action Center (IDEA) established to enhance social justice practice.
alumni Ruth Huber, PhD ’89, is the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Washington School of Social Work. In the 20 years since Huber earned her doctorate, she has distinguished herself through outstanding service and innovation in the areas of social work education and professional leadership. Since receiving her doctorate degree, the educator has shared her passion for research with students in a variety of positions at the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work and helped develop Kentucky’s first doctoral program in social work. Her expertise in the National Long Term Care Ombudsman Program has brought her national recognition; her research related to hospice has made her a leading scholar in outcomes for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and her recent book on elder advocacy will set the standard for the skills and knowledge required to assist the elderly. Erika Hagensen, MSW ‘06, MPHc (master of public health candidate) has received a Rising Star Public Interest Award recognizing her advocacy for disability rights in the Washington, DC area and on the national stage. The award is sponsored by the OMB Watch, a nonprofit organization promoting government accountability and citizen participation. She is currently the director of Disability Rights for The Disability Policy Collaboration, a joint effort of The Arc of the United States and United Cerebral Palsy.
1998
School offered master’s degree program in Tacoma and on Olympic Peninsula.
Alicia Martinez, BASW ‘08 and current MSW student, has been awarded a scholarship from the CSWE Carl A. Scott Memorial Fund. She was one of two national awardees. Martinez was chosen for her work with immigrant communities, particularly with families who have children with special needs. According to Linda Ruffer, Martinez’s SSW academic adviser, “Alicia’s unique talents, passion to advocate for social justice issues for marginalized populations and commitment to community service make her a stellar candidate for this scholarship.” Janis Avery, MSW ’84, was named a Woman of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal in November 2008. This award honors extraordinary women of the Puget Sound region who have made an impact on the community, economy and the lives of other women. Since 1995, Avery has been executive director of Treehouse, which offers tutoring, educational advocacy, college coaching, Little Wishes, summer camp and Wearhouse — programs that give foster children hope and resources for a bright future. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption 2008 also named Avery one of the Angels of Adoption. Rebecca Hutcheson, MSW ’98, received the 2008 National Quality Center Quality of Care Award for Leadership. Hutcheson, quality management program manager for the Public Health Department of Seattle and King County’s HIV/AIDS Program, was recognized for her leadership in developing infrastructure that improves the quality of
2002
Dorothy Van Soest named dean. Institutes of Excellence created.
update care HIV-positive clients receive through Ryan White funds to local, state and national organizations.
workers make: “If you empower one girl, then that girl empowers another. It’s a chain reaction.”
Mary (Jorgensen) Everett, BASW ’89, MSW ’91, LISW CCM, is a social work case manager at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center. She works on the mother-baby and specialcare units at this public hospital and trauma center for New Mexico, southern Colorado, eastern Arizona and El Paso, Texas. “Most of our patients are low income, and many come from Mexico seeking medical treatment. New Mexico is one of our poorest states, so resources are often hard to find. Many of our patients are Spanish-speaking only, so I use interpreters almost everyday. I miss Seattle very much and visit yearly to see my grown children. I do enjoy my job here, though, and plan to stay until I retire.”
inhoe Ku, PhD,‘00, has been appointed chair of the Department of Social Welfare at Seoul National University, which is considered a top research institution in South Korea. Professor Ku’s research focuses on poverty, income inequality, social welfare policy and, specifically, the effect of welfare on children’s educational achievement. His university department strives to cultivate professional human resources required for social welfare and to carry out research for a more advanced welfare system suitable for Korean society. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the mentors and colleagues for guiding me through the wonderful social welfare research.”
Leana Pastores, BASW ‘07, MSW ‘08, who trains teen-peer advocates at the Asian Counseling and Referral Services, was featured in a Seattle Times article discussing the positive outcomes of her work with teens. One of her trainees who completed the program offered an unsolicited testimonial to the impact that social
in Memoriam — gaile Patricia noble
2005
Elayna J. youchah, MSW, ‘83, joined Jackson Lewis LLP’s Las Vegas office as partner. Youchah works with clients on matters arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Fair Labor
Gaile noble, MSW ’73, of Kamloops, BC, died on June 26, 2009. She was 71. Her professional life was marked by service, dedication and compassion. She worked as a caseworker in Washington, Peace Corps volunteer in
West Coast Poverty Center established to research and develop a greater sense of understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty.
Standards Act. Throughout her distinguished career, Youchah has received numerous awards and honors including an American Jurisprudence and Best Lawyers in America for Labor and Employment Law awards. Elizabeth M. Tracy, MSW, ‘77, PhD ‘88, has been named the Grace Longwell Coyle Chair in Social Work at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. The Coyle Chair recognizes a scholar and educator whose work brings international renown to the school and attracts students from around the world. Tracy has an international reputation as a social welfare scholar, and among her most influential contributions are books she has co-authored with UW School of Social Work Professor Emeritus James Whittaker and Susan Kemp, Charles O. Cressey Endowed Associate Professor. While a UW graduate student, Tracy was selected for the University’s highly prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award. Her books include: Person-environment Practice: The Social Ecology of Interpersonal Helping.
Southern Chile, civil rights volunteer in rural Mississippi, high-school instructor for the Granada Navajo Nation in Arizona, and professor at the UW School of Social Work and Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
2005
Angenie McCleary, MSW ‘07, credits her social work education as great preparation for the county commissioner position to which the governor of Idaho recently appointed her. “A social work education gives you great perspective and appropriate skills for working in a political position,” she said. “It enables you to handle crises and resolve conflicts.” McCleary cites her practicum with Washington state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson as “very helpful in learning more about state politics.” While working with Dickerson, McCleary— along with Melissa Bailey, MSW ’06, and Diane Arnold, MSW ’07—played a key supporting role in the successful effort to enact family-leave legislation. Marlinda QuintanaJefferson, BASW ’80, MSW ’86 (PhD, Barry University), was one of several outstanding Hispanic social workers featured in a recent National Association of Social Workers publication, where she discussed why she chose the social work profession and the challenges she’s encountered.
Gaile retired in 1999 and moved to Merritt, BC, and, soon afterward, made her home in Kamloops, where she could pursue her outdoor interests in camping and fishing. Gaile is survived by her sister and brother-in-law of Novato,
Indigenous Wellness Research Institute founded to support the rights of indigenous peoples to achieve greater health and wellness.
So young Chung, MSW ’02, is a program director at the Center for Urban and Community Services, a social services organization in New York City. Agnes oswaha, MSW ’09, was honored as one of four 2009 Women of Inspiration at a recent Seattle Storm game. Oswaha co-founded the Southern Sudanese Women’s Association and its specific program Hearts of Angels for Health. She is chair of the Sudanese Outreach for Save Darfur, Washington State, a board member for South Sudan Women’s Empowerment Network, a volunteer mentor for the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan, and a legal advocate at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. She served on the Women’s Funding Alliance BerMar Scholarship Committee and currently serves at the Women’s Funding Alliance Economic Opportunity grant committee. Ms. Oswaha has recently been appointed as the consular, social and community affairs officer for the Government of South Sudan Mission to the United States in Washington, DC, where she will be relocating with her family.
CA, and two nephews in Napa and Chico, CA. Please make expressions of sympathy in the form of a donation to the Kamloops Food Bank and Outreach Society, 171 Wilson St. Kamloops, BC V2B 2M8
2007
Partners for Our Children, an innovative public-private partnership, founded to improve state’s child welfare system.
mes sag e fro m t he d ea n
Today, more than ever, the School of Social Work is in the business of seeking solutions to the seemingly intractable social problems of our day. As the stories selected to celebrate our 75th anniversary so clearly demonstrate, a great school of social work can possess both scientific heft and organizational nimbleness — accommodating a wide range of powerful programs and partnerships. The School strives to model what universities can do and must do to best serve society. We bring keen analysis and evidence to bear upon complex problems. We recruit and educate the best and brightest to service and leadership. We partner strategically to create lasting social change.
EDWinA UEHARA, DEAn UniVERSiTy oF WASHinGTon SCHooL oF SoCiAL WoRK
For us in the Pacific Northwest, collaboration comes naturally. There is a deep-seeded culture here of community engagement, risk-taking and innovation. When we add hands-on research, high ideals and hard work, we make a world of difference. Social work becomes social change.
Celebrate the past. Reflect on the present. Advance the future. In recognition of our 75th anniversary, the School has designated the Social Work Students First Fund for alumni who want to give back. This fund advances the future of undergraduate and graduate students based on their financial need.
Give today at www.ssw.washington.edu/advancethefuture
School of Social Work 75th Anniversary history Committee Susan Kemp, Chair Taryn Lindhorst, Co-Chair Mark Courtney Jee-Young Kim Biren “Ratnesh” Nagda Sue Sohng Greg Ross Jim Whittaker
Students Who Give Every year our social work students contribute more than 176,000 volunteer-service hours to more than 300 Puget Sound nonprofit and public-service organizations: estimated dollar value, $2.6 to $3.4 million.
NONP RO FI T O RG A N I Z AT I O N U. S. P OSTAG E
PA i D SEATTLE, WA
Box 354900 Seattle, WA 98105-6299
P ER MIT N O. 62
Learn about upcoming events, defining moments, decisive leadership, research milestones and more at our 75th anniversary Web site www.ssw.washington.edu/75 Questions? Contact Jee Kim at (206) 543-7704 jeeykim@uw.edu or UW School of Social Work 4101 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6299. Strategy: Rose Strategies Design: Poetica Design Copy: Betz & Company Photography: Color portraits by Gregg Snodgrass – All Rights Reserved. Inside front cover: Greg Gilbert/Seattle Times. A special thank you to Emile Pitre for his assistance in locating the image. Photos of Eleanor Roosevelt and women picketing from Seattle P-I Collection, MOHAI. Hooverville photo: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, UW2129 All other photos from UWSSW archives or from public domain sources.