Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work: History and Reflection 25th Anniversary Celebration

Phylis Lan Lin Department

Work: History and Reflection 25th Anniversary Celebration University of Indianapolis USA

of Social

Editors Phylis Lan Lin and Caterina Cregor Blitzer 2022 Indianapolis, Indiana

Copyright © 2022 by Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, University of Indianapolis

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work.

Cover Design: Phylis Lan Lin

Compilation: Phylis Lan Lin

Editing: Caterina Cregor Blitzer

Indexing and Layout: Marilyn Augst, Prairie Moon Indexing

Published by: Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, University of Indianapolis

Social Work History Project Committee:

Co-Chairs: Phylis Lan Lin & Wanda K. Watts

Members: Caterina Cregor Blitzer, Jeff Bryant, Rosie W. Butler, Roxxi Davis, Marianna Kalli Foulkrod, and Andrew Kocher

In Collaboration with Office of Corporate and Community Partnerships and Homecoming Committee, University of Indianapolis

CONTENTS

Foreword

Torrey Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Acknowledgments

Phylis Lan Lin . vii

Chapter 1. Our Roots for the Future: The Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work Caterina Cregor Blitzer, in Collaboration with Phylis Lan Lin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2. Alumni Reflections from Graduates of the University of Indianapolis (Indiana Central) Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work Rosie Butler 13

Chapter 3. Community Impact: Service-Learning and Social Work Education Marianna Foulkrod and Madeline Abramson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Chapter 4. Looking Forward: Preparing Next-Generation Social Work Practitioners An Interview with Dr. Wanda K. Watts

Phylis Lan Lin and Rosie Butler 45

Chapter 5. Social Work: A Call for Passion Bradley Wantz, Jennifer Leonard, and Ola Arowolo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Chapter 6. Pillars of Life Phylis Lan Lin, in Collaboration with Caterina Cregor Blitzer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Epilogue

Phylis Lan Lin 71

Appendix A. People and Events That Shaped the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work Jeff Bryant and Wanda Watts 73

Appendix B. Social Work Month Celebration: “The Time Is Right for Social Work” Christie Jansing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Appendix C. 25th Anniversary Celebration Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Appendix D. Biographies 79

Index 83

FOREWORD

Torrey Wilson, PhD, Former Dean and Associate Professor, College of Applied Behavioral Sciences, University of Indianapolis

The social work profession has contributed to the care and understanding of how community and environmental factors contribute to and can impact lives. From its very beginning, the focus was on addressing the ills that reduce quality of life and on developing community-based interventions that did not pathologize the very people who were being impacted by conditions that were outside of either their understanding or control. In the 45 years that Dr. Phylis Lan Lin has taught, contributed, and nurtured social work at the University of Indianapolis, she has been key to maintaining and expanding that work. Her legacy, which has always strived to create a community of social work practitioners, teachers, and scholars who nurture the growth of their students and contributions to the well-being of the community, continues today within the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences (CABS).

This booklet seeks to capture the history of the 25 years of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work and its contributions to the university and broader community. It also offers an opportunity to highlight how the traditions are tied to the future of social work within CABS. The future centers on the continued role of informing behavioral health and the myriad needs impacting the community and larger society. It also centers on furthering the work of Dr. Lin, Dr. Wanda Watts, and the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work as we develop a Doctor of Social Work degree program to continue our contribution to the field.

It is my honor to work with the wonderful group of social work professionals. Their dedication and commitment to the students and the work of the past twenty years speaks for themselves. This historical record is a way of ensuring that the accomplishments of the department are shared with others.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work History and Reflection 25th Anniversary Celebration monograph is dedicated to students, graduates, faculty, and staff in the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work and to our community collaborators and supporters. Thank you for entrusting us to offer a program that values all humanity and embodies “vision, integrity, and passion” in the preparation of tomorrow’s practitioners and leaders in social work.

I am deeply grateful to members of the history project team for their dedicated efforts toward the compilation of the monograph and planning of the 25th anniversary celebration. Heartfelt thanks to each of you for joining me in telling the story of the beginnings, growth, and development of our social work program!

I hope this monograph and 25th anniversary celebration are a rallying cry for us to march into the next chapters of our social work education and practice at the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. May these reflections inspire us to thrive and excel!

Phylis Lan Lin

December 15, 2022

CHAPTER 1

OUR ROOTS FOR THE FUTURE: THE PHYLIS LAN LIN DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

Caterina Cregor Blitzer, MA in Collaboration with Phylis Lan Lin, PhD

Establishment of the University of Indianapolis Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work

Thousands of miles separate the University of Indianapolis, which was established as Indiana Central University in 1902 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Tunghai University, which was established in 1955 in Taichung, Taiwan, and is nicknamed the City of Culture.

What could these institutions have in common? How did they become partner institutions? What does this have to do with the history of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work? Indiana Central University opened its doors in 1905 when the first building, now called Good Hall, was completed. From its beginning, the university has been coeducational and open to all races (https://www.uindy.edu/about-uindy/history-and-mission).

Tunghai University, a Methodist university, was founded as “an institution devoted to the free search for truth.” Since the time of its founding, Tunghai has had a highly creative and experimental spirit, offering innovations such as its Student Labor Program, general education, open library stacks, and a student honor code, none of which had before been seen in the history of Chinese education (http://eng.thu.edu.tw/web/about/detail.php?scid=20&sid=7).

At the root of this story are the ideals of Tunghai University. In the 1960s, it attracted a remarkable Taiwanese student from Taichung City, Phylis Lan Lin. Interviewed in 2019 for the Indiana Historical Society Asian History Project, Phylis Lan Lin observed, “[B]ecause my background is in sociology … I really appreciate this opportunity to translate my life experience … from a sociological perspective. Many people experienced very similar things, but they would not use the terminology inclusiveness, diversity, and so forth.” Humanitarianism, inclusiveness, diversity, and loyalty were all values she witnessed in the charitable work, professional lives, and attitudes of her beloved father and mother. Coincidentally, it was a community service project at Tunghai University that prompted her to change her major from biology to sociology. It was at Tunghai University that Phylis Lan Lin was inspired by two educational missionaries, Paul and Lucille Alexander, both 1949 graduates of Indiana Central College who were living and teaching at Tunghai University.

Paul and Lucy Alexander (Indiana Central Class of ’49) served as educational missionaries in Taiwan for thirty-eight years, from 1958 to 1996. They took on much of Chinese culture themselves as they began to understand the world of those they came to serve. Paul jokes, “In Taiwan, I feel 51 percent American, but in the United States, I feel 51 percent Chinese.” Paul served as professor of biology (Phylis took an embryology course from him). Lucy was involved with the women of the campus church and defines service as “enabling others” to help themselves, quoting a Presbyterian mission leader who urged them to make themselves “profoundly available.”

Their memoirs, which have been published in Chinese, are titled “Listening with the Heart,” which aptly describes the way that these two University of Indianapolis (UIndy) alumni lived out the motto “Education for Service” (https://www.uindy.edu/eip/files/alexander42_49. pdf;

https://uindy.edu/archives/files/alumni-news/1946-1959/1958-10.pdf; https://uindy.edu/archives/files/alumni-news/1970-1979/1972-5.pdf).

Kristene Ruddle, Class of 1997 Social Work alumna, wrote about their connection:

Phylis Lan Lin’s contact with representatives of this university date back to her college student days at Tunghai University, Taiwan, where she met Paul and Lucille Alexander, 1949 graduates of Indiana Central College. Phylis found the way the Alexanders displayed their Christian faith in action to be authentic and exemplary. In particular, she was struck by the way this pair of Greyhound ambassadors displayed compassion and empathy, virtues that she valued for reasons related to her native culture. Dr. Lin embraces the same life orientation from her native culture, the teaching of the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin). (“Tsai Fong: ‘When the Wind Blows, the Grass Bends,’” University of Indianapolis Reflector, https://www.uindy.edu/eip/files/lin.pdf)

When Professor Lan Lin received the Jerry Israel Interfaith Service Award in 2008, UIndy President Beverley Pitts noted, “Phylis Lan Lin embraced the same life orientation she saw displayed in the lives of Paul and Lucy Alexander.”

Well served by her education and community-service experiences at Tunghai University, Phylis Lan Lin left Taiwan in 1966 for graduate study in the United States. “As a result of her experiences in the community, sociology and social work became her passion and lifetime commitment.” Having found her passion, Phylis wanted to pursue a graduate degree in applied sociology, and her parents encouraged her to study in the U.S. She recalls her father saying, “We live on a small island just like a frog that lives in a well. You only see that much of the sky. You must jump out of the well and go to America to see the big sky country” (“Tsai Fong: ‘When the Wind Blows, the Grass Bends’”). Phylis Lan Lin left Taiwan, earned her PhD in sociology, and landed a position at Indiana Central College in 1973. She founded the program in social work that bears her name today at the University of Indianapolis. Along the way, Professor Lin actively collaborated with colleagues at her alma mater, Tunghai University, and valued her friendship with Paul and Lucille Alexander. In 2020, a grateful Phylis Lan Lin presented Lucille Alexander with a copy of Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meet the Founder Compendium, about the history of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work (https://issuu.com/phylis-lanlin/docs/lin_book_2020_web2_june_19-2020).

Throughout her life and her career in education in both her native Taiwan and her chosen home in Indiana, Professor Lin has realized seemingly impossible dreams. Long before she arrived on the Indiana Central College (now University of Indianapolis) campus in 1973, she shared the key value of Education for Service with the university: “My whole idea of education is service. We not only try to serve our university community, but we try to serve the real community of Indianapolis and Indiana. I try to bring my part of the world to Indiana and Indiana to the world through international educational partnerships. Through the promotion of cultural understanding, we will realize more about our humanity. All intellectuals have a moral obligation to promote understanding” (“University of Indianapolis is host of seminar on China: Scholars from China, Taiwan and U.S. will gather in an effort to cultivate understanding,” Sally Falk Nancrede, Indianapolis Star, September 29, 1995). Starting in 1997, organized and co-chaired by Dr. Lin, the university co-hosted the biannual International Symposium on Service-Learning. The biannual symposia were held in the U.S., South Africa, China, Greece, and Cyprus. (For a detailed description of the symposium and its purpose, see “The

International Symposium on Service-Learning,” by Phylis Lan Lin, 2009, pp. 283–284, and “The Third International Symposium on Service-Learning Proceedings: Background, Acknowledgements, and Welcome,” by Phylis Lan Lin, 2009, pp. 285–291, in Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meeting the Founder Compendium, compiled by Phylis Lan Lin and edited by Caterina Cregor Blitzer, 2020.)

Dr. Gene Sease, University of Indianapolis President from 1970 to 1988, hired Dr. Phylis Lan Lin in 1973, and the rest, as they say, is history. As the University of Indianapolis celebrates its centenary in 2022, the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work celebrates its 25th anniversary. One core value in its liberal arts mission, both when the university was founded as a private teaching university and now, is to provide “Education for Service,” the university motto. The program in social work is a direct extension of this core value.

Planning for a program in social work began in the late 1970s, although a few social welfare courses had been offered in prior decades. In fact, Lucille Alexander, class of ’49, cited the influence of one professor of sociology: “I pay homage today to a professor of sociology, Dr. Lowell Maechtle, from whom I caught passion for scholarship and social concern” (see yearbook photo of Lowell Edwin Maechtle, Associate Professor of Sociology, on page 15 of the 1948 Indiana Central College yearbook: https://uindy.edu/archives/files/yearbooks/1948.pdf).

A preliminary social work program was established within the Department of Behavioral Sciences by Dr. Lin, and the first three graduates matriculated in 1982. The program had clearly established itself as a viable major by the mid-1980s. As a result, the administration and faculty began serious planning for a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). A search for the social work program’s director was undertaken in 1989. Dr. Robert Vernon joined the faculty as director in the fall of 1991, and he and his colleagues revised the social work curriculum and began the accreditation process. The program was granted formal candidacy for accreditation on October 25, 1993, and received full accreditation in February of 1997. In the same year, the program’s name was changed to the Phylis Lan Lin Program of Social Work to honor the founder of social work at UIndy for her fundamental support. Dr. Benjamin Lantz, president of the University of Indianapolis when the program’s name was changed, offered this foreword to the compendium:

What a story What a life! You have clearly done in less than one lifetime enough to fill two or more for most people, although it would be hard to find many [who] could do so much even then.

You have made a positive impact on literally everything or person you have touched, and in your COMPENDIUM, you have not only told your readers the story of your life and accomplishments, but you have also affirmed the ingredients that comprised the foundation upon which you built your life. Your parents, culture, education, your faith, and more were involved, bricks upon bricks giving you the stability and confidence to do all that you have done. Looking at our world today, one can only wish people would have the foundation you received and built. The last part of that sentence is as important as the former, namely it wouldn’t have been possible had you not taken those “bricks” one by one and built them into a beautiful life!

I have highly admired your life and accomplishments and felt privileged to have participated in some of them. One of the instincts we share is “If you see a possibility, actualize it! Assume that it can be done and do it!” Another way of expressing this is we have confidence in our vision and are impatient to see it materialized!

That action orientation unsettled some of our colleagues who preferred long, leisurely discussions of positives and negatives before even the pursuit of the possibility itself. Optimism and energetic determination permeated your vision and led to its achievement. You are a model indeed!

(https://issuu.com/phylis-lan-lin/docs/lin_book_2020_web2_june_19-2020)

Rationale for Program Autonomy

The BSW was granted unconditional reaffirmation in 2001 and 2008. Faculty and staff collaborated on a rationale for program autonomy, an indicator of sustained growth and recognition of the benefits of program autonomy for faculty and students:

● Tripled size of program in last ten years (from enrollment in the 40s to the 130s)

● Consistent steady growth in class enrollment and retention

● Stable permanent faculty

● Exceeded expectations during reaffirmation of accreditation process; Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

● Goodness of fit between class size, program resources, and student needs

● Nearly 100% acceptance rate to graduate programs

● Stable history of employable graduates

● High number of students offered employment from practicum

● Current existing factors in place to support move: separate budget, curricular decision making, director

There is a need for an increased focus on program demands as a result of program growth. Changes in the way we deliver and assess our curriculum, as related to student outcomes, necessitate a change to realign and shift out resources within the program to concentrate on continuous growth and maintenance of a quality program. Having excelled through the re-accreditation process, the Social Work Department is poised to not only bring the program into compliance with the new standards identified by the accrediting body, but also to effect change to enhance and institutionalize the experiences our students have in developing into key leaders and effective practitioners in the field as reflected by our already strong reputation. Increased autonomy will facilitate the processes required to make the changes necessary to take advantage of this particular time: we are energized by recent accomplishments, a committed faculty and a clear charge for change.

The rationale worked, and Social Work became a full-fledged department within the university in 2014: the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, within the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2016, the department would become a part of the newly formed College of Applied Behavioral Sciences (CABS).

In response to UIndy’s priority to increase graduate programs, a feasibility study was completed in 2014, which demonstrated a need for an additional graduate program in social work in Indiana. The University of Indianapolis Board of Trustees approved the creation of a Master of Social Work (MSW)

program in 2015, and the candidacy process with the CSWE commenced. The inaugural MSW cohort started in August 2016.

On the eve of its 25th anniversary, the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work is housed in state-of-the-art facilities in the UIndy Health Pavilion along with UIndy’s other health and wellness related disciplines and industry partners. Both the BSW and MSW are accredited by the CSWE, with the BSW program being granted formal candidacy for accreditation on October 25, 1993 and receiving full accreditation in February 1997 and reaccreditation in February 2019, and the MSW program receiving full accreditation in June 2019. Both programs have an established history that has evolved under the direct guidance of students, faculty, and administrators. The commitment to provide an excellent program is firm and long-standing.

Mission and Objectives of the Social Work Programs

The principal mission of the social work programs is to prepare qualified undergraduates and graduates for generalist and specialized social work practice with diverse populations and systems in a wide variety of settings and contexts. This mission is based on a planned curriculum that includes the following goals:

● Provide practice instruction with different sizes and types of client and service systems

● Prepare students to engage in practice with a wide spectrum of people from diverse cultural heritages

● Provide relevant content about the social contexts of practice, including how contexts change, organizational behaviors and responses, and the dynamics of change

● Teach and impart appropriate values and ethics for professional practice

● Seek to make graduates aware of their responsibility and commitment to continued professional development and lifelong learning

The objectives for students graduating from the programs include the following:

● Apply and use critical thinking skills within the context of professional social work practice

● Engage in practice within the values and ethics of the social work profession with appreciation of, understanding of, and respect for the positive value of human diversity in many contexts

● Develop and demonstrate the professional use of self

● Understand the forms and mechanisms of political, economic, and social oppression and discrimination, and apply professional strategies and skills for change that advance social and economic justice

● Understand and value the history of the social work profession, its current structures and issues, and its contribution to the well-being of people

● Apply and use knowledge of bio-psycho-social information that affects individual development and behavior, and use theoretical frameworks to understand the interactions between individuals and social systems of all sizes

● Analyze the implications, values, and impact of social policies on client systems, workers, and agencies

● Evaluate and use research studies and apply findings to practice, and, under supervision, evaluate their own practice interventions and those of other relevant systems

● Develop and use communication skills differentially with a variety of client populations, colleagues, and members of the community

● Use supervision appropriate to generalist and specialized practice

● Function within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems, and, under supervision, seek necessary organizational change that fosters equitable change (The Phylis Lan Lin Program in Social Work booklet, 1997, pp. 2–3; updated in 2021)

The Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work Motto: VIP (Vision, Integrity, Passion)

In 1997, Phylis Lan Lin accepted the honor of the university’s baccalaureate program in social work being named in her honor by putting a new twist on VIP, so it stands for vision, integrity, and passion and by asking that the abbreviation with its new definition become the program’s new motto. “We will build this program with a vision of the future, to be able to serve not only the needy, but also emerging community needs in the areas of health, family, business, and immigrants. We must be trusted by our students, their parents, and our community. … We are passionate, we are committed, and we are engaged. We are ready to educate a new breed of social workers,” she said (https://www.uindy.edu/applied-behavioral-sciences/social-work/lin/files/1997-program-in-social-workaccredited-and-named-in-honor-of-prof.-phylis-lan-lin-.pdf).

In UIndy’s 2009 international joint program commencement speech in Ningbo, China, Professor Lin updated these bywords, and her comments additionally apply to the hundreds of graduates of the University of Indianapolis who benefit from her example and teaching:

Do we understand what “VIP” stands for? The conventional definition for “VIP” is “very important person.” Yes, we want to make you a very important person in this world. But today, I would like to take the opportunity to put a twist on the acronym and offer a new meaning for “VIP”: vision, integrity, and passion.

Vision. We have been and will continue building this joint program with a vision of the future. We are training a new breed of workforce and intellectuals for tomorrow’s China. We want to train a group of young students who can foresee society’s needs and who will position themselves well with the skills and knowledge needed for their future careers. We are building this joint program with a vision that the graduates will be equipped with a sound foundation for them to realize their potential, to be able to find a niche in a most challenging environment. We want to help youbelieve that you are a part of something bigger than yourselves. Whether you stay in China or return to the U.S. to continue your graduate studies upon graduation, our goal is to help you to grasp the best of two cultures (Chinese and American), to become a global citizen, to become a change agent, and to strengthen the quality not just of your own lives but also of the world that surrounds you.

Integrity. Trust is one of the most important ingredients of integrity. It is imperative to have mutual trust in the joint program. We must be trusted by our students, their parents, and our educational institutions. A high-quality program is based on the integrity of leaders and the institutions where the program is delivered. We trust and believe in

ourselves and believe that we will be trusted. Integrity refers to values regarding work and relationships, matters of right and wrong, fairness, equality, and inclusive outlooks and environments.

Passion. Finally, we are passionate; we are committed, and we are engaged. We are ready to educate a new breed of Chinese college students. Several students have asked me, “Dr. Lin, why are you so energetic and tireless?” I reply, “I love what I am doing, and I am in love with what I want to do. In fact, I am passionate with the mission I gave myself.” A senior lecturer at MIT, Jonathan Byrnes, said one of the essential characteristics to lead paradigmatic change is the capacity for passion. He said, “First and foremost, you need a burning drive to make things better. Change management is a grueling process, and passion will see you through it” (Harvard Business School, “Working Knowledge,” September 6, 2005).

Passion provides the motivation, energy, and commitment to do things rigorously. Whether you are planning to reach a specific life goal, reach a certain level of perfection in your work, make good money, fulfill or abide by your parents’ wishes, help people in crisis, or make a positive impact on your society, you must, first and foremost, have a clear vision and strong passion and practice your deeds with integrity. Only then will you become an effective leader, with a systems thinking mentality and the moral character for your endeavors.

Dr. Lin summarizes the VIP model as follows:

● We need to have a strong sense of purpose, know where we are going, and know what we want to become (a clear vision).

● We need to have a sense of calling for our job and practice (integrity, combined with ethics and trust).

● We need to throw ourselves into whatever we do with full engagement and commitment (an enduring passion).

In addition to the VIP motto, Dr. Lin embraces a second motto: Humility embraces truthfulness, goodness, and inner beauty. Dr. Lin’s favorite quote is “Always think of yourself less, but do not think less of yourself.” Dharma Master Cheng Yen (Tzu Chi), who was one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, said, “To give selflessly with a genuine heart is to be true. To contribute to others unconditionally is to be good. When one is both true and good, beauty is radiated.” (Phylis Lan Lin, “Truth, Goodness, and Beauty,” 2011 Sino-American Joint Program Commencement Ceremony at the Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang, China, June 21, 2011; Compendium, pp. 339–345, https://issuu.com/phylis-lan-lin/docs/lin_book_2020_web2_june_19-2020).

Scholarships and Awards

Thanks to the support of alumni and friends, the University of Indianapolis can offer an engaging hands-on education focused on student success while building a culture of connectedness and giving back through the university’s motto, “Education for Service.”

Scholarships for students at the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work at UIndy help provide essential financial aid packages that could be the deciding factor for enabling a social work student to complete a degree. Several endowed scholarship funds have been established to benefit

students in the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. They provide a legacy of support and an inspiration for social work students at the university.

The scholarships and awards available to undergraduate and graduate students in the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work recognize and benefit outstanding social work students. The honorees are selected by the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work faculty, with the assistance of the Scholarship Committee, and on the basis of student nominations.

The Office of University Advancement Donor Relations and Stewardship Coordinator provides exemplary stewardship for the donors, as well as mentorship for scholarship recipients. Scholarship recipients are encouraged to write gratitude letters to their donors. Professor Lin conserves the notes from student recipients who gratefully share their plans and dreams. Handwritten, some including photos, they are a yearly hope-filled tribute to the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, its founder, its faculty, the College of Applied and Behavioral Sciences, and the University of Indianapolis. Thanks to the farsighted generosity of the named donors, these students enter their chosen field of social work having experienced education for service. (For guidelines for each scholarship and award, see https://uindy.edu/applied-behavioral-sciences/social-work/scholarships.)

Dr. Phylis Lan Lin Scholarship for BSW and MSW Students

The Dr. Phylis Lan Lin Scholarship in Social Work is to support social work students from traditionally underrepresented groups who have a commitment to social work and social justice. Four to six scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each are awarded to students enrolled in either the BSW or MSW program at the University of Indianapolis. Each scholarship is awarded in the Spring/Summer term and disbursed in the Fall semester (for MSW) or awarded in the Fall term and disbursed in the Winter semester (for BSW).

Reflections from Scholarship Recipients

“Thank you for making this generous contribution to UIndy and for making this scholarship possible for me. This scholarship has allowed me to go to school full-time and complete my degree in one year. My passion for social work has grown significantly because of the amazing program at UIndy, and I am extremely grateful for the education that UIndy has provided me. Again, I thank you for your generosity.” ~ Alyssa ’18

“I am a junior at the University of Indianapolis. My major is social work, and I hope to either work with kids or with the older population when I graduate. So, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your generosity and helping to make this possible for me! I am honored to be one of the recipients of the Dr. Phylis Lan Lin and Dr. Leon Lin Scholarship in Social Work, and I am so happy to get the opportunity to say Thank You!” ~ Iliana ’20

“I want to thank you for your generous donation to UIndy and making the Dr. Phylis Lan Lin and Dr. Leon Lin Scholarship in Social Work possible. Upon completion of my MSW degree, my goal is to continue employment after 16 years utilizing my Social Work degree. Receiving the scholarship has given me the opportunity to accomplish my dream goal of obtaining my degree so I can help others do the same of reaching their goal.” ~ Turkessa ’19

“I am so grateful for having the opportunity to receive this scholarship. It helps me to continue my education and to achieve my goals to become an effective social worker. I would like to give back to

my community, especially women and children. I will repay your kindness by becoming a person who serves our community. I hope you have a healthy life, and may God bless you.” ~ Suihlei ’20

“I’m honored to have received the Dr. Phylis Lan Lin and Dr. Leon Lin Scholarship in Social Work. I was blown away that the committee believed in my story. I’m grateful to know that my 13 years of service to others was impactful. I will continue to advocate on behalf of families. I will always respect the values of the people I serve. I chose UIndy because of the leadership of the Social Work Program. Dr. Shaw was my professor in undergrad, and I always respected her leadership. Thank you, thank you for supporting me.” ~TaQuasha ’19

“For my career, I’m hoping to be able to do something where I can positively engage and uplift underserved communities so that the people in those communities can live their best lives. I want to help create access to resources and opportunities with which the communities I serve are able to maintain and improve (without ejecting the people of those communities). … Receiving a scholarship has meant I’m able to access learning and opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach for me.” ~ Tylyn ’22

“Thank you for all of your help in regard to helping the program start and having a vision/mission of what it is today. … The scholarship has helped with the financial stress of being in school, working, and having a social life. I hope that the social work program at UIndy continues to grow and honor your legacy.” ~ Jazmine ’19

“Thus far, I have enjoyed my experience in the Master of Social Work program. … I have enjoyed the small class sizes, diverse teaching styles, and close relationships that I have made with other members of my class cohort. Thank you for making this generous contribution to UIndy and for making the Dr. Phylis Lan Lin & Dr. Leon Lin Endowed Scholarship in Social Work possible. I feel very honored and privileged to be chosen for this scholarship and cannot thank you enough for this financial support through the final year of my master’s program.” ~ Kirsten ’18

Dr. Scott Fogo Scholarship for MSW Advanced Standing UIndy BSW Graduates

Dr. Scott E. Fogo had a lifelong love for and dedication to education for service. As an alumnus of the BSW program, he was an avid supporter of the program and helped write the self-study for the MSW program’s application. He worked with faculty in various capacities and served as an adjunct professor at UIndy. He was a true servant leader, identifying the needs of those around him and working tirelessly to serve and empower vulnerable individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. The Dr. Scott E. Fogo Scholarship awards $2,500 to a UIndy BSW student accepted into the UIndy MSW Advanced Standing Program. The scholarship is applied to the Fall tuition.

Reflections from Scholarship Recipients

“My time at UIndy has been incredible. During my undergraduate program, I even transferred out to a different university and transferred back to UIndy the following semester. UIndy is home. It is a small campus with a close and intimate environment that encourages nothing but success and postgraduate career opportunities. My favorite part of UIndy is the close rapport with the professors and peers in my classes. I am able to open up and trust that everyone has my best interest in mind and truly wants to see me succeed. I honestly feel like the entire social work department has been so good to me, and I wouldn’t change my experience for anything. … Receiving this scholarship is an honor due to the

impact that Scott Fogo had on the University of Indianapolis and the world of social work. I just cannot say thank you enough for this opportunity. I am so thankful and blessed to have been selected for this scholarship, and I hope you know how truly honored I am to receive it!” ~Abbey ’21

“I am a first-year graduate student in the advanced standing MSW program. I attended UIndy as a bachelor’s student and remember having Dr. Fogo as a guest teacher in one of my social work classes. He was very encouraging and inspiring. … Social work is my passion, and I feel UIndy prepared me for my career. I feel very blessed to be able to continue my education at the master’s level. Receiving a scholarship has made it possible for me to return to school to learn new skills and grow as a professional.” ~ Hannah ’21

“As a student in the MSW program, receiving this scholarship specifically tied to my degree in social work has impacted this educational year for me in great ways, both personally and financially. This scholarship stood out to me, as it gave me the chance to demonstrate my passion to service and leadership in my community while pursuing an MSW.” ~ Sydney ’19

Dr. Mildred Reynolds Scholarship for BSW and MSW Students

Dr. Mildred Reynolds is a 1952 graduate of the University of Indianapolis who led a distinguished life in the profession. Dr. Reynolds developed this scholarship to promote interest among social work students to work with the senior adult population. The $1,000 Dr. Mildred Reynolds Scholarship Award is given annually by Dr. Reynolds to a nominated junior or senior BSW student and to an MSW student who has best emphasized work in both curriculum and vocation in working with the older population or in gerontology.

Reflections from Scholarship Recipients

“This scholarship will help out a lot moving forward in my education. I plan to graduate in May 2020 and work in the elderly population of social work. I plan to use my BSW degree to help in the community. I want to return what was once done for myself. … I was the voice for my mom before she passed away, and I want to continue to be a voice for those who can’t help themselves.” ~ Felicia ’20

“Working with older adults has always been my passion. I enjoy getting to know my client’s history and helping them work toward their goals. I cannot wait to be an MSW and thank you for helping me in my journey. What you have given me will help more than you could ever understand. It means the world to my family and me.” ~ Brittany ’19

“My major is in social work, with a concentration in gerontology. I hope to advocate for and aid the elderly after I graduate. I am enjoying my time at UIndy. I’m very involved in the Social Work Association (SWA). I love attending SWA meetings and campus events. My favorite part of the UIndy campus is the sense of community and small class sizes.” ~ Spencer ’17

“If you were to ask me who my favorite professor at UIndy is I would be unable to answer. Honestly, I love every single professor in the BSW program at UIndy. Every professor in the social work department cares about their students. They listen when we have concerns. When we need help, they assist us. They also connect us with professionals in the field which is HUGE.” ~ David ’21

Toni Peabody Scholarship for BSW Students

The Toni Peabody Scholarship in Social Work is funded by Toni Peabody and Mr. Richard King and provides financial assistance for Social Work students enrolled in a practicum course. Ms. Peabody is a social worker and retired faculty member who served the Social Work Department at the University of Indianapolis for more than 20 years. This $500 scholarship award is provided directly to the student to use according to their needs to successfully complete their practicum-related experience. The recipient may utilize the award as they see fit toward their practicum needs (e.g., for clothes, shoes, gas for transportation, a bus pass, lunch, and so on). BSW faculty members and BSW junior and senior students are allowed to nominate one applicable junior or senior BSW student. Anywhere from one to four of these scholarships can be awarded each year.

Reflections from Scholarship Recipients

“Receiving this scholarship means that I only have to keep working harder. It does validate I have done a good job, but to be a good social worker, I have to work above the rest. This scholarship also means that I won’t have to worry as much financially in the future. I also wanted to say thank you so much and that I am very grateful and happy to have received this scholarship.” ~ Shelby ’22

“I have had many great experiences at UIndy and have made such great memories and friends. I will cherish my time here always. I would like to personally thank you again for your generosity and for rewarding me with this scholarship.” ~ Kirk ’20

“Before I got into the field of social work, I was in the military. After I did my tour in Iraq, I knew what my calling in life was going to be. It is to help others through social work. The Toni Peabody Endowed Scholarship in Social Work will help me get to and from my practicum. This scholarship has reminded me that I am not on this journey alone to try and help others.” ~ Bryan ’20

“I am so appreciative to be a recipient of the Toni Peabody Endowed Scholarship in Social Work. Being a first-generation college student, I’ve learned that you have to make genuine strides in life to earn the things you desire and this scholarship is helping to empower me to do just that.” ~ Meaghan ’19

Lynn Youngblood Community Service Award

This award is given in honor of former Provost Emeritus Lynn R. Youngblood, who was connected to UIndy for more than 40 years as a student and administrator. Throughout his career, he lived a legacy of commitment to service and social justice that helped shape the identity of UIndy. This award is presented for “outstanding commitment and community service on the part of BSW students in the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work.” This work can be on or off campus.

Marvin Henricks Award

This award is given in honor of Professor Emeritus Marvin Henricks, who was a sociology professor at UIndy and was chair of the Behavioral Science Department from 1951 to 1982. This award is for the student with the highest grade point average in the BSW program.

Michelle Meer Award

This award is given in honor of Professor Michelle Meer, former BSW Field Coordinator and BSW Program Director from 2010 to 2018. The award is presented to the student who best exhibits professionalism and the utilization of self-care strategies.

Jane Addams Memorial Award

Jane Addams was a vocal advocate for peace and for the rights of all people during the early 20th century. She founded a number of lodging houses for new immigrant families, fought against child labor practices, encouraged universal education for children, and advocated for women’s rights. Through her efforts to ensure justice and equality to marginalized populations as well as her dedication to the peace movement, Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1931. Jane Addams’s accomplishments both as a social worker and as an activist in women’s rights have been carried on into the present. A student from the BSW program is recognized as the recipient of this award for outstanding service and commitment to social justice and for advocating on behalf of vulnerable populations.

A Word from the Founder

“Who inspired you?” Ask this question of an alum of the social work program at the University of Indianapolis, and the answer is likely to be a favorite professor or faculty member who forever touched their life and shaped their future in the field of social work and beyond. At the 25-year mark, homage is paid to all the faculty members associated with the social work program, from its earliest days to the present, at the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. Thank you!

Professor Emerita Phylis Lan Lin looked toward the future in remarks to the 2020 graduates of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work:

All of you are going to be the new breed of social workers. Please join me as we look forward to our social work program’s 25th anniversary in 2022. We will invite our alumni back to campus and listen to their success stories. Together, we will build a “VIP” social work department in Indiana and beyond. We will thrive and fulfill our mission. I would like to add a final note here: Our profound gratitude to President B. G. Lantz for his vision and support for the birth of our social work program at UIndy.” I would also like to thank all of you for making my personal journey most meaningful and enjoyable.

ALUMNI

REFLECTIONS

FROM GRADUATES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS (INDIANA CENTRAL) PHYLIS LAN LIN DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

Rosie Butler, MA, LSW Class of 1984

As the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work at the University of Indianapolis celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2022, it is home to both a BSW and an MSW social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Congratulations are in order, and a celebration is planned to mark this historic moment. The current program has a cadre of quality faculty and staff, housed in a stunning state-of-the-art facility on the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) campus. It hasn’t always been that way. This is a program that had humble beginnings.

The social work (SOWK) program’s landing page notes the following: “Phylis Lan Lin, PhD, the founder of the University of Indianapolis’ Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, is a friend and a mentor for all seasons.” Dr. Lan Lin is a woman with vision, and a myriad of articles and a few books corroborate this fact. I was blessed to be a part of those early years.

“We don’t remember days, we remember moments,” reads a small plaque I received this past Christmas. Looking back over the decades since gaining my bachelor’s degree with a double major in social work and sociology, and the years working in a social work career, I can readily attest to this statement. My memories don’t flow like a movie; they are more like a slide presentation: snapshots representing moments in my life which not only formed my character but also encouraged the direction of my future.

My involvement with the planning for the UIndy Social Work Program celebration and reunion in 2022 prompted me to dig out my frayed scrapbooks from college, which was known as Indiana Central University (ICU) during the early 1980s, its formative years. Looking through the few pictures and many notes from those years definitely brings a warm rush of extremely fond memories!

I am grateful to share a merging of memories in honor of the 25th anniversary celebration mine as well as those captured in recent dialogues with several fellow alumni of past decades up to the present: Linda McIntire ’83, Tami Schlicher Clark ’84, Christie Jansing ’99, Katie Jones ’06, Karissa Morris ’14; Suihlei Tha ’20, and Tylyn Johnson ’22.

Meeting Dr. Phylis Lan Lin

Like many high school grads, I planned to start college upon my graduation; however, I ended up running a bit behind schedule for a number of reasons and was accepted to ICU to start the winter term instead of the fall term. I had a few scholarships in hand but was floundering for career direction. After a few years of working full-time at a law firm, then a prison ministry, and attending college part-time, I ran out of money, pursued my “Mrs.” degree instead, and exited school for a time.

One of those “moments” occurred while I was working for a prison ministry during my hiatus from college. I’d been volunteering in a ministry through our church’s visitations at the Indiana Girl’s

School, a juvenile detention facility for female offenders who were minors. This exposure to the world of incarcerated youth left me with a strong impression that the system, try as hard as it may, was more of a Band-Aid. I decided I wanted to be on the front end, preventing children and youth from entering the juvenile system, so after a three-year hiatus, I reentered the fray and returned to ICU in 1980, with the strong support of my husband. I was a first-generation college student, and after my false start and discovering a direction for my education, by the time I actually started as a social work major, I was not a traditional student. I was five years older, on average, for day classes, did not live on campus, and was married.

Upon my return to ICU, I discovered that there was a Behavioral Sciences Department. With a general goal in mind, I settled on sociology as a major. Then I met Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, who was the department’s chairperson. It was a pivotal moment. I remember the first visit to Dr. Lin’s tiny office, housed in the basement of Lilly Hall. Books owned the office; they had taken possession of the space and ran wild from floor to ceiling. This diminutive professor, sitting in the midst of this literary chaos, had a commanding personality. She strongly encouraged me to add the fledgling social work program as a major, thus pursuing a double major, with social work leading the way. I yielded to her encouragement, feeling I finally had focused direction for my education and eventual career!

The four years that followed were an eye-opening, life-altering experience in many ways. Many who know me now would find it hard to believe that I actually had a tendency towards timidity. (I’m more of a “behind the scenes” kind of gal and don’t like to be thrust into the public’s eye.) Returning to college was a challenge, but not only did I gain focus and a real goal for my education; I also became a part of a very pleasant tight-knit group with other students of similar interests. This helped to draw me out and prepare me for my profession. Though I wasn’t living on campus, the friendships that developed during those years brought me back to campus regularly for more than just study. I was drawn into the circle of blossoming future social workers, some of whom have become lifelong friends and associates.

Launching the First Social Work Majors—The 1980s

The first social work majors to graduate (from the pre accreditation program) were from the Indiana Central University Class of 1983. As the social work major was in its infancy, these graduates had a mix of majors and minors that consisted of sociology, psychology, youth agency administration, and social work.

The Class of 1983 consisted of seven graduates: Sophia Chan, Robin Dixon, Cheri Everill, Elana R. Floyd, Monica L. Ingram, Ann Laramore, and Linda McIntire.

Linda McIntire, MSW, PsyD, HSPP, Class of 1983

Linda McIntire is a clinical psychologist. We were classmates, as well as founding members of the Sociology and Social Work Club. When I asked Linda if she always wanted to pursue social work and what drew her into the study of social work, she replied,

I really didn’t know what I wanted. I was a first-generation college student with little to no guidance. I entered as a psych major but somehow wandered into a social work course (probably because my friend was taking one!). While I thoroughly enjoyed the science of psychology, I was drawn to the “hands-on” nature of social work education,

including skill building for practical use as well as its ethical foundation, which resonated with my then-emerging beliefs. I ended up completing both majors.

Again, with little to no guidance at that time (early ’80s), I had no idea what I’d do upon graduation. My strategy was to apply for an MSW program and jobs, and just see what happened. I wandered into the MSW program because I was offered a graduate assistant position, completed my MSW, and began practicing in child and family mental health, where I have remained for 36 years.

After receiving her MSW degree from the IU School of Social Work in 1985, Linda returned to ICU as adjunct faculty in 1987 and then was hired as full-time faculty in 1992. Linda was there when the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work launched and was accredited. During that same period, she received her Doctor of Psychology from UIndy in 2005. Linda stated that she

[t]aught predominantly within (the) social work program and the School of Psychological Sciences. Served as advisor to the program’s student association and on numerous faculty committees. While serving as Director of Social Work from 1999 through 2005, responsibilities included curricular development, obtaining accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), addressing student issues and concerns, working with community groups and the Advisory Board, and outcome measurement.

While director of the Marion County Children’s Guardian Home starting in 2003, I was asked to sit on the Social Work Advisory Board at UIndy, which afforded me an opportunity to reconnect with Linda.

Choosing a specialty when you go into social work is a common practice, and this is often where internships are helpful, exposing students to the various fields within social work. Linda has a strong desire to work with children and youth, based on her own history. She noted:

I made a conscious decision to work with youth (initially in both addictions and mental health) because of the situations I witnessed during my own childhood. I grew up in an upper-middle-class neighborhood riddled with addiction; we had our share of horrible accidents and suicides, and a few homicides. While it is not ideal to make career decisions based upon personal experiences, at 18 I believed I could understand the pain of addiction (though not a user myself) in ways that some others perhaps could not. Of course, any time you work with youth you must work with their families if you hope to have any impact, and certainly if you hope to aid them in creating lasting changes.

As I worked in multiple settings (inpatient, outpatient, intensive outpatient, schoolbased, academia, and crisis), I quickly realized that I didn’t have the knowledge necessary to treat the growing number of youths who presented with neurodevelopmental deficits often secondary to neonatal drug exposure or prematurity, or with other acquired impairment such as from trauma. I pursued a doctorate in psychology to improve my neuropsychological knowledge base and skills. While some people assume that I stopped being a social worker, that’s not the case. Colleagues with whom I have worked would endorse that I have remained very systems-focused and community-based while treating youth and their families. At some point, I became increasingly interested in forensic work with youth and their families and began working heavily with DCS [Department of Child Services], probation, and custody courts. While my psych credentials create the

opportunity for this work, my desire to advocate for abused youth through this medium is a direct product and expression of my social work foundation. In summary, while the sites and nature of my work have evolved over the decades, the underlying drive and focus have remained consistent.

Like many fields, social work is not an easy one to spend decades working in. The stress of working intimately in close concert with the lives of so many who are living in varied and sundry dysfunctional life-threatening (at times) situations takes a toll on those working in the field of human/social services, as do the systemic malfunctions. Linda noted that the most difficult aspect of a career in social work/social services involves

[t]he limitations of the system due to lack of broad-based public concern, resulting in inadequate resources. While our taxes continue to build stadiums and subsidize corporations, there has been little if any growth of services for youth and their families. For example, during my career (and more recently with the opiate crisis), I have witnessed an explosion in the need for child placements due to the increase in orphaned and otherwise homeless children, but foster care per diems have not increased (in fact are lower relative to cost of living) and the number of residential treatment facilities and foster homes have actually declined. We have more traumatized youth than ever, but community mental health has become less accessible, such that the services which are available are too often minimal and infrequent. This is a social problem that remains unaddressed across America.

But even with these challenges, Linda never considered leaving the field! “It’s what I do; it’s who I am. I can’t see myself in other fields or work settings,” she says. What has kept Linda going for decades? What does she see as the most rewarding aspect (or aspects) of a career in social work/social services? Linda thoughtfully responded,

Jobs serve many purposes for people. We think of employment as a source of income, and it is, but our vocations give us so much more. They provide social connections with same-minded colleagues which give us warm and enriching relationships, a sense of identity, and especially a defined purpose. While making money is a necessary and reasonable goal, I suggest that the most important thing over the years is doing work that you experience to be meaningful. I unapologetically believe I have a right to a comfortable living and have enjoyed my income! But the efforts, learning, and victories of my career are and have been the greater sources of satisfaction. I don’t remember every child I’ve treated or evaluated; I don’t know what happened later to many of them, and sadly in some cases I know that outcomes were not what I had pursued; unfortunately, unlike the classroom, there is no 100% or an A+ in the field. But every day, I go to work with the intention of making someone’s life better, and I know that due to my efforts in academia (which can impact many clients) as well as in the field, the quality of life and chances for a positive adulthood have been enhanced for many children. That’s deeply gratifying. At the end of my life, I will know that, aside from raising my own children, I contributed to the world in a meaningful way.

Most social service/human service/social workers could probably write volumes, if so inclined, on their varied experiences through the years, but I asked Linda what one of her most memorable encounters made her career to date worth it. Respecting the privacy of her clients, she shared the following:

In more recent years, I have found at times that I am the only mental health person who has been involved with the whole system not only the child (who may be victim, suspect, perpetrator, or simply subject to litigation) but also their family members and providers. From within this privileged role, I have been able to reveal the deep family dysfunction and/or systemic problems that have perpetuated the issues so that real change can happen. As I answer this, I am acutely reminded of some specific clients that the court may never have been able to assist or protect without being informed of undisclosed abuse, alienation, or pathology. The faces of some children from a suicidal fifth grader to a set of siblings trapped in horrific family violence are forever etched in my memory.

One of Linda’s most treasured memories of her time at ICU involved one of the adjunct professors:

I recall my first SW course with an adjunct, Carol Juergeson. I thought she was the most insightful and amazing professor! Turns out she was (I believe) my first actively practicing professor, as I had been in psych classes where some profs were doing research but none of them were in the field. She was the first person who talked about what was really going on out there, what the lives of our clients are really like, and was focused on teaching skills for interacting with people. I loved learning “hands on” practical information, as well as her perspective of the realities of people who may live very differently from the students.

It’s not surprising that Linda and I would have shared memories of Professor Juergeson; however, it was interesting to me that our reaction to Carol was so similar! I vividly remember a few of Carol’s lectures and felt exactly as Linda did: here was someone in the field, speaking from experience! And one of the things I recall, and practiced, was the instruction to never sit on soft furniture when on a visit to a client’s home. Carol firmly urged us to sit on wood or vinyl. Too often, because of the challenging living situations, the clients’ homes would have bug infestations, for one. (On a side note, Carol was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended just a few years ago. It was a delight to catch up with her and let her know that I still remembered her and appreciated my time in her class.) When Linda and I were communicating about our shared history, I reminded her about the time when Dr. Lin invited the club over to her home before the 1982 holidays closed the campus for the semester. Dr. Lin fed us a traditional Chinese dinner and, if my memory serves me right, played a large part in preparing it. Further, she roped us into putting up her Christmas tree (I’ve pictures to prove this). Linda was caught on camera decorating a fellow classmate in lieu of the Christmas tree and there was no alcohol served at this event! It was a delightful evening, and a treasured memory. (This meal also laid the groundwork for the future gastronomical preferences of my husband, Dave! He’d never eaten Chinese before, but to be polite, he ate most of what was prepared and enjoyed it thoroughly. Chinese is on our menu at least once a week, if not twice, even now, decades later!)

In closing, Linda’s advice for current students and/or new practitioners includes the following:

Your degree provides a strong but generalist foundation. It is the launching pad. Push to learn more. Learn the advanced knowledge of your chosen field, read, study, and advocate for good supervision. Good clinical supervision is often not from the administrator who hired or oversees you but from other clinicians, your peers, and other mentors you find as you develop your professional self. You and especially your clients deserve this. Continue to learn!

Kermit the Frog noted in A Muppet Christmas Carol that life is made up of meetings and partings. Parting with the friends and associates of my ICU years was tough when graduation day arrived, but it has turned out to not be a final good-bye, and I’m so glad that this history project allowed me to reconnect with Linda. She is a shining example of the early and successful efforts of the social work program!

The ICU/UIndy Behavior Sciences Department was tiny in the early ’80s, with three or maybe four full-time professors and faculty. There was a troop of adjunct staff for just a handful of students majoring in social work, sociology, or psychology. This meant that the opportunities to engage informally with both professors and students were myriad! Besides Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, Dr. Mary Moore was one of those core professors, and between her and Dr. Lin, we social work/sociology students were firmly embraced. It was through their encouragement that a social work/sociology club was founded, and that bonded those of us enrolled in the program even closer.

While the 1983 class had the first seven graduates from the sociology/social work program and club, 1984 added an additional seven social work and sociology major/minor graduates. Besides me, there was Andra Bridwell, Kathy Leising, Lynne Schafer, Tami Schlicher, Sarah Wilson, and Martha Sims. And because we all need to mark some events in our life with a moment of recognition, there were banquets at both occasions, made possible because of Drs. Lin and Moore’s investment in the program. (My scrapbook includes course bulletins and a few pictures from those banquets, a testament to my sentimentality, and an aid for recalling dates and numbers!)

Tami (Schlicher) Clark, Class of 1984

I was very excited to have the excuse of our history project to stop and take the time to enhance my friendship with Tami (Schlicher) Clark! We were very close during our college years. Being an older student and married didn’t exclude me from her world. We’ve remained Christmas pen pals since graduation. We’ve exchanged cards annually with short updates penned in them, occasionally exchanging photos of our children at key moments of their lives before the days of Facebook and smartphones. We’re now utilizing these more modern means of technology; however, the Christmas cards continue.

I recall an experience Tami and I shared from our college years; it came back to me upon perusing my scrapbook. I came across a blurb I’d saved from the ICU Intercom dated March 16, 1984, entitled “A Pat on the Back.” Tami and I, with Dr. Lin’s instigation and encouragement, submitted papers we’d written in class for the Indiana Sociology Inter-Collegiate Symposium to be held at Indiana University in Bloomington. What could we say?! We were already tottering under the fatigue of our

senior year but couldn’t say no . . . and I’m glad I didn’t! Tami wrote “The Empty Nest Syndrome,” and I submitted “Interacting Variables of Female Adolescent Delinquency.” We were so excited that both our papers were accepted and published for the symposium!

We made our plans to meet Dr. Lin on IU’s campus, where the symposium was being held, and to spend the night in the dorm of a former classmate attending IU at that time, Sophia Chan (Class of 1983). A funny thing happened upon our arrival to the symposium. I was the only student with a car, so I was the designated driver for the three of us attending. My vehicle was an older-model four-door Dodge Dart, which already had one door mechanically “frozen” shut. Upon our arrival at the campus and piling out of the car, our fellow traveler who was riding in the back seat could not close the “good” back door . . . and neither could I! So we had to empty the vehicle of all the personal belongings and lock them in the trunk, leaving the door standing open! We caught up with Dr. Lin in the cafeteria and poured out our sob story. I couldn’t imagine how I was going to get us back home with the door stuck open. But we were saved! Dr. Lin was chatting with a young gentleman upon our arrival, and he piped up that he knew what could be done . . . and he ran right out and fixed it! However, to finish up the weekend, someone had to pile into the back seat by crawling over the front, as with a four-door, the front seats didn’t fold forward for easy access. It was comical!

Tami has been married to Steve for 35 years and is the mother of two grown children: a daughter, Hannah, and a son, Hunter. She has remained in the field of social work since graduation, with her focus being in gerontology. She double majored in social work and sociology. Tami has extremely fond memories of her ICU/UIndy years, saying, “I adored my college years. . . . I named my daughter Hannah, after East Hanna Ave. . . . I took her to the campus once and took her picture under the Hanna Avenue Street sign. Everyone always said how Hannah was such a good Bible name. . . . Well, yes, it is, but I tell people, ‘Nope, she was named after a street in Indianapolis,” and I am proud of that!”

Following graduation, there was a lack of funds to go on for graduate work. Tami did consider a master’s in gerontology at one time, but after graduation, she started right in working and states that she “just got busy with life,” which included marriage in 1986, the births of her two children in 1989 and 1994 and working throughout those pivotal life experiences. In fact, we both became mothers within a year of each other, as my son, Robert, was born in 1988, and I, too, continued to work full-time through his first four years of life.

While at UIndy, Tami played softball, as she was recruited by Indiana Central and was given a softball scholarship to play for the university. She loved softball! After college, she played softball for the fun of it. She was the softball coach on the co-ed team made up of coworkers, and for a few years, she stepped in to coach her church team. Tami passed her love of the sport on to her children, as both of them played sports baseball and softball and of course, she was a part of these activities. For a few years, she even helped coach Hannah’s softball summer teams (an important part of that “just got busy with life”).

Tami shared with me that her philosophy for practicing social work was the ability to work alongside others, empowering them with opportunities, being able to help others to help themselves and not miss out on the potential chances open to them in life. As she has worked with hospice patients over the years, as well as their family and friends, the primary skill set she has utilized involves helping them with the opportunity for positive closure. She appreciates what Dr. Ira Byock is noted for stating: there is always opportunity to say, “please forgive me,” “I love you,” “thank you,” “I forgive you,” and “good-bye.”

Tami shared this with me about her start in social work:

My career started in a nursing home (that our church built). Ironically, the building that our hospice is currently in is the same building [where] I started my career. (The nursing home was closed years ago and made into offices.) Our hospice rents one of the floors. My office is actually an old patient room. It is kind of weird, as I know all about this building from when I was the social worker. I was a director of social services, having to be on call for weekends and division director stuff. . . . I have even been in the elevator shafts in this building from having to be on call to help call in maintenance, etc.

Further, she noted:

My favorite job has been being a social worker on an inpatient rehab unit many, many years ago. My current role is volunteer coordinator for hospice. I do miss the bereavement counseling role that I did for years with the hospice agency I was in prior to [its] having been bought out by Dayton Hospice. We merged four years ago, and with that new hospice, the bereavement counseling role expectations were extensive, so when the volunteer coordinator job opened up, I interviewed for it and got it.

Tami concluded, “I have loved my [social work] career!”

It was a stunning, sunshine-filled day when ICU launched Tami, me, and the other fledgling social workers on Graduation Day 1984, an exciting time for us all! It was great to share the experience with Tami and other social work/sociology classmates! It is one of my most treasured memories up to that point, besides my wedding day, of course. We were ecstatic that the time had finally come. For me, it had taken nine years to arrive. (My mother had passed away years before, but she had wanted me to attend ICU, and that memory was with me that day.) My father was present and beaming a great smile, along with my husband and in-laws.

Alexander MacLaren noted, “We have all of a few minutes in life of hard, glorious running, but we have days and years of walking the uneventful discharge of small duties.” The years leading up to graduation were hard, glorious running, and I nearly danced off the stage after my diploma folder was handed to me. And the time since has been filled with many days and years of the uneventful discharge of small duties that I’ve come to understand as the fuel of life. An article I recently read noted that a social worker is like a flower in that the social worker tries desperately to bring color (hope) into the lives of those without any. That’s what we had prepared for discharging those small duties that just might possibly make a difference, by bringing hope to many through the years.

Bringing Exciting Changes—The 1990s

As exciting as it was for us to be the “pioneers” of the ICU social work major in the Behavioral Sciences Department, the 1990s would bring about the reality of the vision of a fully accredited social work program. The program grew at a prodigious rate through the ’90s.

The year 1991 brought Dr. Robert Vernon on board as director of the social work program. In addition, an overall strategic plan for the Department of Behavioral Science (DBS) was developed, one

step of which was to move all faculty of the DBS to Good Hall. But a more significant step was the proposal of many new programs, including a master’s in psychology, a doctorate in clinical psychology, and a Master’s in applied sociology, and once the BSW program became established and accredited, plans were proposed for an MSW to follow. Although 1991 saw only one new student enrolled in the BSW social work program, 1992 saw an additional 13, and the program continued to draw new students annually.

Notes from the archives from the DBS annual report show that by 1992, there were 61 graduates from the “old curriculum,” and new courses were introduced to build a more robust program for the start of the 1993 fall semester. This would conform to CSWE requirements, with the vision of eventual accreditation.

Alumnus Linda McIntire (Dye), Class of 1983, came on board as a visiting instructor in 1992, having been adjunct faculty since 1987, and remained as full-time faculty until 2005! (She returned as adjunct faculty in January 2006 and has continued to the present in the School of Psychological Sciences.) During her tenure, accreditation was accomplished.

Christie Miller, Class of 1999

When asked if she had always wanted to pursue social work, Christie (Miller) Jansing, MSW, LCSW, states that, enrolling in UIndy in 1995, she “came to UIndy as a pre-PT/pre-OT student and had no clue about social work as a profession.” She explained the circumstance that made her cognizant of the field of social work:

After my first biology class, I realized that the track [pre-PT/pre-OT] I was on wasn’t for me. Since I loved psychology, my advisor suggested that I take the Intro to Social Work class. Professor Toni Peabody was the instructor, and after taking that class, I knew that social work was my path. I went on to obtain my MSW and LCSW. I have never regretted my choice to become a social worker.

Christie was in the midst of pursuing her bachelor’s degree when the Phylis Lan Lin Program in Social Work received its initial accreditation from the CSWE in the spring of 1997, so she was able to graduate from a fully accredited social work program. The vision had come to fruition thanks to the hard work of the faculty and staff of the program, and Christie reaped the benefits!

Social work students are encouraged to try out different areas of interest in the field through experiencing internships and practicums. When I asked Christie what made her choose her area of specialty, she replied,

I always knew that I wanted to work with children, and that is where my journey began. I worked as a home-based case manager with families involved with Johnson County DCS. As time went on, working in the child welfare system became a passion of mine, as well as trauma-informed interventions. I think the work chose me. It was definitely stressful, and there was very high turnover, but I really loved the work!

Christie further noted, “I definitely remember my practicums, and they were very influential on me as [an] emerging social worker.” For a BSW, social work students have to have completed at least two internships/practicums. Christie described her experiences in this way:

My first experience was at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. I was placed there for a summer. It definitely provided me with great experiences related to diversity and difference in practice in terms of working with a variety of age groups, cultures, economic status, etc. I remember my first day of practicum very well. I was introduced to all the staff, shown my office space, and then taken to the food pantry to help reorganize food (which was in major disarray) and thaw the deep freezers (full of frost and frozen meat goop). My field instructor gave me some directions about organizing as well as an ice pick, and I got to work. It was in the midst of that experience that I saw firsthand that social workers (1) really do a little bit of everything (just like we had learned in our classes) and (2) provide an organized, clean, and sanitary space for individuals experiencing food insecurity to come and select the food they wanted a basic human right and I was being asked to be part of that process. Was it glamorous? No! Would I want those things for myself, my family/friends, and anyone walking in the center of the MLK Jr. Center? Yes! Talk about a lightbulb moment! That experience has never left me.

Then my second practicum was at Pleasant Run, Inc. While the agency no longer is in existence, it provided me with experience in the child welfare realm as a case manager (which was a goal of mine), and it is where I secured my first job right after graduating with my BSW. Win-win!

Christie underscores that one of the most difficult aspects of working in social work for her is self-care, as well as establishing good professional and personal boundaries. She pointed out that it is intrinsically difficult because of the nature of the work and often because of the personality of the worker:

Because of the high stress levels, high caseloads, and lower pay, social workers often get burnt out quickly. Over time, I recognized the importance of truly stepping away from the job at night and on the weekends, developing my own self-care strategies, and recognizing that I can’t work harder than my clients. That is a tough lesson that generally social workers learn the hard way. I know it took me a while to really understand what good boundaries and effective self-care look like.

“Not working harder than your clients” is a concise and accurate statement. When a case fails, a situation is not resolved, or goals are not met, professional frustration can become overwhelming and burnout can quickly follow, as Christie noted. And it often is because of misconstrued goals the social worker was “driving the bus” and not realizing that the client needed to buy into the objective for there to be any hope of a positive outcome. This frustration experienced again and again is often a motivating force for many who choose to leave the field of social work/social services, but Christie has never considered leaving the field, even when a new job parenting was added to her already full plate:

I was lucky enough to have a flexible employer who worked with me during times I needed to step back (i.e., having three children in a five-year period of time). My employer allowed me to go part-time, then eventually just work contractually so that I could continue to do what I loved but also spend more time at home with my children when they were young (which was a huge boundary-setting accomplishment). During that time, I also had to figure out better self-care strategies, as being a mom to three

young children brings its own level of stress. I became a runner after having my children and have continued that self-care strategy to this day.

Self-care and self as an instrument of change are important in Christie’s philosophy of success, and she shares them as keys to being a successful social worker. She uses these as her words of wisdom: “Take care of yourself first! I tell students that we can’t serve others if we aren’t well ourselves. Self-care comes in all different shapes and sizes, so figure out what energizes you. It is not an easy task, I get it! However, it is necessary, and the field needs healthy social workers.”

Christie is another alum who just couldn’t get enough of UIndy, so she too returned, in the position of director of field education. She stated that she always wanted to work with children, and most students could be considered children . . . just older children on a new journey. She sees returning to UIndy as one of the most rewarding aspects of her career. “Coming back to UIndy as the director of field education has definitely been the most rewarding aspect of my career,” she explains. “I feel like my career has come full circle, as I’m providing the foundation for future social workers at the institution that provided me with the foundation for my career.”

As much as the work she has done prior to her current situation was significant, Christie sees her current position as making her career in social work worthwhile and rewarding:

I keep coming back to the development of my career path. I began at UIndy in SOWK 110 with Professor Peabody, and I believe that class provided a springboard into the field of social work and afforded me so many amazing learning experiences in the field. Now, I am back at UIndy as a faculty member serving in the same capacity as Professor Peabody [did] for me. I love this field, and I love being back at UIndy, educating future social workers.

Coordinating students with social service sites is the part of the social work program where the “rubber meets the road,” and most students are excited at the prospect of finally starting to use some of the book knowledge they’ve been storing up for a few years. Finding placement sites, matching them to students’ interests, and overseeing student progress is Christie’s role as director of field education for the social work program, and it is obviously a joy to her, bringing her great satisfaction.

I met Christie a few years back, after she took over her current position, and we clicked immediately on several fronts, even with our difference in age. We both were alumni of the UIndy social work program, we both had backgrounds working with children in child welfare/DCS, and we both enjoyed working with interns. In my case, in as many years, I’ve had the pleasure of supervising around 18 interns, while working in a couple of different capacities. Most of the interns were from UIndy, and more than half were from the social work program.

I especially recall one encounter with a previous intern that occurred a few years ago. At the time, it had been more than 10 years since I had last seen Abby Larr, a UIndy social work intern from 2004–05 whom I’d supervised while director of the Children’s Guardian Home. When I ran into her again, it was at a National Adoption Day event, which I’d helped coordinate, at the Marion County Probate Court. She was then a case manager with DCS, and she had two cases that day of children from foster care who had found “forever families.” I was able to witness the birth of two new families that

Abby had on her caseload. What a pleasure it was to celebrate this event with one of my former interns! Anyone who has taught, coached, mentored, or parented understands the feeling I experienced that day, seeing my former intern, now a professional, in action!

Turn-of-the-Century Graduate

Katie Jones, Class of 2006

Katie Jones, Class of 2006, represents the alumni not only of a new decade but also of a new century. Social work was not on Katie’s radar when she enrolled in UIndy, because as she was growing up, she thought that the duty of social workers was just to take children away from their homes. She didn’t have a major in mind, so she started her college career with an undeclared major.

With a little persuasion from her academic advisor, Katie met Toni Peabody, faculty member in the social work program, “and I was convinced to take her intro [to social work] class. After the intro class, I learned that there were so many different fields that social workers could go into, and I was really drawn to social work.”

If there was an argument regarding the importance of practicums and internships for social work majors, Katie’s experience would certainly sway any doubters. She notes that she wasn’t sure which field of social work she wanted to specialize in but was coached to step out of her comfort zone with her practicum. She stated, “I completed my senior practicum at a hospital and loved it!” and upon graduation, she began her social work career in the healthcare field:

As time has progressed, I have changed jobs and been able to use my social work skills in many capacities. Currently, I am working on the mental health side and also really enjoy it. The wonderful thing about social work is that you can be employed in many different areas and continue to work in the field and use your degree.

Katie reiterates what is a consistent theme among social work practitioners: the importance of ensuring healthy professional boundaries. “I have to have a boundary with the client and not get ‘attached’ or want to ‘fix’ them. I have to allow them their own self-determination. I also can’t ‘make’ them ‘make’ the ‘right’ choices or do what ‘I think’ is best.” In her pursuit of healthy personal and professional boundaries, she has found that some jobs are extremely challenging for her, as for most of us in the social work field.

Katie is encouraged to continue her career in social work, finding her reward when she sees the “lightbulb go off in someone’s eyes and know that I helped get them there.” It is because of this positive feedback and these positive professional memories that Katie states she has no plans to leave the field of social work. For example, when a client says, “thank you,” Katie says that is “acknowledgement that I helped.” Or when I can see that the client is doing better, received the services they needed, was able to set that boundary, etc., and I was a part of it. Making an impact even when it is small is very rewarding.”

The words of wisdom that Katie shared echo nearly all the responses I received during the interviews: “Make sure you take time for yourself and figure out what things you really enjoy outside of work. You can’t care more about your client’s health than they do. Learn how to ‘let things go’ that are beyond your control.”

Graduate of the 2010s

Karissa Morris, Class of 2014

Representing the decade of the 2010s is Karissa Morris, who graduated with a degree in social work from UIndy in 2014 and an MSW from IU School of Social Work in 2020. Though I’ve yet to meet Karissa in person, I’ve enjoyed chatting with her online and hearing the story of her social work journey to date.

When discussing if Karissa always wanted to pursue social work, she explained that the circumstances that drew her into the field started at a young age:

I have always been interested in the helping profession. I requested information online from UIndy about the social work program when I was in seventh grade! Not sure what I planned to do with it, just interested in learning. When I began undergrad, I was a marketing major and quickly learned that was not the path for me. Luckily, the faculty at UIndy in the social work program helped me transition. I’m not sure that a specific circumstance drew me to the profession, as many others say it’s been a calling throughout my lifetime to serve others and leave this world better than I found it.

Karissa isn’t the first social worker to think that she doesn’t want to pursue a specialty in a certain area, only to discover otherwise. She reflected on how her current area of specialty “chose” her:

During my time at UIndy, I did not want to be a therapist or work in community mental health. After graduating, I worked at a nonprofit as a volunteer coordinator and program assistant for four years, and this experience helped me realize that the one-on-one aspect of therapy was something I desired. I now work for Indy Behavioral Health as a therapist. I’m trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) now. This wasn’t my intention, but it “chose me,” as said above. I enjoy helping survivors of traumatic experiences make sense of it and integrate the learning into their lives now.

Although Karissa is fairly new to the practice of social work, the career quickly immerses workers into challenging life experiences, and with this rapid immersion, the difficult aspects of a career in social work/social services show up swiftly. This often leads fledgling social workers to consider leaving the field, but Karissa, even though she has experienced many challenges, has chosen to continue in the field, and the rewards make the job worth returning to, day in and day out:

The most difficult aspect of this career is self-management and self-care. We talk about it in school, at work, everywhere. But actually practicing it is difficult. Self-care is eating right, making sure you have water, exercising, taking care of things around the home. Self-care is therapy. Therapists need therapy! Another difficult part is lack of support from society and, in turn, lower wages. I hope social workers continue to advocate for the profession and show society how we are worth so much more.

After grad school, I worked for an agency contracted with DCS for four months. It was incredibly difficult and emotionally taxing. I left without another job lined up and seriously considered another career path. As an abolitionist, my goal is to dismantle these harmful systems and rebuild them for and by the communities in which they serve. I

realized I need to be in the profession to do this and will continue to work to dismantle and reimagine mental health care and social services.

The most rewarding part of social work is the rapport, trust, and relationships you build with others. I genuinely enjoy talking with my clients and being a witness to their growth. It’s a privilege and an honor to be with people during some of the lowest points in their lives, and during their times of great success.

When a client comes back to session saying, “I did my homework!” or “I looked into that thing we talked about,” and they share their learnings and how they are applying it to their life . . . makes it all worth it. When I was working as a volunteer coordinator, I loved working together toward one common goal. People from all different backgrounds worked together; retirees, people completing community service, students, and even those in homeless shelters receiving the meals would come to volunteer. It was amazing energy to be around.

Karissa closes with advice to share with current social work students and new practitioners: “Buckle in! Get ready to learn. Get ready to fail. Get ready to succeed. Be patient with yourself. Social work and therapy are an art and a science; it takes time to learn all the ins and outs! Also seek your own therapy; [I] can’t say it enough!”

Graduate of the Current Decade

Suihlei Tha, Class of 2020

I was excited when I had the opportunity to have Suihlei Tha from the social work program at UIndy intern with me in the fall of 2018 at the ICAN Assistance Center and Clothing Closet, where I was the program director. She was also not a traditional student recently out of high school, as she is older, a wife, mother, and a refugee. She fled from Myanmar (Burma) and spent five years in a camp in Malaysia where, with her grasp of the English language, she volunteered to work with the Refugee Women’s Protection Corps (RWPC) and through this program worked for the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) as one of the RWPCs. Suihlei came to America already having a wealth of social work-like experience, without the formal education . . . rather from the “school of hard knocks.”

The south side of Indianapolis, especially in and around Southport, has had a huge influx of refugees from Myanmar since 2000. Because of ethnic and religious persecution in their home country, refugees have been seeking asylum in the United States, and thousands have settled just south of the UIndy campus, Suihlei among them. I’d met a few Burmese students through some of my own international ESL students, whom I’d been hosting since 1999, and was anxious at some point to learn more about this new culture growing within Indianapolis. Suihlei as an intern was a win-win. I learned as much from her as she noted that she learned from her time with me. Through her, I was able to tour the Chin Center and discover how its outreach program works and, more significantly, I was introduced to Burmese cuisine!

When I asked Suihlei if she had always wanted to pursue social work, she pointed out that she had “never heard about [a] social work major until I had resettled in the United States of America.” Suihlei was a transfer student from the Ivy Tech Human Services program. She shared the circumstances that drew her into the field of social work:

I studied law back in Burma and never thought that I will have an opportunity to go back to school when I lived in Malaysia. However, my experience as a refugee had led me to the field of social work. I was inspired by some people who work with refugees, and [how] their actions restored hope, and I am grateful for the opportunity that I have [been] given and wanted to give back to the community. As I mentioned above, I am not familiar with different majors in America, and I talked with my academic advisor at Ivy Tech Community College, and I mentioned to her that I wanted to help others and told her my wish of being able to go back and restore hope for refugees from Burma either in Thailand or Malaysia. With the guidance of my academic advisor, I graduated with an associate’s degree in human services and graduated with a BSW from UIndy.

Suihlei has clung to her goal of helping others who are following in her footsteps, and upon graduation in 2020, she chose to work with Exodus and the variety of cultures flowing through its program. She reiterated that she “chose to work at Exodus Refugee Immigration because I would like to work with [the] refugee and immigrant populations and want to restore hope and empower them. On the other hand, I think that [the] social work field chose me, as helping others is always my calling and I enjoy doing it. I love learning, and I am grateful to have an opportunity to learn from different cultures and different people from different countries.”

There are challenges that have been discouraging, Suihlei notes, which make a career in social work/social services difficult. She bemoans the social service policies she has come up against that appear to limit clients, keeping them from accessing the resources they need a universal problem, no matter what field of social work one may choose; however, she is not allowing these challenges to dissuade her from her chosen field. She finds the most rewarding aspect of her work is having the opportunity to give back to the community. She is resilient, and noted, “Instead, it gives me strength to continue my education and to learn more skills. However, there was one time [that] I [broke] down and cried so hard due to limited resources for the client, but it was a learning [opportunity] and I became more prepare[d] for my future clients.” Suihlei made the decision to continue her education at UIndy and completed her MSW in 2022!

Suihlei’s journey to date is another powerful story, and she could write volumes about her experiences during her years in Malaysia. In sharing just a small portion of what she encountered during those years, she showed me how she built her resilient spirit. With the ICMC, part of her and her coworkers’ regular challenges involved “combat[ing] gender-based violence among Burmese refugee women and youth. We conducted awareness about gender-base[d] violence (GBV) through [the] community, refugee learning centers, and one-on-one. Through providing public awareness, we have saved several clients who experience gender-base[d] violence, such as sexual assault, rape, domestic violence. The most rewarding [thing] I have witnessed was that we were able to prevent GBV among [the] refugee community through public awareness.”

Suihlei has such a positive attitude, and in sharing words of wisdom and advice for current social work students or new practitioners, she elaborates: “Your small action can have a huge impact [on] others.”

What’s to Come: Future Graduate

Tylyn Johnson, Class of 2022

Tylyn Johnson ’22 applies adoption advocacy skills (Reprinted from UIndy 360, December 7, 2020)

Greyhound connections and a strong work ethic are paying dividends for Tylyn Johnson ’22 (social work), who has developed a passion for adoption advocacy. While Johnson didn’t set out to become a student adoption advocate, the pandemic changed everything when the time came to pursue an internship.

“I had originally planned on doing some community center-type work,” he said. Instead, “I found myself working with the Indiana Adoption Program’s Rosie Butler to develop an understanding of how foster care and adoption work, and from there, trying to raise awareness.”

Butler, a University of Indianapolis alumna, was immediately impressed with Johnson’s work and dedication.

“Tylyn has immersed himself in this internship, one that is outside the ordinary internship for social work students because of the pandemic and has gone above and beyond my expectations. He has an exceptional ability to grasp concepts, interpret data, explore his ideas and run with them,” said Butler ’84 (social work).

As Johnson was learning more about the needs, practices, and history within foster care and adoption, he saw not only an opportunity to develop knowledge but an opportunity to try to help spark more conversations around this subject.

“The way I think about adoption, it’s about providing an important resource to youth, that resource being a “forever family,” which can improve their outcomes in ways that are massively important, and which can create more love in homes in a world that I want to see overflow with love,” said Johnson.

When Johnson started at UIndy, he was an undecided major. He knew that he wanted to help people in meaningful and effective ways, so he took a social work course with a service-learning element during his freshman year and was hooked.

“The social work program has helped prepare me for my future career by articulating more specifically how I can actively engage communities in my work,” said Johnson. “[Extra-curricular also] helped spur my development as a writer, as a resource professional, and as a human being.”

During his time at UIndy, Johnson has been involved in the Interfaith Scholars Program, the Black Student Association, UIndy Pride, and Healing Hounds. Additionally, he considers himself a “part-time writer,” writing and sharing poetry and stories where he can offer a bit of artistic empowerment to people who need it.

“As a social work student, Tylyn’s work ethic, creativity, scholarship, and passion for social justice are just a few of the unique qualities he brings to the classroom and his practicum,” said Christie Jansing [Class of 1999], assistant professor and director of field education for the University of Indianapolis Bachelor of Social Work Program. “While his practicum will be wrapping up at the end of the semester, I know that great things are still to come for Tylyn.”

Johnson appreciates the support he’s received from student resources including the Professional Edge Center and the Center for Advising & Student Achievement. He has received support from many faculty members as well

“Dr. Eduard Arriaga (Global Languages) really helped me engage more not only with writing multilingually but also in engaging with various areas of Afro-centric scholarship. And then seeing the likes of Rev. Arionne Williams (Chapel & Interfaith) and Andre Givens (Business) keeping really high standards but then also having a sense of joy that permeates the people around them has also influenced me,” said Johnson.

Johnson hopes to see more people investing in adoption in the future and is passionate about sharing ways to engage with adoption issues, whether that be reading about and listening to the perspectives of adoptive families and former foster youth, volunteering with foster youth through various organizations, or simply raising awareness by talking about adoption with the people around you. He believes that steps should be taken to make adulthood an easier transition for foster kids/adoptees, from college preparation or vocational training to developing life skills or connecting them with community resources.

“Just because a kid is without a family foundation doesn’t mean they should be stuck with higher risks of homelessness or under/unemployment, and there are so many resources in our communities that can help them if the connections are made,” Johnson said.

Rosie Butler stated that “[Johnson] is on a mission. He really does want to get the word out that there is a need for Forever Families. He truly reflects the ‘Education for Service’ UIndy motto.”

Our Most Treasured Memories

Students were graduating with social work as their major for well over a decade before the program received a name and was accredited. “Education for Service” has been the UIndy motto through the years, and a major in social work easily prepared students to adhere to the motto and to step out and serve the community in a variety of occupations, but, as noted in Chapter 1, Dr. Phylis Lan Lin took things to another level and introduced the newly named department’s personal motto by placing an innovative meaning on the acronym VIP, so it now stands for vision, integrity, and passion.

In the UIndy-SOWK Graduate Survey sent to social work alumni by UIndy Alumni Division, the final question asked what social work programs do to meet needs in our constantly changing world, and how we see the future of social work unfolding. This question dovetails nicely with the vision portion of the acronym, as well as passion, which can be felt in their responses, both to this final question as well as the earlier ones in the interviews. Integrity is a given for these social work graduates, as seen in the previous answers. A few of their insightful responses follow.

Christie Jansing recognizes that the social work program must stay relevant and well-informed to meet needs in our constantly changing world. She sees the future of social work filled with endless possibilities:

I think that as faculty, we need to keep our finger on the pulse of the field and what is occurring from a micro, mezzo, and macro level perspective each and every semester. I think that now more than ever, social workers have their place at “the table” in so many settings. We are also breaking the stereotypes of social workers and bringing to light the capacity of our work.

Karissa Morris shared her thoughts:

I believe SOWK programs and/or practicum sites need to provide stipends or payments to students. If we want people with lived experience in this profession, we need to provide a path for those students who are already stretched thin financially. My hope for SOWK is for more people from marginalized communities and those with lived experience to be represented and to be change makers in this profession. I hope SOWK takes an abolitionist path to deconstruct some of the policies and systems that are harmful to many of our clients.

Suihlei Tha shared that she would “like to see that social workers have more opportunity to work in both micro practice and macro practice, so that we all will be able to make social change more powerful and effective.”

The survey probed for our “most treasured memories.” My memories matched up with a few consistent themes of other respondents. It was good to see that the program didn’t lose the aspects that we as the first graduates of the fledgling program of the 1980s abundantly enjoyed! Appreciation for the smaller classes was noted. The opportunity to participate in quality internships and an excellent program were repeated a number of times, but the overriding theme touted was the close, warm, and caring relationships formed not only with classmates but also most definitely with the faculty. “We were like family” summarizes an often-stated view of the alumni. These comments from alumni said it best:

● “The program was absolutely amazing and very integrated.”

● “UIndy has such a close-knit vibe!”

● “Always knowing you are supported during trying times is comforting.”

COMMUNITY IMPACT: SERVICE-LEARNING AND SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

Marianna Foulkrod, MA

Director, Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement Madeline Abramson, Social Work Senior Student, Social Work Association President, and RightFit

Intern

The Motto: Education for Service

Through “Education for Service,” the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) seeks to be “recognized regionally and internationally for its high quality of student engagement in learning, leadership, and service.” UIndy’s sustained commitment is a true testament of the efforts of its students, faculty, and staff. UIndy is a “private, residential, metropolitan institution of higher learning that provides a transformational educational experience through strong programs in the liberal arts and sciences, selective professional and doctoral programs, collaborative partnerships throughout the city and the world, and a Christian tradition that emphasizes character formation and embraces diversity.” (University of Indianapolis, 2022). With the concepts of service and community engagement rooted in UIndy’s tradition, the emphasis on community engagement distinguishes many of UIndy’s programs that engage students and faculty in their local, national, and global communities through curricular service experiences including the International Symposium on Service-Learning which was cofounded by Professor Emerita Phylis Lan Lin in 2005.

For the past two decades, UIndy Social Work faculty and students have participated in the symposia locally and internationally. Since Dr. Lin’s retirement in 2018, the international symposium has been institutionalized in the Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement (CSLCE). (For more detailed information on the background and purpose of the symposium, see Lin, 2020, pp. 283–284, 285–292.)

UIndy’s Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement

The CSLCE coordinates service-learning as a teaching methodology in all academic areas in support of UIndy’s motto, “Education for Service.” The CSLCE serves as UIndy’s campus-wide coordinating infrastructure to support and advance community engagement and is a resource center for students, faculty, and staff involved in service-learning programs and other co-curricular service activities. The CSLCE provides information and opportunities for service-learning placement and community engagement sites, information on grants and course development, assistance in identifying and developing community partnerships, and planning and development of community-based programs; provides information on syllabi and best practices; and oversees student-led initiatives such as College Mentors for Kids. It is through these efforts that the CSLCE informs students of the benefits of civic engagement and enhanced civic responsibility and engagement. The Service-Learning Council (made up of students, faculty, and staff) strengthens the institutionalization of community engagement through courses and sets in place processes to sustain and maintain institutional capacity.

A Carnegie-classified institution, UIndy values the emphasis on student learning in all aspects of university life, and a substantial portion of the puzzle is community engagement. Through the University Strategic Plan, UIndy aims to “challenge and engage students by developing, implementing, and enhancing active experiences in learning through undergraduate and graduate research, . . . service opportunities, and other curricular and co-curricular initiatives. Establish and support faculty evaluation, workload and recruiting systems that promote and reward faculty/student interaction . . . and community engagement and service, international experiences, and creative endeavors. Challenge and engage students to meet institutional AQIP student learning outcomes and commit to the ongoing assessment of those outcomes (learning goals): Critical Thinking, Creativity, Performance, and Social Responsibility.” The goals of the institution are to focus on student learning through engagement, to strengthen and expand the learning community for students through varied, formative experiences on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods, and to expand the impact of the university beyond its physical boundaries.

UIndy aims to “remain grounded in Indianapolis with a strong commitment to serve through both local community engagement and international connections . . . engaging students, faculty, and staff with the city, the region, and the world.” One of the largest academic areas of community engagement is the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work at UIndy, a program that aims to educate professional and ethical generalist social work practitioners in an interdisciplinary environment to meet the needs of evolving city, state, national, and global communities, with an attention to serving vulnerable and oppressed groups.

Social Work Education and Community Partnerships

Social work partnerships are critical to the professional and personal development and exploration of an individual. Even though practicums generally focus on the competencies, there is a distinct differentiation in the experience. Overall, the service-learning experience is delivered through the lens of service, civic responsibility, and community development while one explores critical issues within oneself, such as perceptions and understandings of social issues. According to Francine Carter, social work faculty at UIndy, “the difference is that the practicum experience has certain expectations directly related to our profession, in which the student is measured and graded.”

Christie Jansing, MSW program faculty at UIndy, sees the two really blending:

Social work is a helping/service profession. In addition, our accreditation body, CSWE [Council on Social Work Education], requires that students have experiences in the field (i.e., practicum) to connect their classroom learning to the profession. In fact, CSWE sees field practicum as the signature pedagogy of social work education. Our students prepare for practicum from the very beginning of the program. They know that they will have to put their learned classroom skills into action in practicum settings during their educational journey. Once they are in placements, they synthesize all of the learning in practicum seminars. It’s a time in which they reflect on and share their practicum experiences (service-learning) with each other.

With more than 150 community partners collaborating as critical service-learning placements sites, UIndy aims to build and strengthen relationships within communities through service-learning projects as an effective pedagogy in social work undergraduate education. More specifically, social

work education has emphasized the significance of civic engagement and community partnerships in social work field courses (Burke, 2011). It has been well documented over the years that social work student service-learning experiences have been positive. When students incorporated service-learning projects with their practice course (and senior capstone course), some positive results were found in improved problem-solving, greater level of self-confidence, and, most of all, increased awareness of the social service impact on communities, citizenship, diversity and inclusion, and social justice consciousness (Butler & Coleman, 1997). These results are closely related to social work competencies as described by the CSWE.

Service-Learning in Social Work and Faculty Impact

In the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, service-learning serves a key purpose in the education of future social workers. Jeff Bryant, Associate Professor of Social Work at UIndy, has taught courses in social work, many of which are interdisciplinary in nature, using service-learning as a teaching methodology locally, nationally, and internationally. In his view, service-learning incorporates the integration of academic course material, relevant service activities, and reflection that builds upon partnerships that engage all constituents (students, faculty, staff, and community). This is to achieve academic, civic, and personal learning objectives and to advance public purposes (Bringle et al., 2011). Service-learning in social work also supports the understanding of systems theory, which in social work covers a broad range of theoretical and methodological practices across many disciplines. Generally, systems theory is concerned with the structure of complex systems, with a special emphasis on how parts relate to each other and to the system as a whole. In social work, this usually means understanding how individuals relate to each other and to their society, and the effects that it has on individuals.

Social work is the helping profession. A social worker is a professional who works with people and helps them manage their daily lives; understand and adapt to illness, disability, and death; and obtain social services from the community. Social work and service-learning go hand in hand. Over the past 15 years, Professor Bryant says,

I have taught multiple service-learning courses and incorporated service-learning in my social work courses. It helps students apply the concepts and competencies of social work they get from reading and learning in the classroom to the real world. In many of the courses I have taught, I incorporate academic readings relevant to the places the students will be in and where they will apply that learning to individuals, families, and communities they will be in. This experiential learning took place in courses taught in Indianapolis, the Upper Sand Mountain Parish in Alabama, Greece, and Cyprus, to name a few. This is one of the best practices I know: academic readings + classroom teaching + application = best-practice learning in social work.

Examples of impact that we have seen in social work include promotions, professional advancement, funding, and scholarships.

Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work faculty member Christie Jansing offered this reflection in 2022 about her personal development while working with social work students:

Prior to my faculty appointment at the University of Indianapolis in August 2018, I [was] in direct practice since I graduated from the UIndy with my BSW in 1999. During that time, I also earned my MSW in 2004 and my Licensed Clinical Social Worker designation in 2007. Throughout my 19 years in the field, I spent the majority of my time working in multiple roles providing community-based mental health services to youth and families in greatest need in southern Marion County and Johnson County. My passion and area of expertise became working with those who have experienced trauma, and trauma-informed care. During the final 3.5 years in the field, I stepped into the role of clinical trainer, at which point my credentials allowed me to combine clinical training, clinical supervision, and the role of being the field instructor for all of the BSW, MSW, MHC, and MFT students who are placed within the agency. I pride myself on building rapport and maintaining relationships with students, developing learning plans that maximize each individual learner’s strengths, consistently evaluating growth, providing clinical supervision that ties together theory and coursework to field experience, and ultimately ensuring that each student has a supportive and safe space to learn and grow. Ultimately, this role has allowed me to bring my field experiences to the academic setting that have played such a pivotal role in the social worker I have become. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to share my skills and expertise with the students in the BSW program at UIndy.

The Role of the Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement in Implementing BSW Curriculum

Service-learning projects in conjunction with community engagement at UIndy started more than 20 years ago under the auspices of a unified multidisciplinary center called the Community Programs Center (CPC). Many of the programs initiated under the direction of CPC are still very active on campus and in the community. Sustainable, reciprocal, and effective service-learning projects have always been an integral part of the field coursework in the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work’s BSW curriculum. The CSLCE, established on campus about a decade ago, has been instrumental in making connections and assisting field supervisors to facilitate service-learning projects for BSW students. BSW students have driven service-learning projects over the years. David Carpenter, current UIndy social work student, shares:

As a BSW student at the University of Indianapolis, I had an opportunity to complete my practicums at two very different social services organizations. As a Human Services student at Ivy Tech, I was told I should do at least one practicum working with a population I either had little interest in or did not want to work with. My first practicum, as a junior, was with Youth Connections in Johnson County. I chose this practicum site, as I had little interest in working with youth and adolescents. Over the course of 16 weeks, I went from being ambivalent about working with children to being passionate. In fact, as a result of this practicum, I’m now interested in working in pediatric hospice care. Initially, I assumed most social workers who work with children either had little interest in the life of their clients or were burned out by the demands of the field and population. The staff at Youth Connections surprised me. They genuinely loved and cared about their clients both the parents and their children. While working there, I got to work with

adults who weren’t in favorable situations. In fact, you could say they were in one of the toughest periods of their lives, which involved losing custody of their children. I worked with parents who wanted to better themselves, and I worked with parents who were not yet willing to change. Regardless of whether or not the parents wanted to change, their children were all the same, the innocent bystanders impacted negatively by the decisions the adults in their lives had made or were making. My heart broke for them. These children were thrust into situations they knew little about and had no control over. While I could do little to help them understand what was happening, I could be there for them emotionally. Those children changed my heart, and in doing so, they changed my perspective. My practicum at Youth Connections not only helped me grow as a future social worker; it also helped me grow as a person. As a senior, I participated in my second practicum, at Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana, where I worked and still work. However, rather than doing my usual tasks, I was given more administrative, macro-level responsibilities. Again, a few years ago, I would’ve told you I wanted nothing to do with macro-level work. As a result of my experiences at Meals on Wheels which involved grant writing, establishing internal policies and procedures, and managing employees I came to love macro work. I realized [that] at a macro-level, I can create change on a large scale. Additionally, as a supervisor, I can help my staff grow as professionals and people. All this to say my practicum experiences through UIndy have been a blessing. I am grateful for what I learned at both of my practicum sites, and I am indebted to the social work program at UIndy as a result.

It is evident that empathy is an essential skill that allows a person to understand and share the feelings of others and to see things from their perspective. Service-learning engagement experiences reinforce the practice of empathy that benefits students both in the classroom and in their personal lives. Through service-learning, empathy becomes a foundational building block for creating community (Samuel, 2019). Given that students are coming from increasingly more diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, empathy is essential for them to see each other as belonging to the same community. All the evidence points to the benefits of cultivating empathy in our students and providing them with more opportunities to practice it (Samuel, 2019).

The social work department at UIndy is designed for students to master the nine core competencies developed by the CSWE. An individual social worker’s competence, however, is developmental and dynamic and will change over time in relation to new experiences and lifelong learning. Each student graduating from the BSW program will be able to do the following:

● Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior

● Engage diversity and difference in practice

● Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice

● Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice

● Engage in policy practice

● Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

● Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

● Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

● Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

Social Work Service-Learning Program: Making an Impact, Feedback from Community Employers

We consistently hear that UIndy students “stand out” among other interns. The word is out that UIndy produces excellent social workers. Professors Lynn Shaw and Christie Jansing are contacted regularly by agencies about creating partnerships for interns and/or looking for graduates to hire. On average, we create partnerships with eight to ten new sites per academic year.

Community Engagement through Leadership & Service Concentration

The Community Engagement through Leadership & Service Concentration (CELSC) was created in 2019 through the Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement, and it supports faculty and student development through service-learning and leadership community-engagement initiatives (Community Engagement for Leadership and Service, n.d.). The CELSC, which was designed to accommodate all academic majors, is based on a method of learning that deliberately integrates rigorous academic work with community service. Through a meaningful integration and scaffolding of select courses, students apply knowledge gained in the classroom to increasingly multicultural community settings. Interacting and partnering with diverse communities fosters students’ development of both civic identity and civic responsibility. It also empowers them to develop strong advocacy and leadership skills in a world that continues to be shaped by migration. Students engaged in their communities through service-learning do the following:

● Gain hands-on experience in the field

● Consider future career choices by experiencing real-life situations in the community “classroom”

● Network and discover internships that can lead to successful careers

● Discover academic achievement and applied-learning course concepts

● Develop awareness of the most current social needs/issues

● Apply their advocacy and leadership skills to community and civic life

● Travel out of state or abroad to complete high-impact service-learning projects

A student of any major can select Community Engagement in Leadership & Service as their concentration. The curriculum consists of 12 credit hours, with the following required courses:

● CSL 150 Intro to Community Service-Learning

● ST 299 Service-Learning focused course

● INTD 301 ST-Multicultural Competence through Leadership and Service

● CSL 450 Topical Seminar Civic Engagement and Community Leadership

Each of these courses provides an extraordinary experience for students to practice what is being taught in the classroom and to reflect on their experiences while they serve and learn. In addition to the classes, a student pursuing this concentration submits a reflection essay to the department director about their time in the CELSC. Since 2019, about a dozen social work students have been enrolled in CELSC program.

Community Partnership Opportunities

There are many service-learning opportunities at the University of Indianapolis, as indicated on the Service and Service-Learning Opportunity page on UIndy’s website.

South & Southeast Neighborhood Partnerships

Many partnerships between the Southeast Neighborhoods of Indianapolis and UIndy are coordinated by the Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement through multidisciplinary engagement projects. Southeast Neighborhoods are home to many community partners who engage students and faculty through service-learning and volunteer experiences.

Laurelwood Partnership

The program currently engages students and faculty from the Department of Modern Languages in youth programs on the south side of Indianapolis in partnership with the YMCA and the Indianapolis Housing Agency.

Burmese American Community Institute (BACI)

UIndy and BACI’s six-year partnership began as a vision to create a welcoming and vibrant environment for the refugees and the community as a whole. Faculty and students work on multidisciplinary service-learning projects to provide support to the refugees, especially the youth.

TeenWorks

The program is designed to promote employment and college readiness for low-income teenagers in Indianapolis. The Center for Service-Learning works closely with the departments on UIndy’s campus to provide valuable work experience and professional development for these 15- to 18year-old high school students.

International Service-Learning Program/Partnerships

[The CSLCE] supports international service-learning courses and experiences. It publicizes international service-learning opportunities and promotes service-learning at University of Indianapolis cooperative sites such as those in Africa and Belize. (https://uindy.edu/service-learning/opportunities)

These opportunities have had an impact on the campus community. This list does not include all of the practicum sites provided to students by the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. There are even more ways and options for students to gain service-learning experience through their practicums. Professor Christie Jansing reported thatin the Fall 2021 semester, Social Work had approximately 35 BSW students (SOWK 350 and 450) and approximately 21 MSW students (SOWK 591, 593, and 597) in practicum placements across the Indianapolis metro area. According to Professor Francine Carter, in the 2022-2023 school year there are approximately 40 students in SOWK 110-01 and SOWK 110-50, courses that engage with community experiences through service-learning cocurricular

activities in social work. In addition to syllabi, students have a field manual that spells out details of the practicum experience from beginning to end from both academic and service-learning perspectives. This segment of the handbook highlights the purpose of fieldwork experiences with the service-learning components:

As an accredited program through CSWE, field education is recognized as the signature pedagogy of the BSW program. Supervised fieldwork experience is intended to complement academic preparation by offering additional opportunities for growth, for learning to apply knowledge, for developing and testing practice skills, and for validating and consolidating those functions that comprise professional competence, including service management and research. Enrolling in the field education component of your studies also means assuming the responsibility as an Ambassador of our University for your coursework, discipline and/or profession. Please be mindful of the important role you have serving the community and representing the University of Indianapolis, the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences, the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, and yourself as a social work student. (King-Jordan & Jansing, 2022, p. 7)

Understanding the Infused Practicum on the Service-Learning Side

Included in the CELSC program is an optional independent study course, INTD 305 Independent Study in Service-Learning through Leadership & Service. It is designed to involve students in their community through service-learning activities that allow them to explore themselves as servant leaders. Service-learning combines providing a service to a local community organization or agency with learning about the organization and the issues or problems it seeks to address through its work. Through placements in local agencies and organizations, students learn firsthand how to apply as well as expand and deepen their learning in real-world situations. Students in small groups perform tasks and have responsibilities at different service agencies. Students learn about the city, neighborhood, and neighbors. In this course, students meet initially in class, have an agency orientation, and then report daily to their work sites. As a result of the course, they will have a better understanding of poverty, patience, diversity, and social justice, as well as a sense of civic responsibility. The main goal is to use this experience for Social Work service-learning practicum students to practice the nine Social Work competencies while critically reflecting on the impact of service and learning through their experiences with others. Through this course, there are several objectives:

1. Knowledge of the social services agency’s community, services, and client populations served

2. Increased knowledge of community resources serving and collaborating with identified agencies

3. Increased awareness of one’s own personal values, biases, and perceptions regarding the city, the neighborhood and clients involved with the agencies you serve

4. Increased self-awareness of one’s own abilities and limitations

5. Knowledge of social issues and systems which impact client populations served

6. Increased knowledge of the role of the spirit of servant leadership in human services

7. Understand the term community and its many meanings

Making an Impact through Service-Learning: Social Work Students and Service-Learning Experience Reflections

This section presents students’ service-learning experiences. Although social work fieldwork has its own academic focus, the service-learning experience serves as an added value in the fieldwork component. These reflections show how Social Work students integrate service-learning practicum experiences with their fieldwork.

Suihlei Tha,

BSW (2021), MSW (2022)

I worked for Exodus Refugee Immigration as a case manager (Reception and Placement Program), where I did my senior internship. I got hired right away after I graduated from University of Indianapolis with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. I could not thank enough to my professor who is in charge of my practicum. During my undergraduate, I had a chance to do my internship with ICAN and Exodus Refugee Immigration.

Practicum experience is very important because I [had] a chance to learn different population and learn different culture of agencies. My practicum experience shapes my perspective of being a social worker because I have learned not only to interact with clients but also learned how to communicate with staffs and learned the importan[ce] of network[ing]. I learned that the more we have information and connections, we will be able to make the right referral for our clients. As a social worker student, I would say practicum experience play[s] the main key to be an effective social worker because we were able to apply what we have learned from school, and we have support from our field instructor and from our professor. I would suggest other students to learn as much as we can from practicum experience.

Cynthia Rees, BSW (2018)

One way service-learning impacted my social work education was when my class did surveys for the Intercollegiate YMCA in the Laurelwood Community. I remember being so nervous talking to people from the community about finances and basic needs. I found that once I started to speak with the families about their needs and how the community could help, I knew I was meant to assist in supporting and advocating for families in my community.

Hanna Cozine, MSW (2021)

My practicum experiences provided me with meaningful insight into the field of social work where I could explore my interests. Practicum posed a lot of benefit for my education and future career choice. My time with CareSource Insurance and the Institute for Justice Research and Development provided me with quality time spent with clients, along with a beneficial learning environment. My practicums provided me with the opportunity to learn more about myself personally and professionally. My time spent there has helped to guide me to where I saw myself in my future career. My experience working with the criminal justice population furthered my desire to help in bigger ways. The experiences from practicum also allowed for me to connect more to the educational pieces in courses by being able to relate personal experience to the material. Practicums offer more than time spent at a company or organization; they help to shape you into who you are and how you see yourself in the field for the future.

Julia DeSousa, BSW Student (Est. Dec. 2022)

My practicum happened during the very beginning of 2021. I was very nervous because of COVID, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to learn as much as I expected. The reality was that during the months I worked at Tangram, I was able to learn a lot about how to act around and serve a population that I knew nothing about. I have been growing in confidence as well as understanding how to behave around other professionals. This experience prepared me for the future and confirmed my love for social work even more. Getting to talk to clients and being around them really made me love this field deeper than I already did. The staff that walked me through my training was very open to teaching me everything I needed to know, as well as giving me opportunities to learn. I did not feel like an intern but a coworker. They actually let me experience things rather than treating me like an assistant as many other places do. I felt respected and excited for the opportunity.

Knowing how the field of social work actually works, rather than just being in a classroom, was vital to me. It taught me the right communication skills to have when conversing with a person with disabilities, as well as breaking any bias or stereotypes I might have had in the past. It showed me how strong, smart, and courageous the workers and clients are, and left me speechless at how much so many of our clients had achieved. This prepared me for any future encounter I might have with a future client with a disability. I will feel much more prepared because of this experience than I would have without it.

Molly Hansen, BSW (2015)

During my time in the social work department at the University of Indianapolis, I embarked on two practicums that gave me invaluable experience in the field of social work and would both lead me to milestones in my career after graduation. I began a practicum at Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center during my junior year, gaining experience working in their food pantry, energy assistance program, and holiday assistance program. I would go on to be hired at Mary Rigg during my senior year of college and become a full-time employee upon graduation. While working at Mary Rigg during my senior year, I also completed a year-long practicum with the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program at Northwest High School and Decatur Central High School, running life-skills groups for students. I returned to work for the JAG program a year after graduating from UIndy, and I am thrilled to say I just began my sixth school year as a JAG specialist at Decatur Central. The social work department connects students to practicums that will not only prepare them for the field upon graduating but also help students to find their direction and passion in social work. Through their practicums, the social work department gives students the opportunity to practice classroom theories in the field and empowers students to discover what they are truly capable of and the difference they can make. I am forever grateful for my time at UIndy and the skills, experiences, and connections I made through both of my practicums.

Madeline Abramson, BSW, 2022

As a Bachelor of Social Work student, I, Madeline Abramson, was searching for a concentration that had a service-learning perspective to it. During the end of my sophomore year, I was presented the opportunity to join the Community Engagement [through] Leadership & Service concentration. The reason that I felt passionate about joining this is because I knew I would be able to connect with students on a personal level and build more of a rapport with them. Having the opportunity to build a connection

and have empathy for the population I am working with and being able to help find social justice for them. This became a passion of mine.

As Dr. Lin mentioned in her summarization of “VIP” in Chapter 1, she wants us to find that true sense of purpose and clarity when thinking about our future career path. Below, I am sharing my experience of my social work practicum site and my service-learning practicum site infused as one. After reaching out to Marianna Foulkrod and Christie Jansing, we agreed that I can in fact combine the two practicums as one throughout my senior year at the University of Indianapolis. I decided to pursue this infused practicum journey at RightFit. RightFit is a nonprofit organization that works as an afterschool program at four Archdiocese schools. Their mission [statement says], “RightFit is a coalition of students, parents, educators, sponsors, public safety personnel and committed volunteers who choose to work together to enhance a safer and healthier community. We do this by supporting an after-school program that encourages academic growth, fun physical activity, and a nutritious meal, which is all provided in an environment of courtesy and respect. Over time, we will strive to stabilize communities, enhance academic participation and achievement, improve the health of students, identify education and career options, and create an atmosphere of cooperation across the community.” I will be in their intern position. In this position, I would oversee two of their four Archdiocese schools and observe the program during the first semester and, by second semester, would start implementing changes and finding solutions I identify in the community.

Social work students in INTD 305 are required to complete service-learning to understand the importance of civic engagement in the community and to integrate classroom teaching with experiential learning. The purposes of the service-learning projects are to use real-life examples, so we are prepared for our professional career path. During my first semester with RightFit, I have been able to engage and interact with students and faculty at the schools and create a rapport like I would normally do at a social work practicum. I have had the opportunity to use all nine competences from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE 2008a, 2008b) while also experiencing service-learning through community leadership and service. I have taken on a leadership role as an intern at this program and have taken initiative by making plans to create new strategies on how the program works within the elementary schools during my second semester at this program. I have also gained the opportunity to understand the system of RightFit and participate in all of the programs. RightFit programming happens four days after school each week and has a family dinner twice a semester.

One of the key things I have learned at my site is that communication is lacking between our organization and our programmers that come into each school. Because I have noticed this, I have the connections and opportunity to start and create a better communication system between the two. I have also noticed that our parents and some of the students who attend our program do not exactly know what RightFit is. I have been working with different COMM course students on UIndy’s campus to make informational materials for parents, students, and volunteers. I have made a lot of these myself as well. The last key component I want to improve at RightFit is their communication with volunteers. I have realized over the course of this school year that our volunteers have had difficulty when communicating with both our elementary schools’ staff and me, the intern assigned to these schools. To help solve this matter this semester, I printed out contact cards with my contact information and walked up to each volunteer and told them that they can reach out to me any time! I also did this with our programmers to help with the lack of communication between them and our organization and them that I stated above. Looking forward to how I want to incorporate solutions into my fused practicums, I am planning a new way for our volunteer system to work. Implementing an online sign-in sheet instead of a paper one would be beneficial to our environment and make less work for our elementary school liaisons! The next action item to implement for the next semester would be a communication thread between interns

and programmers at least once a month. To accomplish this, I want to take all of the resources we have and create a contact binder containing all of our programmers’ information. This will help future interns at RightFit to navigate all of our resources and connect with programmers to keep things organized. The last and most important item I want to bring to fruition next school year is providing more information for our parents and students. I want to show our population that we are not just the school’s aftercare program, we are accomplishing more than providing help with homework or extra recess time. We give them a meal, help with homework, and then have a volunteer come in to teach the kids something new. This is the action item I am most excited about because I get to assess my population and get to make all of our promotional items in English and Spanish to continue to reach out to our parents! The experience of having RightFit as both my social work practicum and my service-learning practicum has been truly amazing, and I know I will be able to utilize these skills in my profession. In conclusion, during my time at RightFit, I have experienced growth in three main areas: capacity building, professional development, and program sustainability. Without having experienced the growth I have in these areas; I would not feel as ready and competent in my own career and leadership roles after graduation as I do now. I have grown in capacity building through promoting RightFit to many University of Indianapolis students and even to the parents at my schools. This creates more volunteers, and that makes it possible to have more students stay for the aftercare program! This is so important because not only are we giving college students a chance to learn while serving a great aftercare program, but we are able to help more students! Promoting the program and networking with different professors and talking to the Social Work Association members, this has created a sustainable connection between RightFit and a continuous number of students to come in and volunteer. Lastly, professional development has been the most personal growth I have made. With all my hard work towards the program, it did not go unnoticed. I have been invited to discuss my future after college with RightFit, which could be another amazing opportunity for me. Learning how to implement these three areas throughout my time at RightFit has been a great experience in how to do the hands-on part of Service-Learning and the Social Work side of things as well.

Conclusion

Social work students derive benefits from engaging in service-learning programs, and social work programs are enhanced through input from our community partners. The experiences of social work students in service-learning programs highlighted in this chapter illustrate several benefits, including personal growth and professional development, program sustainability, and capacity building. The service-learning program at UIndy has proven to be an added value for all students at the university, and especially for social work students. The Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement will continue to design and provide meaningful programs and continue to engage community partners. It is our belief that the motto “Service for Education” is represented in the fusion of social work and service-learning. This center is here to stay and will continue to support and enhance the preparation and experiences of UIndy social work students and all other UIndy students.

References

Bringle, R. G., Studer, M. H., Wilson, J., Clayton, P. H., & Steinberg, K. (2011). Designing programs with a purpose: To promote civic engagement for life. Journal of Academic Ethics, 9(2), 149164.

Burke, A. (2011). Group work: How to use groups effectively. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 11(2), 87–95.

Butler, S. S., & Coleman, P. A. (1997). Rising our voices. Journal of Teaching in Social Work. 15(1-2), 63–80. https://doi.org/10.1300/J067v15n01_06.

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). (2008a). Educational policy and accreditation standards. http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id-1380

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). (2008b). Field education in 2008 EPAS: Implications for the field director’s role. http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id=31580

King-Jordan, T., & Jansing, C. (n.d.). (2021). The Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work Bachelor of Social Work Field Manual Policy, Practices and Procedures. University of Indianapolis. https://www.uindy.edu/applied-behavioral-sciences/social-work/files/bsw-field-manual.pdf Lin, P. L. (2020). Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meet the Founder Compendium (C. C. Blitzer, Ed.) Department of Social Work, University of Indianapolis. https://issuu.com/phylis-lanlin/docs/lin_book_2020_web2_june_19-2020

Samuel, R. (2019, November 19). How Service-Learning Projects Can Build Student Empathy. Read to Lead. https://readtolead.org/how-service-learning-projects-can-build-student-empathy/ University of Indianapolis (2022.). Curriculum Guide for Community Engagement Through Leadership & Service Concentration (CELS). https://uindy.edu/service-learning/community-engagementconcentration

LOOKING FORWARD: PREPARING NEXT-GENERATION SOCIAL WORK PRACTITIONERS— AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. WANDA K. WATTS, MSW, JD, LCSW

Phylis Lan Lin, PhD, and Rosie Butler, MA, LSW, Class of 1984

In the Spring of 2022, 47 BSW and MSW students graduated from the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. As we wrap up the history of the program to date, we wanted to appreciate Dr. Wanda K. Watts’s vision for the University of Indianapolis’s (UIndy’s) social work program. Dr. Watts is an assistant professor and the director of the Master of Social Work Program in the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences, Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. She has been with the social work program in varied capacities since her arrival as an adjunct faculty member in 2012, and she brings with her a varied and robust background of practicing, teaching, and administration in the field of social work.

Dr. Phylis Lan Lin and Rosie W. Butler conducted an interview with Dr. Watts with a focus on both short- and long-term goals and challenges for the next phase of the social work programs at UIndy. As noted in earlier chapters of this booklet, the program has a solid historical foundation, and its strength has always been in looking forward. We posed the question of what is needed next to not only grow the program but also enhance the coursework and learning opportunities. We explored how the current program is preparing the next generation of social work practitioners in the ever-changing, evermore-complex world we live in. The interview questions included:

● Please share with us what drew you to join the faculty at UIndy.

● How has the social work program transformed (grown) since you assumed the director’s role in 2016?

● In your opinion, what are some of the most unique aspects of our social work program?

● What are the most challenging aspects of implementing the new social work curriculum (for example, how to include technology training and social work practice in the new curriculum)?

● What are your short- and long-term goals for the department?

● Could you share with us your “wish list” of resources (human and capital) needed to make our social work program one of the best programs in our geographic region?

● In terms of our student population, what strategies should we use to recruit a more diverse cadre of students?

● What is “in the works” as you and your team look forward to preparing the next generation of social workers?

When Dr. Watts joined the social work department as adjunct faculty in 2012, she was the first faculty member of color in the BSW program at UIndy. She was immediately impressed with the program, following an unscheduled informal encounter with Dr. Phylis Lan Lin in the elevator on her

way to the Social Work Program office. In fact, Dr. Lin was the first person she met on that initial visit to the UIndy campus, and at that introduction, Dr. Watts was unaware of Dr. Lin’s status and position of influence within the university. Dr. Lin was very warm and welcoming to her. Dr. Watts’s heartfelt first impressions have resulted in her long-term commitment to working at UIndy.

Michelle Meer, a faculty member in the social work department, a very dear longtime friend of Dr. Watts, and a fellow social worker, was instrumental in encouraging her commitment to teach at UIndy. Michelle invited Dr. Watts to give a talk on macro practice in social work to one of her classes. Dr. Watts was not a stranger to working with students, as she had supervised numerous students from the IU School of Social Work and understood their need to learn how to bridge the gap between classwork and field experience.

Dr. Watts completed some necessary research in preparation for the presentation and greatly enjoyed her time presenting to the class. The class gave positive feedback following that first presentation. Michelle shared with her how the students wanted to hear more from her, and she recommended that Dr. Watts teach another class for an entire semester. Following that experience, Jeff Bryant, associate professor in the BSW program, invited Dr. Watts to teach a class and underscored that the program had a strong need for diversity within its faculty.

Dr. Watts was drawn to UIndy by the quality of the students and the smaller class sizes that invite opportunities for deeper conversation, as well as the ability to integrate research and practice. Additionally, UIndy’s emphasis on service to the community was impressive. Dr. Watts found it intriguing that the program didn’t emphasize only book learning but also experience in the field, which is equally important, as it enhances the students’ education experience and preparation for after graduation. She found the UIndy students to be “sponges,” soaking up information from lectures enthusiastically, so when she was invited in 2014 to teach on an associate adjunct basis at UIndy for one year, she eagerly accepted the opportunity. This was timely, given that in 2013, she had left full-time social work practice with the goal to teach full-time. For a time, she was adjunct faculty both at IU and UIndy, which allowed her the opportunity to have exposure to both programs.

As noted earlier in this booklet, the MSW program at UIndy came online in 2015. It is notable that Dr. Watts has been present since the inception of the MSW program, joining as a full-time faculty member in 2016 and becoming the Master of Social Work Program director in 2019, just before accreditation of the same.

We sought Dr. Watts’s opinion on what appear to be some challenging aspects for the current program. She noted four that are not unique to the social work department but are challenges nonetheless (both human and capital shortages) and can influence the program’s future:

1. The necessary human resources: currently, the social work program is down at least two viable faculty (one faculty member returned to her hometown in New York, and the second left UIndy to pursue other opportunities);

2. Budgetary constraints (a common challenge for all universities, especially since the onset of COVID-19);

3. Competition, which has grown in social work programs statewide (when UIndy developed the social work program, it was one of three in Indiana), bringing the total to six universities offering social work majors across the state; and

4. A lack of marketing resources (the marketing budget has been cut across the university, and it is difficult to get the message out to the target population without funds to advertise the unique aspects of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work).

With the hope of being able to have, as much as is in their control, these resources in the future to meet the challenges, Dr. Watts was further pressed to share some of the recruiting strategies being developed. In response, she noted that she has a two-pronged approach within her short-term goals.

Dr. Watts emphasized the expansion of the social work program by offering additional concentrations, in that there are now three concentrations for the master’s program: Health and Behavioral Health; Children, Family and Community; and Mental Health and Addictions. She also noted that preparations are underway to offer, as early as 2023, specialty certificates (including crisis intervention, working with the elderly, drug addiction intervention, mental health, working with immigrants, diversity and inclusion training, and more) to social work majors, both students and alumni. This will help to foster a multidisciplinary approach and will enhance the professional portfolio of the social workers, as well as expand their opportunities to serve within the community.

Dr. Watts highly recommended a dual-degree program to combine social work and health sciences fields that will not only attract more social work students to the program but also allow the program to much better prepare social work students for working with clients with physical- and mental health issues. She is aware of the implementation of technology in the social work curriculum. The department can offer continuing education units to train the program’s social work professionals and students to enhance their technology skills, which will be useful in their future practice. Adding an online component to the program needs the approval of the Council on Social Work Education. Dr. Watts stresses the need for more assistance in marketing the Department’s offerings to target student populations.

The long-term goal of offering a Doctor of Social Work is in the visionary stage, as there is the need for a feasibility study, which has yet to be developed. There have been discussions about this goal with the dean. At the doctorate level, there is less need for in-person teaching and more need for online instruction, so the program would look at a hybrid program with a mix of both types of classes being offered to expand within this level. There are hurdles, which include infrastructure and investment, along with the necessary faculty to realize this vision, but because no Doctor of Social Work (DSW) programs are currently offered within the state, having such a program would bring another distinctive facet to the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work.

Dr. Watts noted that, of course, what is needed to bring any of these goals to fruition are the human and capital resources, as noted earlier. To draw students to the programs, marketing is needed across the region, not just within the state. UIndy’s draw, which makes the social work program unique, includes the overall smaller size, which allows students to work closely with faculty. Additionally, the smaller classes have historically meant more-engaged faculty. Within the master’s program, graduates may pursue at least one of four licensure options: licensed social worker (LSW), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), licensed addictions counselor (LAC), and licensed clinical addictions counselor (LCAC). Additionally, opportunities for community outreach and collaboration with UIndy’s health sciences and psychology programs are already in place, and there are plans to continue to enhance these relationships. Dr. Watts acknowledged her appreciation for the social work program faculty and staff’s devotion and commitment to their teaching and to contact with students in and out of the classroom. The department is small in size, yet big in its sense of engagement and belonging.

Dr. Watts noted the importance of ensuring that the plan for the future of the department is to consistently execute a strong program that continues to enhance its positive reputation of preparing students for success. She emphasized that her experience over her ten years of working within the program has shown that both the BSW and MSW faculty and staff are the best she’s worked with.

A student-first attitude emanates from them, working well with the students, and they work very well as a team.

Dr. Watts closed with an insightful statement. Her passion is to prepare social work practitioners who are competent to practice in the field, confident in their practice of social work, compassionate to those they serve, and change agents for themselves and others. Dr. Lin commented that these four Cs will be the second motto for the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. (The first one the VIP, for vision, integrity, and passion was implemented in 1997.) The department is full of promise. It will continue to grow and thrive, and we can all look forward to the next phase of our social work program. Recalling her first encounter with Dr. Lin years ago, Dr. Watts is just as energetic as Dr. Lin was years ago and is ready to continue to lead and transform the department to become one of the best social work programs in the region.

SOCIAL WORK: A CALL FOR PASSION

Social Work: A Call for Passion (1)

Bradley Wantz, MSW

I never intended to become a social worker. Growing up, my dream was to be on Broadway in a Tony-award-winning musical. I went to college and studied theater, filling my days with acting, singing, and dance classes. I graduated from Indiana University in 2009 and headed to New York City, intent on making my dreams come true. Well, life had other plans in store for me. Something I did not foresee was my sister’s unexpected death in 2010. After her accident, my recreational substance use became a full-blown substance-use disorder. I thought drugs and alcohol were the only things that could help me cope with my sadness. Instead, they brought me (and my family) incredible amounts of pain, like pouring gasoline onto a burning building. I also struggled with depression and low self-esteem for many years, both of which were exacerbated by my substance use. In 2016, I entered treatment and made the decision to try to live life as a sober person. Starting a journey in recovery gave me a new lease on life. Years of working with a therapist helped me learn to love myself and to break free from old behaviors that no longer served me. Admittedly, my social work education came in fits and starts. I initially applied to the MA in Addictions Counseling program. After being accepted, I was informed that the addictions counseling program had been dissolved and I could choose to pursue a degree in social work or mental health counseling. After settling on social work, I was ready to start classes in August of 2019. Unfortunately, my appendix had other plans, bursting on a family trip to Florida that month and causing me to delay my education for a year. COVID-19 brought even more uncertainty to my education plans. I finally began my social work education in the summer of 2020. With hard work and persistence, I managed to juggle a full-time job with a full course load, completing my MSW in May 2022.

I share all of this not to highlight my own achievements but to point out an example of resilience that I have found to be commonplace among my social work peers. In my experience, the students who pursue social work are some of the most passionate, driven people one will find on UIndy’s campus. So many of us have a deep connection to our work. For many, becoming a social worker was not a choice; it was a calling.

My life in recovery brought me to Community Fairbanks Recovery Center, where I still work. When I took a position as a life skills clinician, I didn’t have any intentions of studying social work or pursuing a career as a therapist. In fact, prior to starting classes at UIndy, I wasn’t really sure what a social worker was. My initial image of a social worker was of an overworked woman who took people’s kids away a pretty bleak image. I learned that social work was a special profession with applications across many fields. Social work’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion matched my values. Growing up queer in rural Indiana, I knew what it was like to feel different from other people. Relying heavily on systems theory, social work’s unique outlook makes it an effective means of examining both micro and macro issues. Social work delicately blends art with science, promoting empathy and intuition while seeking to identify evidence-based practices through traditional research methods. As an actor, I was always attracted to works of art that challenged the status quo or addressed social ills. In social

work, I feel like I am able to directly impact the lives of others and to do my part to make the world a better place. Having had my own struggles with depression and substance abuse, I found my niche working at an addiction treatment center.

As I entered recovery and started to rebuild my life, I knew that I needed a job that not only paid the bills but also gave meaning to my life. Today, I am proud to say that I am a social worker. The more I have learned about the profession, the deeper my love for it grows. In social work, I have found stimulating work that aligns with my core values. As social workers, we are uniquely suited to directly impact our clients’ lives while analyzing the systems that serve the status quo. We are practitioners and social scientists, case workers and researchers. As a self-identified feminist and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I feel included in the social work profession in ways, whereas many traditional career fields seemed inaccessible. Just as we engage with clients on biological, psychological, social, and spiritual levels, our duties as social workers require engagement on all these levels from us internally.

Preparing for a career in social work requires a person to know who they are, their values, and their biases. Self-reflection is an imperative social work skill. All this is to say, I believe social work is a noble profession. It is brave and challenging work. Though we can make a decent living, we are underpaid compared to those in other fields or to those with similar levels of education. We work with vulnerable populations and tackle social problems that many other professionals choose to ignore. Engaging in social work, we dare to believe in a better world, and we dare to have hope. We not only see the world around us but seek to build a better future, always remaining conscious of the past. The world is going through a lot right now war, food insecurity, COVID-19, gun violence, and the opioid epidemic (and much more). Our country feels more divided than ever. Social work has the noble task of attempting to find healing where there is hurt and to teach our communities to live in harmony. To quote the National Association of Social Workers this year, “The time is right for social work.”

Social Work: A Call for Passion (2)

Jennifer Leonard, BSW, CAPRC I, CADAC II, MATS, Senior Social Work Student

I battle demons. Dark, powerful, unfathomable beasts. Villains that lurk to consume me, trip me up, and steal my family. This darkness followed me from the time of my childhood throughout adolescence and into my adult life. Others like me suffer from the same ailment; to some, it even brings a painful death. Mothers, fathers, and children watch in horror and disgust. Doctors, helpers, and professionals acknowledge the monster but can find no antidote. They study, research, and provide education regarding my plight. Pathways have been created in the areas of neuroscience in hopes to find a cure for what I suffer from. Citizens, leaders, and movie stars have been devoured by it. Billions of dollars in government money, grants, and aid have been given to tackle my crisis. My goblin is a disease, and it’s called drug and alcohol addiction.

My name is Jennifer Leonard, and I am a gratefully recovering methamphetamine addict and alcoholic. I am also an MSW student at the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. My path to recovery eventually led me to the field of social work and to the University of Indianapolis. I have immense gratitude for this opportunity to better myself, my family, and our community. Thinking back on my past, I know I was not always so driven. Childhood trauma, lack of sound coping skills, and weak boundaries led me down a dangerous path. My decisions were less than fruitful, and that was reflected outwardly in my life. Thankfully, my family and I have been given a second chance. The combination of the memories of my past and who I have become led to my discovery of the field of clinical social work

specializing in addictions. I am passionate about healing our community, families, and children who are affected by the drug epidemics in our communities.

Giving back has been a vital component of my sustained sobriety. It is the essence of the steps to recovery and of the spiritual awakening I have encountered resulting from climbing the stairway to personal reconstruction. I am driven to carry the message of recovery to those who are still suffering, as well as a mindful approach to the leadership roles I play in the pursuit of my education. The Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work has been the catalyst for me to find my voice and to embrace my nerdy side, as well as providing inclusion for the student body as a whole. Many doors have been opened as a result of my better choices and commitment to leadership. I have no doubt that obtaining degrees in social work and credentials in addictions not only will help me achieve my personal goals but also can potentially save the lives of folks who are still struggling with addictions. I will provide hope, guidance, and alternatives for healthy living. I am passionate about sharing the warmth, excitement, and dignity that a sober lifestyle brings. I understand the responsibilities of my role as an advocate, coach, and therapist. I will honor the governing ethics inherent in the degree path of social work. I believe the knowledge and compassion I learn at UIndy will be a pathway to community wellness and change. I appreciate the opportunity to do so and welcome you to the robust, passion-driven learning experience that comes alongside becoming a social work student at the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work.

Introduction to Growing Social Issues

While each person’s story is unique, the social system we live in structures the life chances, opportunities, and access to resources that each person has. Much like other cultures, the United States is stratified, and stratification is practiced on behalf of US leaders by dividing its citizens into classes that reflect socioeconomic status. Although the formula for determining socioeconomic status is complex, the blueprint can be broken down into three main parts: education, occupation, and income. While this approach might be somewhat advantageous, it also has drawbacks. In essence, this setup is a prescription for poverty for many Americans. One in 10 Americans lives in poverty, according to the Census Bureau, and these numbers are rising, according to projections from data collectors. Some recognizable social consequences of poverty include higher crime, adverse childhood experiences, alcohol and drug addiction, higher mortality rates, homelessness, and hunger; however, more insidious consequences include the lack of opportunity presented to those children born into these circumstances.

Education, Occupation, and Income

The hurdles that American citizens face when attempting to achieve a more robust tier of socioeconomic status are education, occupation, and income. School systems in the United States are not necessarily created equal in quality. Young students from preschool to high school, depending on demographics, face issues such as budget cuts, school crowding, out-of-date teaching methods, and insufficient parental involvement. Debts accrued through obtaining student loans to pursue higher learning are a mechanism of economic torment for many who pursue college to climb the rungs to financial success. Lack of access to education spills over into employment issues. The competition to acquire a higher-paying job is in a cutthroat arena of many layers, making the attainment of financial

stability a strenuous ascent. Inadequate education, restricted income, and unstable employment lead to higher levels of stress and less access to a safety net, and they wreak havoc on daily life. Inequality affects everyone; however, it disproportionately affects minorities and women. Women and minorities traditionally encounter disparity via lesser pay, housing unfairness, higher prevalence of physical- and mental health issues, and little chance for social mobility. Structural racism is embedded in all our institutions in which injustice is projected on certain members belonging to certain ethnic groups. Similarly, structural sexism places discriminatory ideologies on people based on sex and gender that contribute to social disparities relatable to earning, influence, opportunities, and material goods.

The Social Work Field: A Call to Action

To define a science-based civic plan to respond to the social issues, social workers must respond in deeper and more innovative ways to keep pace with the growing demand to build a healthier social fabric. Social workers must research and understand existing policies to understand which components of the policy are defective, thus proposing new ideas and policies that are more effective. As social workers, we are obligated to all tiers of practice, including policy change advocacy, the raising of awareness among the community of growing social issues, education by the way of group and didactic sessions, and, finally, the meeting of clients with compassion in micro arenas. Addiction is indeed multifaceted, but we know that instability because of social forces does not help the situation. Understanding how these cultural and social issues contribute to the issues of addiction is a step in the right direction in addressing substance-use issues in the United States. Medical professionals and members of American society are moving away from a moral model of addiction that implies that folks struggling with drug and alcohol addictions possess signs of weakness and that a biological basis explaining etiology of addiction is lacking. The disease model of addiction, which is widely adopted in therapeutic settings, designates addiction as an illness of brain functioning. The evidence of addiction can be seen in virtually every American family and community. In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate that there were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, which was an increase of 28.5% from the 78,056 deaths during the same period ending in April 2020. Substance abuse not only affects the individual who is afflicted but also those who are close to them, as well as society. Domestic violence, spread of disease, homelessness, public safety issues, overworked public health systems, and rises in foster care systems are a few examples of how addiction makes a social impact in our communities.

Social workers must answer the call to America’s addiction issue from a larger, more comprehensive scope. The Surgeon General’s Report lists the need for improvement of education to increase awareness in American communities regarding substance-use issues and for enhancing policies and practices to address substance-use disorder, creating greater access to more evidence-based treatment theorems in prevention to decrease harm and crime for those struggling with substance use disorder, their families, and community members. Recovery support services have also been found to help in reducing relapse rates among those who experience chronic relapses.

UIndy Social Work Students: A Call to Action

UIndy offers a mental health and addictions concentration for graduate students pursuing an MSW degree within the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. MSW students pursuing the mental health and addictions concentration take part in learning about the most current counseling and behavioral therapies to combat addiction, culturally responsive practices of addictions, effective crisisintervention tactics, addictions study and research, and policy advocacy. Students are also provided with practicum placement guidance that includes the options of inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment facilities in addition to macro placements in advocacy and education. Assessment skills and education with treating dual-diagnosis disorders is also a focus of the MSW program at UIndy. The Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work and its educators, administrators, and students are committed to being active participants in helping heal the addiction issues in our communities.

Mental illness and trauma are not experienced just by clients and people outside of the college classroom. In addressing future needs, social work needs to also look inward. Research has shown that mental illness and trauma are prevalent issues among college students. Evidence of this has been corroborated in the focus group data gathered among students in contrasting degree paths on the UIndy campus as well as from divergent demographic backgrounds. Campuses and programs would benefit from adding better support for students. Students were encouraged to access peer support groups because the assemblages offered a safe place to share experiences with mental illness or to learn about how to support people who experience issues with mental illness and trauma. Many students indicated that they were interested in pursuing careers in healing professions and found student-run groups to be beneficial places to learn about how to engage with those populations.

Peer support has been proven to be an effective tool, as heard from the voices of the UIndy focus-group participants. The students who joined shared that they experienced a noticeable increase in motivation to connect with other students, heightened contentment, and an inclination to practice healthier behaviors. These findings correspond with current research literature, which states that peer support has been found to be effective in resisting substance use and heightened exoneration from dualdiagnosis disorders. These interventions can be found in support groups and recovery communities. The element that makes the peer intervention stand out is that the group members have all been in the same predicaments, thus being more relatable to the student seeking guidance. Clearly, the data point to the need for a student-led group focusing on wellness with mental health and substance-use disorder on the UIndy campus. Many students shared that the elements provided among the peer-to-peer groups were not found anywhere else on campus, offering a place where every student is welcomed and accepted just the way they are. The participants among the focus groups were clear that the support they felt as members of a group was positively overwhelming. Students in each focus group were concerned about the continuation of peer support for similar groups as well as continuing to address additional social concerns and were willing to volunteer their time and energy to keep these types of resources afloat.

As social work moves into the future, it will be beneficial for programs and the discipline to provide a holistic approach not just to the clients it serves but also to those who are students of the practice. Implementing new approaches, providing space for all voices, and adapting to the broader social climate will be necessary both outside and inside the social work classroom.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

Helen Keller, US author, educator, and disability rights advocate

Social Work: A Call for Passion (3)

Ola Arowolo, MSW, MA

While a caregiver, I developed a keen interest in learning how the brain works and about parts of the brain that influence human behavior and mental health. Hence my decision to study psychology at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. I graduated with an MA in psychology at the University of Indianapolis in 2020. Finally, I was ready to start an agency to provide waiver services to individuals with developmental delays and intellectual disabilities, the population I had served for 17 years in different settings and capacities. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services required me to have a license in the human services field to be a provider. My degree in psychology had not prepared me for any licensure, so I made the tough decision to return to school. I immediately applied to go back to study mental health counseling and needed reference letters from my mentors, Dr. Ketner and Dr. Pulakis. That was when Dr. Ketner introduced me to social work. Social work is different from other helping and healthcare professions in many ways, but the way that its morals and ethical principles changed my life is worth sharing.

The emphasis of social work on human dignity and worth has significantly impacted me. It is a constant reminder for me that every human being deserves respect and honor, no matter who they are: young or old, gay or straight, of high or low economic status, parolee or immigrant, disabled or nondisabled. As I applied this principle in my daily work, I was influenced or impacted or shaped daily without even realizing it was happening. Moreover, I used the same principles in my home and personal life. Soon, my interpersonal relationships and parenthood improved; one day, I heard my son telling his sister, “Mom has changed a lot,” and she replied, “Yes, I agree.”

Social work looks for the inherent strength in human beings and helps them harness the resources they have to improve their lives; therefore, we allow everyone to make their own decisions while offering guidance and support. For example, when I quit pushing my agenda on my young adult children, I experienced peace and harmony in my home; they have achieved more than I could ever make them do.

Perhaps it is this same influence that makes social work professors different from other professors I have encountered in my academic life. Social work professors at UIndy show empathy in the classroom in a remarkable way. I am inclined to believe that the grace and consideration I received from my professors led me to self-reflection and the tendency to give the same to others.

The camaraderie that existed among my cohort was terrific. I can say that my classmates were among the most diverse you could find on any campus. There were students in their early twenties and others in their late fifties, immigrants and citizens, gay and straight, of different races and ethnicities, yet my cohort was like a brotherhood; we were always there for one another, offering emotional, physical, and academic support. Even when we had different opinions about discussion topics, we were polite in our arguments and courteous in our speech. We followed the excellent example of our professors and the classroom rules. This training remains with you for life and becomes a part of who you are.

In every college and university, almost every major requires students to take a semester of psychology to understand human behaviors and personalities. I recommend that every major integrate social work into their curriculum, or that every institution of higher learning mandate a semester of social work for every student. I think it is more important to know how to treat one another to coexist peacefully and harmoniously in this world than to learn just about behaviors and personalities. I believe that changing the world begins with us, through continuous self-reflection and change of

attitude to imbibe moral principles and ideals.

My only disappointment in social work is not finding enough research articles written by social workers to support my papers. Social workers have to engage more in research. Most social work professors engage in clinical practice. They seem engrossed in expanding caseloads and are so pressured to help clients who are experiencing mental health issues, poverty, homelessness, racism, violence, or other social problems that they devote little time to research. For example, when I was writing my final paper on how the lack of privacy and confidentiality during the intake process might impact participants’ outcomes in a social service setting, it was difficult to find articles written by social workers for my literature review. My search generated only two articles on social work, and these did not entirely support my essay. Most of the articles were written by professionals in other fields, such as nursing and the medical field. Although the concept of privacy and confidentiality may be the same across all healthcare professions, in social work practice, the interpretation is different.

Further, more students are interested in micro social work than macro. Reisch (2016) states that the percentage of social work students interested in macro social work continually decreases. With the rising social crisis, racial discrimination, marginalization of the LGBTQ community, health disparities, and other issues, social work needs more students in macro work to bring about the necessary policy changes in society. Most social work students want to advocate for people on a micro level, believing that they directly affect people’s lives by going into clinical social work. Some seek employment in nonprofit organizations providing welfare services to less-privileged people living in poverty.

For students’ interest in macro social work to be sparked, more students must be placed in macro social work for practicums. Social work is not just clinical intervention and treatment or the distribution of social services. Advocacy and policy change are part of the core mission of social work. We must continue to affect policy change. In SOWK 545 (Social Welfare Policy), we learned the step-by-step process of policy advocacy (from writing a bill to how a bill becomes a law), which is a good way of preparing students for macro work.

In closing, I suggest that efforts to give macro work the attention it deserves must begin at the time of admission. When interviewing to select students for the program, faculty members should try to even out the number of students interested in micro, mezzo, and macro work and, together, continue to affect policy change. Reference

Reisch, M. (2016). Why macro practice matters. Journal of Social Work Education, 52(3), 258–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2016.1174652

CHAPTER 6

PILLARS OF LIFE

Phylis Lan Lin, PhD in Collaboration with Caterina Cregor Blitzer, MA

Pillars of Life (an excerpt from https://issuu.com/phylis-lan-lin/docs/lin_book_2020-web2-june-192020)

Planting the Seed for the Social Work Program in 1980s. An ambitious goal had been set. “The department is making a five-year plan toward the accreditation of the social work program by the National Council on Social Work Education. An advisory committee was formed in April, including full-time and adjunct faculty, and social work educators in the community.” Dr. Lin chaired the department until the end of the 1985 academic year. By then, planning for accreditation of the social work program was well underway and social work graduates were successful in finding jobs. In her report to Dean Stockton, she wrote, “Job placement for our social work graduates was high. Over 90% of our graduates were placed and two of them had a promotion within 6–8 months.”

Reciprocity with “Vision, Integrity, and Passion.” “When I came to America in 1966, I received a scholarship from the Zonta Club, an American international women’s professional organization. They gave me a scholarship for my graduate study in Montana. What came to my mind at that time was, “Someday, I will create a scholarship 1000 times greater for American students as my token of appreciation to the Zonta ladies and to America!” I established a scholarship in 2000 for social work students, and I set the goal. Yes, I will be able to reach that goal in a few years. This is my American dream. I am ready to serve Americans and America. I am ready to join my colleagues to provide and assist kindhearted, competent, hardworking, and service-oriented students to pursue their social work education at the University of Indianapolis.” November 8, 2018, “Welcome Speech” by Phylis Lan Lin at a gala event at the Willard International Hotel in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Chinese American Museum DC.

In fact, I now can see the interconnectedness of all my efforts. My journey has been informed through research, teaching sociology and adopting a sociological lens. Mine is a journey rich in

meaning, commitment, and promise. It continues to be a meaningful, committed, and promising journey interconnecting the fields of social work, sociology, and organizational development.

To my students and colleagues, past and present, here in Indiana and around the US and the world, thank you for taking this journey together. My beloved, revered mother and father provided the foundation for my “Pillars of Life” and encouraged me to pursue my graduate education in the United States. I am profoundly grateful to my mentors along the way. It is a privilege and honor to realize the ideals of the University of Indianapolis motto, “Education for Service.” My family, today and always, are my “Pillars of Life.” September 20, 2022, Phylis Lan Lin

Phylis Lan Lin’s Pillars of Life (Narrated by Caterina Cregor Blitzer)

1. When the Wind Blows, the Grass Bends 2. Learn from Your Role Models 3. Education for Service 4. Becoming an Integrated Woman 5. Building a Healthy Family and Enhancing Family Strengths 6. Laughter Is the Best Medicine 7. Embrace Cultural Relativism 8. Pursuing Successful Aging and Quality of Life 9. Being Human: The Four Hs 10. Five Cs for Stress Management and Resilience 11. Envisioning Cultural Dualism 12. Turning Weakness into Strength 13. Vision, Integrity, and Passion (the VIP Model)

1. When the Winds Blows, the Grass Bends (風動草偃)

Born in Taiwan. Born in 1942 in Taichung, Taiwan, Dr. Lin came to America in 1966 upon graduation from Tunghai University. It was her parents who encouraged her to study in the US. She recalls her father saying, “We live on a small island, just like a frog that lives in a well. You only see that much of the sky. You must jump out of the well and go to America to see the big sky country.”

A Child’s Name Reveals Parental Expectations. “Dr. Lin’s father gave her, the firstborn of her five siblings, a beautiful Chinese name from the Confucian classic “Tsai-Fong,” (采風) which means “When the wind blows, the grass bends” (風動草偃). Because Dr. Lin was the firstborn, her father expected her to be the role model for her younger siblings. She is the “wind” who leads the way.

Be a Servant Leader. Dr. Lin exemplifies the model of servant leadership as described by Kristene Ruddle (Class of ’97): “At any given time, Dr. Lin is involved in countless organizations and is elbowdeep in a variety of projects. One might wonder if there is any connection between the seemingly unrelated events that consume her precious time. Dr. Lin says her greatest joy comes from serving others. When considering how to spend her time, she always asks if and how many people will benefit from it. If she can do one thing that will positively affect many people, then she knows she has spent her

time wisely. Her greatest sense of accomplishment comes not from awards and recognition but from the feedback of students and others that have been positively affected by her efforts” (University of Indianapolis Reflector, “Tsai-Fong: ‘When the Wind Blows, the Grass Bends,’” Compendium, 2020, pp. 7–16).

2. Learn from Your Role Models

Learning Leadership. “My childhood provided me opportunities to learn a leader’s qualities, including being a role model, trustworthiness, love, and loyalty. My mother is one of the most successful women physicians in Taiwan. She is my role model and hero. I remember she said to me once, ‘I am the crab. All my nurses are my legs. We must work together for the crab to move forward.’ This statement has been imprinted in my mind since I was young. I learned that a leader must be a team player, and a leader must work harmoniously with his or her coworkers. My mother treated her nurses just like her daughters. It was a family concept. I have extended this idea of ‘family’ to my work team and to my students since I started my teaching career 31 years ago.” Phylis Lin, “On Leadership,” Women’s Leadership Seminar, School for Adult Learning, January 9, 2004 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 149–154) “A champion is someone who can take charge in life (including of one’s beliefs, feelings, and actions) and who has made the commitment to do something with passion, to do one’s best, and to be proud of what has been accomplished.” Phylis Lin, “On Becoming a Champion,” the Sino-American NIT-UIndy) Joint Program Cohort 8, Class of 2012 Commencement Ceremony at the Ningbo Institute of Technology (NIT), Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (Compendium, 2020, pp. 347–356) and keynote speech, 2016 Cross-Strait EMBA Elites Conference, Taipei, Taiwan (Compendium, 2020, pp. 134–148)

Leadership Is Always a Relationship Thing. A leader without authority is one who can “inspire commitment and performance among people over whom they have no official authority.” Dr. Lin stresses that she created her own “team.” They were cross-functional and hailed from different colleges and departments. She also depended on volunteers. One retiree volunteer said, “Phylis, you are the only one who took me seriously.” “This volunteer was most indispensable in all the events I had organized,” said Dr. Lin.

Be a Well-Rounded Person with an Interdisciplinary Approach. Dr. Lin is a lifelong learner. She reads beyond her specialized field in sociology. Her bookshelves, both at home and in her office, display books with a variety of topics. “You must be on top of what is going on in the world. Know the megatrends and their implications for your life and work. How do I keep up with technology change? What are the impacts of demographic change? How do I become a leader in a new era?” Dr. Lin echoes these questions often. She reads and she writes. She does not hesitate to ask reviewers to edit and critique her writings.

3. Education for Service

Compassionate and Service-Oriented. “Her mother was an ophthalmologist, and her father owned a pharmaceutical company. Her father and mother worked together to develop an eye medicine to cure an eye disease prevalent among Taiwanese rural children. The medication was patented and produced for free use in Taiwan through her mother’s volunteer services for schoolchildren for many years. Dr. Lin learned ‘humanitarianism’ early on. She learned about the importance of giving to others from her

parents, a lesson which has always been a part of her life in higher education.” Kristine Ruddle, interview with Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, April 20, 2006 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 7–8).

She shared a key value in common with the University of Indianapolis long before she arrived on campus in 1973: Education for Service. “My whole idea of education is service. I try to bring my part of the world to Indiana, and Indiana to the world. Through the promotion of cultural understanding, we will realize more about our humanity. All intellectuals have a moral obligation to promote understanding.” “University of Indianapolis is host of seminar on China: Scholars from China, Taiwan, UK, and U.S. gathered to cultivate ideas to promote a harmonious world,” Indianapolis Star, September 29, 1995, p. 23.

4. Becoming an Integrated Woman

Integrated Women. According to Dr. Lin, integrated women is an ideal concept. There are two important ingredients to become an “integrated woman”: the ability to make choices and the ability to be resilient. “The idea of ‘integrated women’ as role models evolved from the example of women we emulate.” Dr. Lin and her close colleague Dr. Mary Moore did a study entitled “Integrated Women: A Study of College Women’s Views on Combining Marriage, Family, and Career” in 1985. “An integrated woman is a career woman who can interplay the meanings of feminist, traditionalist, or androgynous within her life by combining behaviors and attitudes from different orientations. The concept of integrated women enables researchers to break through the limitations encountered in the labeling of women. There seems to be consensus among college students today that their jobs in the future will not interfere with the well-being of their families. Most women students prefer a dual-career and egalitarian family pattern.” Phylis Lan Lin and Mary C. Moore, 1985, “Integrated Women: A Study of College Women’s Views on Combining Marriage, Family, and Career,” Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Social Sciences, 19, pp. 146–152 and Phylis Lan Lin, “Working Women in America: Choice and Challenges,” Proceedings of the International Symposium on Women Human Resources, 1990, pp. 15–60 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 131–134)

Balancing Career and Family. Throughout her full-time teaching career spanning 46 years, Dr. Lin strived to be an “integrated woman.” She pointed out that “for most women, work is both a choice and necessity: It is a source of financial security and independence, of personal accomplishment and fulfillment, and of professional growth and development. Overall, this commitment to a career is accompanied by women’s belief that their jobs will not interfere with the well-being of their families even though women show a moderate willingness to modify family roles to meet career demands. A sense of personal integration is found by working through the stress between what is expected and what will be accepted in any particular situation.” Good stress-management skills, resilience, and self-efficacy are part of the survival kit for any career woman in the world.

“Instead of stopping at the crossroads of career versus family and marriage, integrated women have the ability and opportunity to combine career, family, and marriage. They are career-oriented without rejecting marriage or family.” Marriage and having children are choices. They are not “absolutes” in a woman’s life, especially in a career woman’s life. Dr. Lin and Dr. Mary Moore’s study (1983) found that over three-quarters of American women college students planned to marry, have children, and pursue a career upon graduation. Dr. Lin stressed that marriage is an option for women. She also emphasized that “being single and a career woman can be just as fulfilling as being a married career-oriented woman with children or without children. Life is a choice.” Phylis Lan Lin, 1996,

“

Integrated Women: A Conceptual Framework,” In Women and Work, edited by P. J. Dubeck & K. Borman, pp. 128–131

5. Building a Healthy Family and Enhancing Family Strengths

Family, the Cornerstone of Society. “We are born into families, grow up in families, and create new families for future generations. The family is the cornerstone for personal growth and community development.” Phylis Lan Lin, Marriage and the Family, 1996

Defining a Healthy Family. Dr. Lin wrote several books on this subject, including Marriage and the Family (1982, 1986, and 1996) and Characteristics of a Healthy Family (1987). She did research and published “Characteristics of a Healthy Family and Family Strengths: A Cross-Cultural Study” (Lin,1987). “Family strengths” has been used to describe the family resources of adaptability and integration, which denote a happy, successful, and stable family. “Healthy family” refers to a healthy, comfortable, intimate, harmonious, warm, and well-balanced family life. “Healthy” encompasses a ‘broad meaning with respect to harmonious relations and successful functioning so that both the individual’s and the family’s needs can be met.’ Phylis Lan Lin, “Characteristics of a Healthy Family and Family Strengths: A Cross-Cultural Study,” 1987

Characteristics of a Healthy Family. Every family has problems, including healthy families. Healthy families can cope and adjust well to demands of daily life. Further, Dr. Lin made a bold statement that “the definition of a healthy family is not based solely on the structure of the family, hence, even a single-parent family can be considered a healthy family if the family’s needs are met, and stresses are managed through positive mechanisms. A healthy family is a stress-resistant family in that such a family is able to function at its fullest capacity and is able to cope with demands of daily life.” Lin, Mei, & Peng, 1994, pp. 9–24 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 259–270)

Attaining the characteristics of a healthy family commitment, togetherness, appreciation, good communication, and coping with crisis and stress has been a goal in Dr. Lin’s personal life. “My family (parents, husband, daughter, siblings, and in-laws) are my cornerstone for survival and growth. We are very close. We experience our family strengths in good times and hard times. We always draw strength from our family’s closeness, in both good times and hard times.” –Phylis Lan Lin, Reflections, October 23, 2019

Dr. Lin’s family is ready to celebrate her 52nd wedding anniversary in 2022. Dr. Lin notes with a laugh, “My family is not perfect, but we are healthy and happy.” Inspired by her sociological discussions on marriage and family, there are two “mottos” carved on wooden plates hanging on her kitchen wall: “Be Reasonable: Do It My Way,” and “My house is CLEAN enough to be healthy and DIRTY enough to be happy.”

6. Laughter Is the Best Medicine

Humor Puts People at Ease. We all have encountered stress and strain in life, and we have learned that laughter is the best medicine. Dr. Lin likes to crack jokes and laugh out loud. She is a good storyteller, and her sense of humor and enduring values are in evidence in a 2005 speech, “Education and Work Life,” as she describes her three distinct traits that she considers “my three assets and my three

disadvantages.” She is a good storyteller, and her sense of humor puts people at ease in encounters in person and through her writing. Her busy life brings in, inevitably, high stress. Dr. Lin says humor and letting go have helped her think clearly under stress and remain calm. She says having a sense of humor keeps her flexible and open-minded during difficult times. A good laugh is a powerful biochemical exercise as well. Laughter is good medicine for both the body and the mind.

7. Embrace Cultural Relativism

Encountering Immigrants. From 1973 onward, Professor Lin brought a sense of cultural relativism to her teaching, scholarship, and leadership at UIndy. There were few persons of Asian descent living in Indianapolis in the early 1970s, a time when Marion County’s foreign-born population was 1.45%. It has now grown to 9.6%, according to US Census data from 2020. (https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/marioncountyindiana/PST045221)

Cross-Cultural Understanding. The arrival of hundreds of students from China on UIndy’s campus beginning in 2006 prompted a heightened awareness of the importance of cultural competence for both the Chinese students and their hosting community of students, faculty, and staff. In an address to graduates of NIT, Dr. Lin shared understanding born of her experience and research:

Today, I am not giving you advice but presenting a perspective that I have cherished when I interact with people from different parts of the world. I am seeing that we have something in common, hoping to use the concept of cultural relativism as a motto to encourage each other to enhance mutual understanding and self-cultivation in a global economy and the multicultural world where we reside.

Cultural relativism means looking at how the elements of a culture fit together, without judging those elements as superior or inferior, right or wrong. The principle of cultural relativism is the foundation of all harmonious human relations, at a micro or macro level. “Learn to Embrace Cultural Relativism,” 2010 Sino-American Joint Program Commencement Ceremony, NIT, Zhejiang, China, June 20, 2010 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 327–338)

It was during her childhood in Taiwan that Professor Lin’s earliest inculcation of values of diversity and inclusion began. She experienced her parents’ openness and acceptance of people of diverse backgrounds, their servant-leadership and generosity. Since her arrival in the United States, Dr. Lin has proudly shared her native culture while embracing American culture. Understanding across cultures, cultural relativism, is foundational to her research as a scholar in the complex field of sociology and as a higher education global leader. In her classes and through academic and cultural programs, generations of students gained cultural knowledge and understanding. Graduates of the Phylis Lan Lin Social Work Department programs at the University of Indianapolis will have the knowledge needed to work, live, and pursue economic and social justice in a diverse and global society.

8. Pursuing Successful Aging and Quality of Life

Defining Successful Aging. Dr. Lin, now 80, on the one hand, is starting to enjoy her retirement and at the same time asking herself how to age successfully: How can we make our “old age” successful and happy? Dr. Lin’s favorite quote on aging is from George Bernard Shaw: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.” At present, Dr. Lin’s research has entered a new phase, targeting the global aging issue and exploring “successful aging.” High-quality aging is more about the relationship between the elderly and stress than about the prolongation of human life. There are many definitions of successful aging, but the simplest definition may be “to continue to live a fulfilled life.” Then we ask, what may assist you to fulfill your life?

Through an Interdisciplinary Lens. “Once again, with ‘successful aging,’ Dr. Lin underscores the interdisciplinary nature of the studies on stress and stress management, including not only sociology but also all the possible links to other fields: cytology, immunology, biotech, medical aspects, and social welfare. When we pay close attention to our environment, understanding ourselves without being selfcentered, being loving and wise, and making individual and joint efforts together, quality of life for the entire human race can be improved.” Xu Yali, “Interview with Professor Phylis Lan Lin: SelfUnderstanding Without Self-Centeredness” (in Chinese), Youth Literary, November 2014, pp. 47–49, translated by Linda Gao, September 6, 2016 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 27–30)

For further information, see Stress Management: A Total-Approach Marriage (Lin, 2003) and Family Stress Management: Improving Quality of Life (Lin, 2004) (Both books are in Chinese.) (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010226887).

The Five Fs/Hs Model of Successful Aging. In “The Five Fs/Hs of Successful Aging, the Proactivity Model, Stress Management, and Quality of Later Life Conceptualization,” Professor Lin posits that “healthy and successful aging is possibly the most important research and social and public health policy issue related to aging since the 1980s. … The presentation synthesizes theories and intervention strategies on successful aging with a conceptualization framework: life trajectories in life course | objective and subjective definitions of aging | determinants of successful aging | the Five Fs/Hs Model (fitness, financial, family, fortitude, and faith, or physical health, financial health, social health, mental health, and spiritual health) | effective stress management and the Proactivity Model | successful aging | intervention strategies | quality of life.” Phylis Lan Lin, November 2, 2015 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 233–234)

9. Being Human: The Four Hs

The Four Hs. Professor Lin refers to four cardinal words that begin with H as pillars of her life:

Humanism

Happiness

Holism

Humility

Following Confucian Teaching. “Time flies; I have lived in America for 52 years. I am very clear with my identity. Who am I? Chinese? American? Neither. I am a Chinese-American. I have the best of two worlds. My Asian heritage cultivates my Confucian values (humanism and humility) and moral

teachings (work ethics, filial piety, and loyalty), and my assimilation to American culture cultivates my scientific mind (critical thinking and research skills), democratic values (leadership style and civic engagement), and volunteerism (community service and social responsibility). I can grasp the best of the two worlds and keep an integrated yet balanced framework between the east and the west. I am neither Chinese nor American. I am a Chinese-American. I came, I integrate, and I am part of the American fabric.” Phylis Lan Lin, Welcome Remarks at the Chinese American Museum DC Gala Event, Willard Intercontinental Hotel, Washington, DC, November 8, 2018, (Compendium, 2020, pp. 155–158)

“I am supported by lifelong friendships. I am blessed by having a good family. They form the pillars of my life. Most of all, my parents taught me the importance of humanity. My father left me three words: truthfulness, beauty, and goodness (真善美). He taught me the essence of humanity and integrity.” “On Leadership,” January 9, 2004 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 149–154)

Dr. Lin touched upon humility in her commencement speech in 2017: “Humility is relationshipbuilding; it is not about self. Only through the practice of humility can one really become an authentic and servant leader. Over the years, I have come to believe that practicing humility does not mean belittling yourself but fosters inner strength. To practice humility is ultimately to have the ability to recognize who you are and to make yourself an instrument of change.” Commencement Speech, University of Indianapolis–NIT Zhejiang University Joint Program, June 18, 2017 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 383–389)

Humility Embraces Truthfulness, Goodness, and Inner Beauty. “Always think of yourself less, but do not think less of yourself. Dharma Master Cheng Yen (Tzu Chi), who was one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, said, ‘To give selflessly with a genuine heart is to be true. To contribute to others unconditionally is to be good. When one is both true and good, beauty is radiated.’” Phylis Lan Lin, “Truth, Goodness, and Beauty,” Sino-American Joint Program Commencement Ceremony Speech, NIT, Zhejiang, China, June 21, 2011 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 339–345)

“‘Humility is the basic foundation of all virtues; admitting what you don’t know is knowing.’ This suggests that the best leaders are humble leaders. In our Asian teaching, self-growth must be instilled first by self-cultivation and self-awareness. All great leaders possess humility in their actions and deeds. Mahatma Gandhi’s advice should be well taken by us: ‘It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. Nonviolence is impossible without humility.’” Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, “Opening Remarks: ‘Embracing and Cultivating Humility,’” Keynote Speech at the AODN (Asian Organization Development Network) Summit, Shanghai, China, September 23–26, 2016 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 137–142)

10. Five Cs for Stress Management and Resilience

Controlling Life by Controlling Stress. “Professor Lin’s interest in researching stress can be traced back to her mother’s expectation of her going to medical school. Though she went against her mother’s will, Dr. Lin finds herself assisting doctors in better understanding patients based on her studies in medical sociology. Though not a practitioner of medicine, Dr. Lin explores studies on socialpsychological aspects of illness behavior. She gave workshops to interns in family medicine and workshops to social work practitioners on foster care in the 1980s in Taiwan. In her latest publication this year, Stress Management: Improving Quality of Life, Dr. Lin no longer views stress purely as an alien intruder but a possible component of quality of life once effectively managed and positively converted.

“Phylis had once made a statement about her coping with cancer. Earlier in 1997 she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. ‘Do not let cancer claim you; you claim cancer. Resilience, recognize the challenges before you, find your support system and the best doctors, face it and take charge of it, then you will survive. You are the survivor, not “the victim.” You must have the courage to change the perception of “being a victim of a terminal disease.”’ Phylis took charge of her disease by asking for a second opinion, seeking out the best doctors she could find, and turning to her family and friends. ‘Having the best doctors and family support is the secret to surviving. You need help. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.’ Phylis was born in Taiwan, a culture where people are far less open about personal issues like cancer. Recognizing the reluctance of Asian women to talk about such things, she wrote ‘Dance with Cancer,’ an article in Chinese, to show other Chinese-speaking women how to be proactive and how to make fighting cancer the most positive experience possible.” Indianapolis Woman 2003 Breast Cancer Handbook, p. 60

For any cancer survivor, having a good support system (family, medical team, friends, and community, etc.) is key to recovery. I am so blessed to have had the best possible support system during my recovery. It is a blessing to have the support of all in my family and my extended family: my husband, daughter, siblings, and in-laws. Their support goes beyond description; it is boundless and absolutely unconditional.

The Five Cs for Stress Management and Resilience. Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, challenges, or significant sources of stress. Self-awareness is the first step to being resilient. We need to be aware of the reality, find a sense of purpose in life and work, and be creative and flexible in seeking ways to cope and manage the reality. Psychology professor Suzanne C. Kobasa uses 3 Cs to describe the ‘stress hardy’ personality: i.e., commitment, control, and challenge. Apart from valuing commitment, keeping the situation under control, and rising to challenges, Dr. Lin adds ‘change’ and ‘charge.’ ‘Change’ “means remaining calm in the face of changes, and ‘charge’ suggests shouldering responsibilities when called to and knowing when to move forward and backward. After knowing oneself, a person can develop an ideal personality, free from stress, if trying to work on their own will.” Xu Yali, “Interview with Professor Phylis Lan Lin: SelfUnderstanding Without Self-Centeredness” (Chinese), Youth Literary, November 14, pp. 47–49, translated by Linda Gao, September 6, 2016 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 27–30)

11. Envisioning Cultural Dualism

Blending East and West. “My Asian heritage cultivates my Confucian values (humanism and humility) and moral teachings (work ethic, filial piety, and loyalty), and my assimilation to American culture cultivates my scientific mind (critical thinking and research skills), democratic values (leadership style and civic engagement), and volunteerism (community service and social responsibility). I can grasp the best of the two worlds and keep an integrated yet balanced framework between the East and the West. I am blessed to have been socialized in both cultures. I can see in myself the values and practices of the two cultures.” Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, “Learning to Embrace Cultural Relativism,” Commencement Speech in Ningbo, China, 2010 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 327–338)

The Doctrine of the Mean. Dr. Lin’s life philosophy follows the doctrine of the mean 中庸之道, a well-known Confucian teaching that denotes “moderation, rectitude, objectivity, sincerity, honesty, and propriety. The guiding principle is that one should never act in excess.” She stresses objectivity as the

key word instead of taking sides: we vs. they, inclusion vs. exclusion, East vs. West, men vs. women, “better or worse, and so on. Being an immigrant in America, Dr. Lin never forgets her roots, yet she embraces the greatness of American values. Once again, in her 2011 commencement speech to the graduates of the joint program, Dr. Lin brought up cultural relativism: “You are very fortunate to have received two kinds of education (Chinese and American) and to have received two sets of degrees (NIT and UIndy). You have the freedom to choose. What you have chosen today will become part of you tomorrow. We hope you will make the best use of your dual assets and to continue the path of greater learning, commitment to serving your community, and resilience to the ever-changing and challenging world. . . . You will be the movers and shakers and the promising leaders in a society where you will encounter many things that you have learned on both campuses.” “Truth, Goodness, and Beauty,” Sino-American Joint Program Commencement Ceremony, NIT, Zhejiang, China, June 21, 2011 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 339–346)

Asian Heritage as an Asset. Dr. Lin’s Asian heritage and leadership skills enhanced the university’s opportunities and capacity to forge international partnerships. Professor Lin led students, faculty, and administrators on transformative educational trips to Asia. Professor Lin also received and hosted international guests on behalf of the university’s presidents. Over time, UIndy partnerships have brought hundreds of students and visiting faculty to Indianapolis, and scores of UIndy faculty have taught at partner institutions in Asia.

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion. “Higher education institutions must embrace the culture of inclusion and diversity, not limiting themselves to the inclusion of the diverse local student population but also embracing students from all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. We must make the campus a welcoming and supportive place for faculty and students of all backgrounds. Furthermore, we must ask what colleges and universities can do to diversify their curricula. Courses that deal with global cultures and inequality should be integrated in the general education core. Courses such as Gender in the Workplace, Racism in America, Leadership across Cultures, and Civic Engagement should be considered part of the multicultural curricula. Internationalization and globalization in higher education go hand in hand.” Phylis Lan Lin “Beyond 2018: Challenges of America’s Higher Education,” Presentation at Shenzhen University, China, December 2, 2016; also in US-China Education Review A, 8(5), pp. 217–225, 2018 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 41–54)

Increasing International Collaboration. Zhejiang Yuexin University of Foreign Languages–UIndy International College (ZYUFL) is in the city of Shaoxing, about three hours from Shanghai. Beverly Pitts, then UIndy president, appointed Dr. Lin Associate Vice President for International Partnerships and Senior Vice President of the International College, ZYUFL. “Like other organizations around Indiana and elsewhere, we see value in building relationships with the world’s second largest economy. International collaboration enhances mutual cultural understanding.” Dr. Lin also established exchange programs with universities in Taiwan, including Tunghai University, Providence University, and National Taiwan University of Education in Taichung.

12. Turning Weakness into Strength

First, I am short. My disadvantage is that I cannot reach things higher than five feet tall. However, my height is also my asset because my physicality has never presented a threat to anyone. I can immediately put people at ease when I converse with them, especially if we are

standing up. So, I’ve always said, “Let’s sit down and talk.” I figured that you won’t be able to see much of the height difference between us while sitting down.

Second, I am a woman. My disadvantage is that, whether in America or elsewhere, I may experience gender harassment or discrimination at work. However, being a woman, I am more expressive, gentle, objective, and possibly more intelligent than my male counterpart. I work hard, and sometimes I use that “motherly instinct” at work. I get more things done than my male colleagues, and I am able to exercise a special kind of leadership skill that encompasses vision (mothers know how to make plans), integrity (who doesn’t trust mothers?) and passion (mothers are the most affectionate people on earth). In short, this is my leadership model the VIP model.

Third, I am Chinese. My disadvantage is that, in America, I am a minority and an outsider. I have been excluded from job and scholarship opportunities. However, being Chinese in America, I can make the best use of my Chinese heritage 5,000 years of a very rich cultural heritage. If nothing else, I speak Chinese, but most Americans don’t. With my cultural heritage, I see myself as a cultivated, well-educated person who practices the highest degree of filial piety with a respect for the elderly, and I keep two canons in my daily life humanism and humility. I enrich my American students in the classrooms with Confucianism and Chinese arts. I think I have accomplished a lot; however, I always think there is much more for me to do and learn. My Chinese philosophy in life is that I always think of myself less, but I never think less of myself. Service is my motto. I used to be very selfish. When I first arrived in America, I thought I would return to Taiwan someday and serve only “my people.” However, Indiana transformed me. Now I want to serve not just certain people but all people. I am very conscious of my three traits. The day I stepped foot on American soil, I told myself, “I must turn my disadvantages into advantages and turn my weaknesses into strengths.” Phylis Lan Lin, Speech at the Education and Work Life: A Chinese Immigrant’s Experience Workshop, Indianapolis, 2005 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 225–230)

“Being bilingual, multicultural, Asian, Chinese, short, and female are my advantages, not disadvantages. Nevertheless, we must learn how to transfer and transform our seeming disadvantages to advantages! As an immigrant in America, I must respect Americans and American culture while retaining my Chinese cultural heritage. . . . Know one’s strengths and weaknesses and translate them into leadership opportunities; increase awareness of your own blind spots and biases so you can learn from them and know yourself and become ‘self-leadership.’” Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, “Breaking the Glass Ceiling,” a Presentation at the Tunghai University 1966 Alumni Meeting, June 24, 2022

13. Vision, Integrity, and Passion (the VIP Model)

Professor Lin shared her bywords vision, integrity, and passion in a 2009 commencement speech. Her comments apply as well to the hundreds of graduates of the University of Indianapolis who have benefited from her example and her teaching (as quoted in Chapter 1):

Do we understand what “VIP” stands for? The conventional definition for “VIP” is “very important person.” Yes, we want to make you a very important person in this world. But today, I would like to take the opportunity to put a twist on the acronym and offer a new meaning for “VIP”: vision, integrity, and passion.

Vision. We have been and will continue building this joint program with a vision of the future. We are training a new breed of work force and intellectuals for tomorrow’s China. We want to train a group of young students who can foresee society’s needs and who will position themselves well with the skills and knowledge needed for their future careers. We are building this joint program with a vision that the graduates will be equipped with a sound foundation for them to realize their potential, to be able to find a niche in a most challenging environment. We want to help you to believe that you are part of something bigger than yourselves. Whether you stay in China or return to the U.S. to continue your graduate studies upon graduation, our goal is to help you to grasp the best of two cultures (Chinese and American), to become a global citizen, to become a change agent, and to strengthen the quality not just of your own lives but also of the world that surrounds you.

Integrity. Trust is one of the most important ingredients of integrity. It is imperative to have mutual trust in the joint program. We must be trusted by our students, their parents, and our educational institutions. A high-quality program is based on the integrity of leaders and the institutions where the program is delivered. We trust and believe in ourselves and believe that we will be trusted. Integrity refers to values regarding work, productivity, matters of right and wrong, fairness, and relationships. Passion. Finally, we are passionate; we are committed, and we are engaged. We are ready to educate a new breed of Chinese college students. Several students have asked me, “Dr. Lin, why are you so energetic and tireless?” I reply, “I love what I am doing, and I am in love with what I want to do. In fact, I am passionate about the mission I gave myself. Passionate about what you do having a sense of calling for your job and set ideological goals through education and service-learning.”

A senior lecturer at MIT, Jonathan Byrnes, said one of the essential characteristics to lead paradigmatic change is the capacity for passion. He said, “First and foremost, you need a burning drive to make things better. Change management is a grueling process, and passion will see you through it” (Harvard Business School, “Working Knowledge,” September 6, 2005).

Passion provides the motivation, energy, and commitment to do things rigorously. Whether you are planning to reach a specific life goal, reach a certain level of perfection in your work, make good money, fulfill or abide by your parents’ wishes, help people in crisis, or make a positive impact on your society, you must, first and foremost, have a clear vision and strong passion and practice your deeds with integrity. Only then will you become an effective leader with the moral character for your endeavors.

My dear graduates, today’s ceremony is a rite of passage in your adult lives. I have high hopes for you. You are a product of the VIP model. I hope you will continue to cultivate it with your traditional Chinese values and practice some of the American values you have cherished since you enrolled in the joint program. Commencement Speech, NIT, Zhejiang, China, June 19, 2009 (Compendium, 2020, pp. 317–326)

Dr. Lin Is a Verb

“If people were words, Phylis Lan Lin would be a verb,” wrote Don Frick in 1979. Five years into her career at Indiana Central University, she had “published three books in the last few years and a

fourth is ready for release. . . . Her numerous articles include the topics of drug abuse, halfway houses, bioethics, crisis intervention, foster care and child welfare, family and marriage counseling, and the list goes on. Local community services often benefit from her personal interest and research in matters sociological. . . . To be able to blend Western and Eastern cultures has been another valuable asset for Dr. Lin’s pursuit of culture competencies in her academic career as well as in her personal life. This holistic approach is evident in Dr. Lin’s work. As a sociologist, she could be called a ‘linking verb.’ . . . She forges lines between disciplines, ferrets out relationships between cultures and social systems, between health and institutions” (Don Frick, “Dr. Phylis Lan Lin An Active Verb,” Alumni News, 1979, pp. 20–21).

References

Blitzer, C. C. (2019). Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, founder of the Social Work Department at the University of Indianapolis. University of Indianapolis. https://uindy.edu/applied-behavioral-sciences/socialwork/lin/ Lin, P. L. (1987). Characteristics of a health family and family strengths: A cross-cultural study. In H. R. Lingren, L. Kimmons, P. Lee, G. Rowwe, L. Rothmann, & L. Schwab (Eds.), Family strengths 8–9: Pathways to well-being (pp. 143–164) University of Nebraska.

Lin, P. L., Mei, K. W. & Peng H. C. (eds.) (1994) Marriage and the family in Chinese societies. University of Indianapolis Press.

Lin, P. L. (2003). Stress management: A total-approach. https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010226887

Lin, P. L. (2014). Stress management: Enhancing quality of life. https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010629651

Lin, P. L. (2018). Beyond 2018: Challenges of America’s higher education. US-China Education Review A, 8(5), 217–225. https://doi.org/10.17265/2161-623X/2018.05.004

Lin, P. L. (2022a). A conceptual research journey on meaning of work, self, and integrated women. USChina Education Review B, 12(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.17265/2161-6248/2022.01.001

Lin, P. L. (2022b). Pillars of life. https://issuu.com/phylis-lan-lin/docs/dr_phylis_lan_lin_pillars_of_life Lin, P. L., & Blitzer, C. C. (2020). Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meet the Founder Compendium, A Collection of Articles, Papers, Speeches, and Presentations 1978–2020. https://issuu.com/phylis-lanlin/docs/lin_book_2020_web2_june_19-2020/1

United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Quick facts: Marion County, Indiana. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/marioncountyindiana/PST045221

EPILOGUE

Phylis Lan Lin, PhD Professor Emerita, University of Indianapolis

Good evening:

On this special occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Phylis Lan Lan Department of Social Work, I am grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to have “given birth” to this program. During the past twenty-five years of cultivation and nurturing by our student, alumni, faculty, staff, and community at large, we have witnessed the growth and applauded the strengths of this program A program to prepare a new breed of social workers to serve the needy, to solve and prevent many social problems, to strengthen many families with their difficulties in coping with challenges of their daily lives, and to broaden the horizon and health of our surrounding communities. We are blessed. Thank you for joining us on this special occasion of celebration. We are also happy to see that so many of our alumni are coming home tonight. Your presence means a lot to us.

Our program is small, but it has grown steadily, and it will continue to thrive. We are grateful to have Dr. Wanda Watts’ leadership and grateful to those who came before her, the program is full of promises. The program will continue to evolve to meet new challenges.

My support for our social work program is growing stronger and stronger because I have witnessed the success of our students and I continue to admire the dedication of our faculty. Yes, the time is right for social work. The world is under siege by the COVID-19 pandemic. Refugees from the conflict in Ukraine are arriving in the United States and in countries around the world. Social work is so needed in times of crisis and challenge. Individuals, communities, families, and organizations will become healthier, saner, more just, and inclusive with social work professionals as their consultants, coaches, counselors, care providers, and advocates. The social work profession is indispensable, and social workers are essential to a community’s well-being.

A good leader describes the essence of the event, explains why the event takes place, and inspires participants to look toward the future. I hope our social work program’s 25th anniversary celebration will broaden and reinforce our common vision, encourage us to embrace our deeds with integrity, and will cause us to continue to serve the needy and promote social justice with passion. I hope the event is a rallying cry for us to march into the next chapter of our social work education and social work practice. May our motto, the “VIP” model, be a guidepost that inspires us to thrive and to excel. Our social work program aims to prepare tomorrow’s practitioners and leaders in social work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you my Pillars of Life. I am so fortunate to be able to do meaningful things over the years. Let us all collaborate to make our social work program a promising program, not only for UIndy but also for our larger community and beyond.

Thank you again for your attendance tonight. Thanks to Interim President Phil Terry and Immediate Past Dean of College of Applied Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Torrey Wilson’s kind words in their opening remarks. Thanks also go to our Social Work History team, Alumni office, and many others who have been working with us diligently in the last twelve months to prepare tonight’s event. A special thanks to musician Lauren Cregor for making a special trip from NY to be here tonight. Her music has enlivened our celebration.

September 30, 2022

APPENDIX A

PEOPLE

AND

EVENTS

THAT SHAPED THE PHYLIS LAN LIN DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

Jeff Bryant, MSW Wanda Watts, MSW, JD

Years Department Directors, Deans, Faculty (Social Work, Adjunct, and Field Faculty)

1980s Phylis Lan Lin, PhD

Mary Moore, PhD

Carol Juergeson, MSW

Linda Dye McIntire, MSW

1990s Robert Vernon, PhD

Linda Dye McIntire, MSW

Toni Peabody, MSW

Jeff Bryant, MSW Lynn Bailey, MSW Pam Phares, MSW

# of SW Graduates SW Accreditation, Honors and Scholarships Key Events **

Class of 1983–1987 Class of 1984–1987

61 graduates by 1992

BSW program candidacy (1993)

BSW program fully accredited (1997) Marvin Henricks Award Ratliff Award

Timothy Maher Award Lynn Youngblood Award

SW Offices and Classrooms

Lilly Hall

Good Hall

2000s Linda Dye McIntire, PsyD

Jeff Bryant, MSW Toni Peabody, MSW Tracy Marschall, MSW

BSW = 86 BSW reaffirmation (2001, 2008)

Phylis Lan Lin Scholarship created Mildred Reynolds Scholarship created

Good Hall

2010s BSW & MSW Programs

Faculty: Jeff Bryant, MSW

Tracy Marschall, MSW

Lynn Shaw, MSW, EdD Michelle Meer, MSW

Eveldora Wheeler, MSW,MBA, EdD

Teresa Vorhees, MSW Kelly Thompson, MSW Francine Carter, MSW Christie Jansing, MSW

BSW = 205 SW Dept. becomes PLL Dept. of SW (2014)

MSW program candidacy (2015)

PLLDSW part of CABS (2016) fully accredited (2019)

#1 #2 #3 #4

Good Hall and Health Pavilion

Taniko King-Jordan, MSW, DSW

Gary Miller, MSW, PhD

Wanda Watts, BSW, MSW, JD

Lynn Shaw, BSW, MSW, EdD

Sally Brocksen, MSW, MBA, PhD

Melissa Ketner, MSW, DHSc

Lainey Collins, MSW, PhD

Stephanie Rudd, MSSW, DSW

2020–2022 BSW

Taniko King-Jordan, MSW, DSW

Roxxi Davis, MSW, DSW

Francie Carter, MSW

Christie Jansing, MSW Jeff Bryant, MSW

Amanda Stropes, MSW Katharine Jones, MSW

Pinkie Evans, MSW, PhD Lynell Cooper, MSW Tonya Monnier, MSW

MSW Wanda Watts, BSW, MSW, JD

Lynn Shaw, BSW, MSW, EdD

Melissa Ketner, MSW, DHSc

Lainey Collins, MSW, PhD

Stephanie Rudd, MSW, PhD

Keith Miller, MSW, PhD Lynell Cooper, MSW

Pinkie Evans, MSW, PhD Jacob Goldstein, MSW

Abbreviations

BSW – bachelor’s in social work

MSW – master’s in social work

MSW (2017–2020) = 41

re-accreditation of BSW program (2019)

Toni Peabody Scholarship Award

Michelle Meer Award

Scott Fogo Scholarship

BSW (2020–2021) = 25 BSW and MSW combined (2022) = 47

Phylis Lan Lin Scholarship

Toni Peabody Scholarship

Mildred Reynolds Scholarship

Scott Fogo Scholarship

#5 Health Pavilion

PLLDSW – Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work

SW – social work

** Key Events Sponsored by PLLDSW

#1 West Meets East forums, a highlight of International Education Month at UIndy:

#2 Cultural Competence: Return on Investment (2017)

#3 Health and Culture (2018)

#4 Suicide and Suicide Prevention Across Cultures (2019)

#5 BSW 25-year Celebration (Fall 2022)

SOCIAL WORK MONTH CELEBRATION “THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR SOCIAL WORK”

Christie Jansing

Each year, March has been earmarked as Social Work Month to celebrate the profession of social work across the country. In conjunction with this, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) provides a theme and disseminates educational material about the profession to be shared broadly by professionals. After two long years of not being able to gather in large groups because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work decided to coordinate an event to celebrate Social Work Month with its students and alumni in keeping with the theme “The Time is Right for Social Work.”

The Social Work Department Alumni Committee was tasked with brainstorming what this event would look like. Committee Chair Professor Christie Jansing and Dr. Lynn Shaw collaborated on identifying dates, times, and a possible program outline for the event. In addition, the Social Work Association (SWA; the registered student organization connected to the BSW department) was enlisted to help with the planning. Maddie Abramson, President, and incoming president Emily Key served as representatives at the planning meetings and relayed information back to SWA members.

After several months of planning, the event was scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, 2022, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Annis Theater in the Health Pavilion. Invitations were sent to both current students and alumni. More than 80 individuals RSVP’d to attend the three-hour event, which featured Dr. Amber Smith, Vice President and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at UIndy, as the keynote speaker, as well as an alumni panel, and time for collaboration and fellowship. Continuing education units (CEUs) were offered to alumni, and Lecture/Performance credit was offered to current students. Additionally, some faculty awarded extra credit to students who attended.

The event began as scheduled, with MSW Director Dr. Wanda Watts and Interim BSW Director Francine Carter welcoming those in attendance. Professor Carter acknowledged the alumni in the room and had them stand for a round of applause. Dr. Watts then went on to discuss facts about the social work profession and their role in assisting in challenges that are happening around the world, ultimately concluding, “The time is right for social work.” The 25th anniversary of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work was highlighted, and everyone was informed of upcoming events that will take place during Homecoming week in the Fall 2022 semester.

Professor Carter then introduced Dr. Amber Smith, who talked about her role as vice president and chief equity and inclusion officer at UIndy, as well as the importance of the role social workers play in advocating for social justice in relation to underrepresented groups. In addition, Dr. Smith touched on important topics such as cultural competence and cultural humility as well as self-care.

During the second hour, the SWA facilitated a panel discussion with alumni from both the BSW and MSW programs. Panelists included Kevin Harper, MSW, LSW; TaQuasha Manns, MSW; and Katie Kauffman, BSW, MSW student. Panelists provided diverse perspectives on their journeys through UIndy’s social work programs as well as their experiences in the field of social work.

The final hour was spent with Dr. Lynn Shaw, who facilitated an activity called Pair and Share. Students in the audience were asked to pair in small groups with faculty or alumni to discuss specific

questions and takeaways from the event. This provided time for students to mingle with others in the room and to build connections with alumni and faculty. We look forward to making this an annual event, and the feedback we received from the event was very positive.

APPENDIX C

25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION PROGRAM

UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS

PHYLIS LAN LIN DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

25TH REUNION CELEBRATION

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 | 6 P.M.

REMARKS WILL BEGIN AT 6:45 IN THE AUDITORIUM.

WELCOME

Dr. Wanda Watts, Assistant Professor & Director of MSW Programs

Dr. Roxxi Davis, Assistant Professor & BSW Program Director

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Caterina Cregor Blitzer, Introduction Lauren Cregor, Composer & Vocalist

PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS

Interim President Phil Terry

DEPARTMENT HISTORY SYNOPSIS

Dr. Wanda Watts, Assistant Professor & Director of MSW Programs

DEAN REMARKS

Dr. Torrey Wilson, Immediate Past Dean College of Applied Behavioral Sciences

UINDY SOCIAL WORK THROUGH THE YEARS

Rosie Butler, M.A., LSW, ’84 Jeff Bryant, Associate Professor

SOCIAL WORK: A REFLECTION FROM ALUMNI PRACTITIONERS

Jennifer Leonard, First Year MSW Program Bradley Wantz, MSW, ’22 Olawunmi Arowolo, MS ’20

FOUNDER REMARKS

Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, Professor Emerita

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE Lauren Cregor, Composer & Vocalist

APPENDIX D

BIOGRAPHIES

Following are biographies of chapter contributors and members of the PLLDSW History Project Team (denoted by*).

Madeline (Maddie) Abramson is a recent BSW graduate (May 2022)! She has been studying social work since her second semester at the University of Indianapolis. Maddie served as the Social Work Association president beginning in Fall 2020, making it a resource for not only social work students but also for all students to benefit from experiences and resources that students had available to them before the pandemic. She has had a passion for nonprofits since she was 13 years old and always finds a way to help address needs in the community. She plans to use her BSW to help nonprofits get grants and acquire funding to continue helping people. Her experience with the nonprofit organization RightFit provided her with many opportunities and gave her firsthand knowledge on how to incorporate servicelearning experiences within her social work career.

Ola Arowolo migrated to the United States in 2003 with her two children, ages 7 and 5, after the death of her husband and became a US citizen in 2020. Ola raised her two children in New York, where she first settled. Ola was born into poverty, and her parents never went to school. Determined to break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty in her family, Ola passed her GED in 2013 at age 48. The same year, she gained admission into the City University of New York, Staten Island campus. After graduating in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology, she began a master’s program in psychology at the University of Indianapolis in the same year. Ola graduated in 2020 with her MA in psychology. She attempted to start an agency to provide care and behavior support for individuals with developmental delays and intellectual disabilities, having served this population for 17 years in different settings and capacities; however, the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities required a license for her agency to be a home and community-based provider of waiver services, hence her decision to return for her MSW while working as a behavior consultant. Ola earned her MSW in May of 2022. She currently works at Decatur Middle School as a behavior counselor and is the founder and CEO of Oasis Mental Health Consulting LLC, which is still a work in progress. Ola hopes to continue her dream of building a thriving agency that will serve this population with care, compassion, and humility, as well as of further expanding her own education at the doctoral level.

*Caterina Cregor Blitzer, an international education consultant, is a native of Trieste, Italy; fluent in Italian, French, German, and English; and learning Spanish. Cathy is a graduate of Indiana University, with a BA (Honors) in French, Italian, and German, and of the University of Wisconsin with an MA in comparative literature and linguistics. Throughout her career in the US and abroad, she has advocated for the benefits of fluency in languages and cultural competency. She has applied multilingual skills and global competencies in public service, international business, and community-based nonprofit leadership. Her leadership positions include Assistant Director, International Trade Division, Indiana Department of Commerce; President, Corporation for Indiana’s International Future; President, Campbell Communications International; Deputy Mayor, City of Indianapolis; Executive Director, International Center of Indianapolis; Director, International Education, Indiana Department of Education; Vice President for Marketing and Development, International School of Indiana; and Global

Learning and World Languages Specialist, Indiana Department of Education. Cathy serves on the Indiana Language Roadmap Project Statewide Advisory Board and is privileged to collaborate with the University of Indianapolis’s Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work on cultural forums and on the History of the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work project and served as editor of the Phylis Lan Lin Meet the Founder Compendium. She is the recipient of the 2016 Simon Award from the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, in recognition of her leadership in world language learning, and her honors include the Sagamore of the Wabash and the Torchbearer Award of the Indiana Commission for Women.

*Jeff Bryant is an associate tenured professor of social work at the University of Indianapolis Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Indiana University and is a licensed clinical social worker. Bryant has been at UIndy full-time since 2003 and teaches macro practice classes along with policy, addictions, service-learning, and capstone classes. His interests lie in the areas of marriage and families, youth, and national and international service-learning. He has been a presenter at five international symposia on service-learning. Additionally, he has more than 30 years’ experience as a social work practitioner and has served as a volunteer in a number of organizations. Currently, he is president of the Indiana chapter of the North American Association of Christians in Social Work and serves as a biblical counselor in marriage mentoring, as well as a lay counselor. He and his wife lead the seven-week premarital class twice a year at College Park Church in Indianapolis. He loves spending time with his family (wife of 42 years, two daughters, and five grandkids), loves to walk (stepper), is learning how to pay Pickle-ball, and relaxes doing jigsaw puzzles.

*Rose (Rosie) W. Butler, MA, LSW, has worked in varied capacities in the field of social work since graduating from ICU/UIndy in 1984. She worked in child welfare/child protection services out of college. After a few years, Rosie was offered the position of social worker with the Marion County Children’s Guardian Home, which was then a shelter for children who were abused/neglected/ abandoned. Upon receiving her master’s in counseling degree, she moved to the position of director of that same “home.” Upon closure of the shelter program, she was hired to facilitate the building’s reuse as a charter high school. Rosie then worked as an information and referral specialist before accepting a contract as the program director to operate a small local faith-based multiservice center. Additionally, she spent eight years as an adoption champion seeking forever families for children in the Department of Child Services who were available for adoption, at the same time working as a behavioral consultant with persons with disabilities.

Rosie has been married for 44 years to Dave, who helps to keep her laughing through life’s challenges. They have one biological son, Robert, who keeps them tech-savvy. As a family, they hosted international students from 1999 to 2017, gaining more “children” in the process. Rosie is active in her church and thoroughly enjoys working in the children’s and mission outreach programs. Reading and crafting are two of her favorite hobbies, and, having recently retired, she is pursuing those hobbies, along with tutoring at a local elementary/junior high school.

*Marianna Kalli Foulkrod, MAAS, is the director of the Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement (CSLCE) and adjunct faculty at the Shaheen College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Indianapolis. Since her migration from Cyprus to the United States, Marianna has had a fascinating and diverse career, starting as the assistant director for a nonprofit advocacy organization that works for and with people with disabilities. She quickly realized her passion for higher education and moved back

to that environment, working to support her institution’s motto, “Education for Service,” through a variety of faculty, community, and student programming between the university and the community locally, nationally, and globally. She cochaired the International Symposium on Service-Learning (ISSL), which was hosted in Nicosia, Cyprus, in June of 2022. Marianna oversees UIndy’s ServiceLearning Council, a faculty and staff advisory council that supports the development, delivery, and assessment of service-learning initiatives at the institution. Marianna is a strong advocate for community engagement, both civically and academically, and is committed to providing higher-education students with quality education through service. Marianna’s most recent endeavors have included publications, UIndy receiving the Community Engagement Classification through Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2020), as well as recognitions from the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Marianna has been recognized by Indiana Campus Compact with the Community Service Director Award (2016) as well as by UIndy with the Beyond UIndy Award (2019).

*Andy Kocher is the vice president for corporate and community partnerships at the University of Indianapolis, providing strategic planning and leadership for UIndy’s external outreach efforts while overseeing the departments for alumni engagement, the Stephen F. Fry Professional Edge Center, community relations, and university events. Prior to this role, he worked for 20 years in various University Advancement positions, including annual giving, major gifts, and executive director of development.

Jennifer Leonard is an opioid treatment program therapist in the field of substance-use disorders, with interest in addictions, recovery services, and programs. She received her associate degree in human services from Ivy Tech and her BSW from the University of Indianapolis. Jennifer graduated with distinction from both Ivy Tech’s Ivy Honors College and the University of Indianapolis’s Strain Honors College. Jennifer also holds addictions credentials granted by the Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol & Drug Abuse as a certified recovery coach (CAPRC I), a certified alcohol and drug addition consultant (CADAC II), and a medically assisted treatment specialist (MATS). She is currently pursuing her MSW in the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work, concentrating on addictions and behavioral health. Jennifer cofounded the Healing Hounds, a recovery community on the campus of the University of Indianapolis for college students seeking support and recovery from poor mental health and harmful substance use. Her past research has examined the essential components of the Healing Hounds that members say contribute to fellowship and peer support and that promote overall well-being. Her works have been published in Pearson Students Blog.

*Phylis Lan Lin, PhD, Professor Emerita, University of Indianapolis, serves on the Board of Directors, Asia Organization Development (AODN). She received the UIndy Meritorious Award for 45 years of dedicated teaching, administration, and service, and the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work is named in her honor. Dr. Lin received a PhD in sociology from the University of Missouri in 1972. She is a prolific writer and editor in Chinese and English, including numerous research papers, monographs, and books, including Organizational Behavior, Stress Management: Enhancing Quality of Life, Marriage and the Family, Crisis Intervention: Theory and Practice, Service-Learning in Higher Education: Theory and Practice, Medical Sociology, and Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meet the Founder Compendium. She organized and chaired international symposia on China, and the International Symposium on Service-Learning and International Symposium on Families: East and West. She established the University of Indianapolis Press. The Master Au Ho-Nien Museum, founded in 2004 at UIndy, is one of her enduring cultural legacies.

For more information about Dr. Lin, please see Founder of the Social Work Department at UIndy (https://uindy.edu/applied-behavioral-sciences/social-work/lin/index), Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meet the Founder Compendium (https://issuu.com/phylis-lan-lin), and the video Dr. Phylis Lan Lin American Story Chinese American Museum DC (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKbIRjft7l4).

Bradley Wantz is a 2022 graduate from the MSW program at the University of Indianapolis and a recipient of the Phylis Lan Lin scholarship. A person in recovery himself, Bradley has worked at Community Fairbanks Recovery Center since 2017. Bradley earned his BA in 2009 from Indiana University, where he double-majored in theatre & drama and African-American & African Diaspora studies. His areas of interest include harm reduction, treatment of co-occurring mental health disorders, feminism, and LGBTQ+ issues. He is active with IndyTennis and the Lilly Scholars Network. Bradley currently lives in Indianapolis.

*Wanda K. Watts, JD, MSW, LCSW, is currently an assistant professor and program director for the Master of Social Work program for the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work at the University of Indianapolis. She was previously an adjunct professor for the Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work at the University of Indianapolis, School of Adult Learning/Center for Aging and Community at the University of Indianapolis, and Indiana University School of Social Work, Indianapolis.

Wanda has more than 20 years of experience working in the government and nonprofit service sectors. Over the course of her career, she has held macro-level positions serving as a director of operations and programming (COO) for a faith-based not-for-profit organization based in Indianapolis. Additionally, she served in the position of director of public engagement and community outreach for a residential treatment facility. Likewise, she served as a deputy director in the Office of Community Planning and Contract Management in the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and as commissioner for the Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners in Indiana state government. Wanda had previously worked as a school social worker for the Indianapolis Public Schools. She has more than 30 years of experience working in a variety of clinical social work positions in Indianapolis, Indiana; Atlanta, Georgia; and Cleveland, Ohio. She has had extensive experience working with many diverse populations, including but not limited to persons of color, children, adolescents, families, and the aged and aging.

Her educational background includes a JD degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law; a certificate in Fund Raising Management, The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University; a public management certificate from Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs; a Master of Social Work degree from Atlanta University; and a bachelor of social work degree from Indiana University.

Marilyn Augst is a freelance indexer (her business name is Prairie Moon Indexing). Over the past 18 years, she has written indexes for 20 books for Dr. Lin, including her series of 6 books on servicelearning. She has been a member of the American Society for Indexing (ASI) since 1996. She served as a leader of the regional ASI group, Heartland Chapter, holding all leadership positions in the chapter over the years. She remembers the first time Dr. Lin called her on the phone to discuss indexing her book, and she is happy to have played a small part in helping to promote Dr. Lin’s philosophy.

INDEX

AAbramson, Madeline (Maddie), 31, 40–42, 75, 79

accreditation of Social Work Program by CSWE, 3, 4–5, 13, 15, 20–21, 57, 73–74

Addams, Jane, 12

addiction and substance abuse, 49, 50–51, 52, 53 adoption and childrens' services, 23, 28–29 aging successfully, as Pillar of Life, 63 Alexander, Lucille, 1–2, 3 Alexander, Paul, 1–2

Alumni Committee, and social work month celebration, 75

alumni, Graduate Survey, 29 alumni reflections. see graduates' reflections anniversary, 25th, of Dept. of Social Work, 4, 13, 71, 75, 77

Arowolo, Olawunmi (Ola), 54–55, 77, 79 Arriaga, Eduard, 29

Asian History Project (Indiana Historical Society), 1 awards. see scholarships and awards

B

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), 3, 4–5 accreditation of program, 3, 4–5, 13, 15, 20–21, 57, 73–74 concentrations in, 36, 38 faculty, 73–74 fieldwork experience and field manual, 38 mission and objectives, 5–6 numbers of students, 21, 37, 45, 73–74

Bailey, Lynn, 73

Blitzer, Caterina Cregor, 57, 58, 77, 79–80

Bridwell, Andra, 18

Brocksen, Sally, 74 Bryant, Jeff, 33, 46, 73, 74, 77, 80

Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services, 54 Burmese American Community Institute (BACI), 37 Burmese refugees and immigrants, 26–27

Butler, Rose (Rosie), 13–29, 28, 45, 77, 80

Byock, Ira, 19

Byrnes, Jonathan, 7, 68

C

cancer, surviving, 65 career and family balance, 60 CareSource Insurance, 39 Carpenter, David, 34–35 Carter, Francine, 32, 37, 73, 74, 75

Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement (CSLCE), 31–32, 34–35, 36, 42

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 52 certificates, specialty, 47 challenge, for stress management, 65 champions, 59 Chan, Sophia, 14, 19 change agents, as one of four Cs, 48 change, for stress management, 65 charge, for stress management, 65 Cheng Yen (Tzu Chi, Dharma Master), 7, 64 child welfare work, 21–22, 23 Chinese American Museum DC, 57, 64 Collins, Lainey, 74 commitment, for stress management, 65 Community Engagement through Leadership & Service Concentration (CELSC), 36, 38, 40 Community Fairbanks Recovery Center, 49 community partnerships for service-learning employment opportunities, 37–38 positive feedback from, 36 and social work education, 32–33 compassion, 2, 48, 59 compendium: Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meet the Founder Compendium (Lin and Blitzer), 2, 3 competence, as one of four Cs, 48 concentrations in majors in BSW, 36, 38 in MSW, 47, 53 confidence, as one of four Cs, 48 Confucius, 63, 65 continuing education units, 75 control, for stress management, 65 Cooper, Lynell, 74 Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation of Social Work Program, 3, 4–5, 13, 15, 20–21, 57, 73–74 field practicum requirement, 32 nine core competencies, 35, 38, 41 COVID-19 pandemic, 71, 75 Cozine, Hanna, 39 Cregor, Lauren, 71, 77

Cultural Competence: Return on Investment event, 74 cultural dualism, 65–66 cultural relativism, 62, 66

D

Davis, Roxxi, 74, 77

Department of Child Services (DCS), 15, 21, 23 Department of Social Work. see Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work

DeSousa, Julia, 40 diversity, 66 Dixon, Robin, 14

Doctor of Social Work, in development, iv, 47 Doctrine of the Mean, 65–66

Dr. Mildred Reynolds Scholarship, 10, 73, 74

Dr. Phylis Lan Lin and Dr. Leon Lin Scholarship in Social Work, 8–9, 73, 74

Dr. Phylis Lan Lin: Meet the Founder Compendium (Lin and Blitzer), 2, 3 Dr. Scott Fogo Scholarship, 9–10, 74

E education

as determinant of socioeconomic status, 51–52 see also social work education Education for Service as Pillar of Life, 58, 59–60 as UIndy motto, 1, 2, 3, 29, 31 empathy, 2, 35 Evans, Pinkie, 74 Everill, Cheri, 14 Exodus Refugee Immigration, 27, 39 F

family, 60, 61 fieldwork experience. see practicums and internships five Cs for stress management and resilience, 65 five Fs/Hs model of successful aging, 63 Floyd, Elana R., 14 focus groups at UIndy, 53 Fogo, Scott, 9–10 Foulkrod, Marianna, 31, 41, 80–81 four Cs of social work practitioners, 48 four Hs as pillars of life, 63–64 Frick, Don, 68–69

G

Gandhi, Mahatma, 64 gender-based violence, 27 gerontology, 10 Givens, Andre, 29 Goldstein, Jacob, 74 graduates' reflections, 13–29 class of 1983, Linda McIntire, 14–18 class of 1984, Rosie Butler, 13–14 class of 1984, Tami Schlicher, 18–20 class of 1999, Christie Jansing, 21–24 class of 2006, Katie Jones, 24 class of 2014, Karissa Morris, 25–26 class of 2020, Suihlei Tha, 26–27 class of 2022, Tylyn Johnson, 28–29 H

Hansen, Molly, 40 Harper, Kevin, 75 Health and Culture event, 74

Henricks, Marvin, 11 humility embraces truthfulness, goodness, and inner beauty, 7, 63–64 humor, as Pillar of Life, 61–62

I

ICAN Assistance Center and Clothing Closet, 26, 39 immigrants in Indiana, 62 immigration services, 26–27 income, as determinant of socioeconomic status, 51–52 Independent Study in Service-Learning through Leadership & Service, 38 Indiana Adoption Program, 28 Indiana Central College, 2 Indiana Central University (ICU), 1, 13, 14 Indiana Girl's School, 13–14 Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana Sociology Inter-Collegiate Symposium, 18 School of Social Work, 46 Indianapolis Housing Agency, 37 Ingram, Monica L., 14 Institute for Justice Research and Development, 39 integrated women, 60–61 Integrity, in VIP model, 6–7, 29, 68, 71 interdisciplinary approach, 59, 63 International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), 26 international collaboration of higher education, 66 international service-learning program, 37 International Symposium on Service-Learning, 2–3, 31 internships. see practicums and internships Ivy Tech Community College, Human Services program, 27

J

Jane Addams Memorial Award, 12 Jansing (Miller), Christie, 13, 21–24, 28, 29, 32, 33–34, 36, 37, 41, 73, 74, 75

Jerry Israel Interfaith Service Award, 2 Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG), 40 Johnson, Tylyn, 13, 28–29 Jones, Katie (Katharine), 13, 24, 74 Juergeson, Carol, 17, 73

K

Kauffman, Katie, 75 Keller, Helen, 53 Ketner, Melissa, 74 Key, Emily, 75 King-Jordan, Taniko, 74 King, Richard, 11 Kobasa, Suzanne, 65 Kocher, Andy, 81

L

Lantz, Benjamin, 3–4 Laramore, Ann, 14 Larr, Abby, 23

laughter and humor, as Pillar of Life, 61–62 Laurelwood Partnership, 37, 39 leadership

learning from role models, 59 servant, 58

Leising, Kathy, 18 Leonard, Jennifer, 50–51, 77, 81 licensures, 47, 54

Lin, Leon, 8–9

Lin, Phylis Lan, career of biography, 81–82 as founder, 3, 13, 73 influence on students and faculty, 13–14, 45–46 interview with Dr. Watts, 45–48 remarks at 25th Anniversary, 71, 77 remarks to 2020 graduates, 12 retirement, 31 as a verb, 68–69

Welcome Speech at Chinese American Museum DC, 57, 64

Lin, Phylis Lan, personal life of Asian heritage of, 1, 63–64, 65, 66, 67 Chinese name, 58 education of, 1–2, 57 parents' advice and influences on, 2, 58, 59, 62, 64 Pillars of Life (see Pillars of Life) surviving cancer, 65 wedding anniversary, 61 Listening with the Heart, 1 Lynn Youngblood Community Service Award, 11, 73

M

MacLaren, Alexander, 20 macro practice in social work, 29–30, 35, 46, 55 Maechtle, Lowell, 3 Malaysia, refugees in, 26–27 Manns, TaQuasha, 75

Marion County Children's Guardian Home, 15, 23 marriage, in career and family balance, 60 Marschall, Tracy, 73

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 22 Marvin Henricks Award, 11, 73 Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, 40 Master of Social Work Program (MSW) accreditation, 4–5, 21 concentrations in, 47, 53 director of, 46 faculty, 73–74 numbers of students, 37, 45, 74 McIntire (Dye), Linda, 13, 14–18, 21, 73 Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana, 35 Meer, Michelle, 12, 46, 73 mental health community services, 16, 24 UIndy students, call to action, 53 Michelle Meer Award, 12, 74

micro practice in social work, 29–30, 55 Mildred Reynolds Scholarship, 10, 73, 74 Miller, Gary, 74 Miller, Keith, 74 Monnier, Tonya, 74 Moore, Mary, 18, 60, 73 Morris, Karissa, 13, 25–26, 30 mottos

Education for Service, 1, 2, 3, 29, 31 four Cs of social work practitioners, 48 humility embraces truthfulness, goodness, and inner beauty, 7, 63–64 VIP (see VIP (Vision, Integrity, Passion)) A Muppet Christmas Carol, 18 N

National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 50, 75 National Taiwan University of Education, Taichung, 66 O

occupation, as determinant of socioeconomic status, 51–52 online instruction, 47 P

Passion in VIP model, 7, 29, 68, 71 see also social work calls for passion Peabody, Toni, 11, 21, 23, 24, 73 peer support for UIndy students, 53 Phares, Pam, 73

Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work (from 2014) Alumni Committee, 75 establishment of, 1–4 founder's remarks to graduates, 12 History Project Team, 79–82 introductory course, 21, 23, 24 memories, 13, 29–30 mission and objectives, 5–6 motto: four Cs, 48 motto: VIP, 6–7, 29, 48, 71 numbers of students, 37, 45, 73–74 preparation of next-generation practitioners, 45–48 program autonomy, 4–5 reflections from graduates (see graduates' reflections) scholarships and awards, 7–12 (see also scholarships and awards)

social work month celebration, 75–76 25th anniversary, 5, 13, 71, 75, 77 see also Bachelor of Social Work (BSW); Master of Social Work Program (MSW)

Phylis Lan Lin Program of Social Work (to 2014) accreditation by CSWE, 3, 4–5, 13, 15, 20–21, 57, 73–74

first social work majors in 1980s, 14, 18, 20, 57 program growth in 1990s, 20 program name change, 3

Phylis Lan Lin Scholarship in Social Work, 8–9, 73, 74 Pillars of Life, 57–69 cultural dualism, 65–66 cultural relativism, 62 education for service, 59–60 family strengths and healthy family, 61 humility, 63–64 integrated women, 60–61 laughter and humor, 61–62 references, 69 role models and leadership, 59 scholarship reciprocity, 57–58 stress management and resilience, 64–65 successful aging and quality of life, 63 verb, Dr. Lin is a, 68–69 VIP model, 67–68 weakness turned into strength, 66–67 wind blows, grass bends, 58–59 Pitts, Beverly, 66 Pleasant Run, Inc., 22 policy change advocacy, as macro social work, 52, 55 poverty, 51 practicums and internships in service-learning, 32–33, 34–35, 37–38, 39–42 in social work, 21–22, 24 Providence University, 66 Q

quality of life, as Pillar of Life, 63 R

Ratcliff Award, 73 Rees, Cynthia, 39 reflections of social work students from scholarship recipients, 8–11 see also graduates' reflections; service-learning experience reflections; social work calls for passion

Refugee Women's Protection Corps (RWPC), 26 refugees from Myanmar, 26–27 research, recommendations for, 55 resilience, 64–65 Reynolds, Mildred, 10 RightFit, 41–42 role models and leadership, 59 Rudd, Stephanie, 74 Ruddle, Kristene, 2, 58, 60

S

Schafer, Lynne, 18 Schlicher Clark, Tami, 13, 18–20 scholarship reciprocity, as Pillar of Life, 57–58 scholarships and awards, 7–12, 73–74

Dr. Mildred Reynolds Scholarship, 10, 73, 74

Dr. Phylis Lan Lin Scholarship in Social Work, 8–9, 73, 74

Dr. Scott Fogo Scholarship, 9–10, 74

Jane Addams Memorial Award, 12

Jerry Israel Interfaith Service Award, 2 Lynn Youngblood Community Service Award, 11, 73 Marvin Henricks Award, 11, 73 Michelle Meer Award, 12, 74 Ratcliff Award, 73 Timothy Maher Award, 73 Toni Peabody Scholarship, 11, 74 Zonta Club, 57 Scott Fogo Scholarship, 9–10, 74 Sease, Gene, 3 servant leadership, 58 service-learning, 31–43 and BSW curriculum, 34–35 community employers' feedback, 36 community employment opportunities, 37–38 community engagement, 31–32 concentration curriculum, 36 conclusion, 42 independent study, 38 International Symposium on Service-Learning, 2, 31 references, 42–43 in social work and faculty impact, 33–34 in social work education and community partnerships, 32–33 Service-Learning Council, 31, 81 service-learning experience reflections, 39–42 Cynthia Rees, 39 Hanna Cozine, 39 Julia DeSousa, 40 Madeline Abramson, 40–42 Molly Hansen, 40 Suihlei Tha, 39 Shaw, George Bernard, 63 Shaw, Lynn, 36, 73, 74, 75 Sims, Martha, 18 Smith, Amber, 75 Social Work Association (SWA), 75 social work calls for passion, 49–55 Bradley Wantz, 49–50 Jennifer Leonard, 50–51 Ola Arowolo, recommendations, 54–55 reference, 55 socioeconomic status determinants, 51–52 substance abuse and mental health, 53 Social Work Department. see Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work social work education preparation of next-generation practitioners, 45–48 recommendations for research and macro work, 54–55 service-learning and faculty impact, 33–34 and service-learning community partnerships, 32–33 social work month celebration, 75–76 social workers essential to communities, 71 low wages for, 25, 50

professional and personal boundaries, 22, 24 self-care, 22–23, 25 see also reflections of social work students socioeconomic status, determinants of, 51–52 Sociology and Social Work Club, 14, 18

Southeast Neighborhoods of Indianapolis, 37 specialty certificates, 47 strength from weakness, 66–67 stress management and resilience, 64–65 Stropes, Amanda, 74 successful aging, as Pillar of Life, 63 Suicide and Suicide Prevention Across Cultures event, 74 Surgeon General's Report, 52 systems theory, 33, 49

T

Taiwan, 1, 58, 59, 65, 66 Tangram, 40 TeenWorks, 37 Terry, Phil, 71, 77 Tha, Suihlei, 13, 26–27, 30, 39 Thompson, Kelly, 73 three Cs of stress hardy personality, 65 Timothy Maher Award, 73 Toni Peabody Scholarship, 11, 74 truth, goodness, and beauty, 7, 64 Tunghai University, 1, 58, 66 25th anniversary, 5, 13, 71, 75, 77 U

UIndy 360, reprint on adoption advocacy skills, 28–29

University of Indianapolis Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement (CSLCE), 31–32, 34–35, 36, 42

College of Applied Behavioral Sciences (CABS), iv, 4, 45

College of Arts and Sciences, 4 Community Programs Center (CPC), 34 Department of Behavioral Sciences (DBS), 3, 18, 20, 45

Department of Modern Languages, 37 Department of Social Work (see Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work) mission statement, 32 motto: Education for Service, 1, 2, 3, 29, 31

Office of University Advancement Donor Relations and Stewardship Coordinator, 8 Service-Learning Council, 31, 81 Social Work Advisory Board, 15 Strategic Plan, 31–32 University of Indianapolis campus buildings Good Hall, 1, 21, 73 Health Pavilion, 5, 73–74, 75 Lilly Hall, 73

V

verb, Dr. Lin is a, 68–69 Vernon, Robert, 3, 20, 73 VIP (Vision, Integrity, Passion) model in Pillar of Life, 67–68 motto, 6–7, 29, 48, 71 Vision, in VIP model, 6, 29, 68, 71 Vorhees, Teresa, 73 W

Wantz, Bradley, 49–50, 77, 82 Watts, Wanda, iv, 45–48, 71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 82 weakness turned into strength, 66–67 West Meets East forums, 74 Wheeler, Eveldora, 73 Williams, Arionne, 29 Wilson, Sarah, 18 Wilson, Torrey, iv, 71, 77 "wind blows, the grass bends," 58–59 women, integrated, 60–61 "working harder than your clients," 22 Y

YMCA, 37, 39 Youngblood, Lynn, 11 Youth Connections, Johnson County, 34–35 Z

Zhejiang Yuexin University of Foreign Languages–UIndy International College (ZYUFL), 66 Zonta Club scholarship, 57