The Utopian, Spring 2024 | Vol. 22 No. 1

A better building for the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHS) will help change the world.

In the coming weeks, SHS will move into Walter Webb Hall, our temporary home located at Guadalupe and 25th Street. This move benefits our School in several ways. We will become a part of a dynamic, vibrant, and well-travelled area of campus that connects academic and residential life. Our new building will become an asset for recruiting the best faculty, staff, and students as we provide better spaces and resources for working and learning. Walter Webb Hall gets us closer to the kinds of spaces and resources one would expect in a top school of social work and better meets our needs for learning, technology, conducting research, hosting meetings, collaborating, and thriving as a community.

In five years, our school will move to its permanent home, which is located on Speedway across from Gregory Gym, in what is currently the McCombs School of Business. That facility will be renovated and become among the more modern and wellappointed social work education facilities in the country. This final move will accommodate all members of the SHS community in one location as opposed to four, our current arrangement. Locating every member in one building fosters connections, collaborations, and shared commitments that help all members of the SHS community, including faculty, staff, students, and community members flourish.

The opportunity to relocate on campus demonstrates that The University of Texas at Austin values social workers and makes

A Dean’s Perspective

“ “

I’m excited for what our future holds in our new spaces, I’m excited for the next generation of social workers who will learn in better facilities that will meet their needs.

investments in the Steve Hicks School to support its people and the work they champion.

In 1957, the school’s first dedicated building was previously home to what became one the first public middle schools to fully integrate in Austin. We have and will continue to honor this history as well as other significant events and the people associated with them. Our past will continue to matter to us.

At the same time, SHS’s move points us toward the future. SHS is moving toward new vistas, where the call for exploration, learning, building community, and making a my heart holds even more gratitude for what our current building and location have meant to many people.

I’m excited for what our future holds in our new spaces, I’m excited for the next generation of social workers who will learn in better facilities that will meet their needs.

What could be more fitting for a top school of social work that helps change the world?

Allan Cole Dean, Bert Kruger Smith Centennial Professor in Social Work

New Faculty and Staff People News

Six new staff members have joined the Steve Hicks School of Social Work’s community in the last few months.

Mary-Ellen Brown, Ph.D., will join the SHS faculty and serve as Associate Professor and the Josleen and Frances Lockhart Memorial Fellow for Direct Practice in Social Work . She will begin her work on the Forty Acres in August. Through varied experiences in academic and professional history, Brown has a robust background in research and evaluation, community health, positive youth development, and neighborhood planning and revitalization. Brown’s scholarship is focused on the effects of poverty and violence as related to the resiliency, health and well-being of underserved communities.

Rebecca Haden is the new events coordinator and administrative associate for SHS, where she assists with internal business processes, as well as handling logistics for events and external affairs. Prior to joining SHS, Rebecca served for several years with Intercollegiate Athletics, planning events and meetings, liaising with UT faculty, and working closely with campus spirit programs. She loves the University of Texas and is passionate about all things Texas Longhorns, especially Texas football, Bevo, and Texas Cheer and Pom.

Erin Cantrell-Martinez is the director of the DiNitto Career Center. Erin displays a keen interest in helping provide better access to both traditional and nontraditional career opportunities in the profession of social work. She brings over 15 years of experience across a range of industries, including roles at the Mellon Foundation and Columbia University Medical Center.

Sylvia Edwards is the new senior academic program coordinator for SHS. She previously worked at The University of Texas at Austin for two decades, primarily in Student Affairs, as graduate program coordinator/ administrator and academic advisor in various departments and schools. She was also previously employed by the Development Office and the PerryCastañeda Library.

Emma Millerick is a development specialist with the SHS development office. She assists the Chief Development Officer in administrative tasks, coordinates stewardship activities, and helps plan events for the development office. Emma also helps lead the student organization Philanthropy Education Program (PEP), which she is excited to do as her own interest for development work sparked in college. Emma comes to SHS from Texas Development, where she gained valuable experience as a Development Associate for the Corporate Relations Team.

Sanchez (BSW ’06, MSSW ’08) began as the new director of admissions in October 2023. With 15+ years of experience in social work, Sánchez has a proven track record in building strategic relationships and increasing accessibility to higher education. Lorena brings experience supporting first-generation students within a HBCU through her work with Upward Bound and has served in several leadership positions within social service agencies.

Lorena

In Memoriam

The Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHS) community was deeply saddened by the passing of three of our longtime colleagues, including John McNeil, Ph.D., Kimberly Durham, and Jane Maxwell, Ph.D.

John McNeil, Ph.D., Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair Emeritus in Gerontology, died on May 24, 2023. He was 95.

John entered the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and obtained the rank of Colonel, where he served until 1978. During his time in the Air Force, John became Chief Social Worker of the U.S. Air Force, managing social work services on more than 80 Air Force installations.

After his honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force, John became Associate Professor and then Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, then the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. During his academic tenure, he published 40+ scholarly articles or book chapters, nine books or monographs, and served on the

Kimberly “Kiki” Durham (MSSW ’05), the firstever director of recruitment at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, died on September 5, 2023, at age 50. Kiki dedicated her life to making a difference as a social worker, touching the lives of countless individuals in need both near and far. She served on the SHS Advisory Council and remained a devout fan of SHS.

Her compassion knew little boundaries, whether it was offering support to aboriginal communities in Australia or providing a helping hand to

Jane Carlisle Maxwell, Ph.D., research professor emeritus, died on January 3, 2024. She was 81. Dr. Maxwell was integral to the success of the Addiction Research Institute and was an expert on Substance Use Disorders (SUD), where her work included monitoring trends and patterns of SUD in Texas, nationally, and internationally, with a special interest in methadone-related mortality.

She also specialized in research centered on the U.S-Mexico border; patterns of use and abuse of methamphetamine, synthetic drugs, heroin, and

editorial board of the Journal of Multicultural Social Work.

John graduated from Storer College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1948, obtained a Master’s of Social Work degree in Atlanta University in 1951, and a Doctor of Social Work at the University of Southern California in 1964.

As faithful members of St. John Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, John and his spouse, Bettye, served in several leadership positions. In 2013, St. John Church dedicated its new Victory Place Counseling Center to Dr. and Mrs. McNeil to honor their years of service.

children in San Antonio. She believed in the power of empathy and advocacy for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. She lived by the mantra, “Take your time. Do your thing. Walk your own path,” and she encouraged others to embrace their unique journeys.

In addition to her parents, partner, and children, Kim is survived by her older sister, Tiffany, and Tiffany’s spouse, Cris, as well as her younger brother, Trace, and his wife, Sharon.

prescription drugs; the relationship of SUD and traffic safety; and the relationship of SUD to HIV/ AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Dr. Maxwell was a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Advisory Council, a consultant to the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control, a Fulbright Senior Specialist, a member of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Community Epidemiology Work Group and National Drug Early Warning System.

John McNeil, Ph.D.

Kimberly “Kiki” Durham

Jane Carlisle Maxwell, Ph.D.

Jennifer Luna (MSSW ‘95), retired as the director of the DiNitto Career Center and Alumni Relations in September 2023. She completed her master’s program in 1995 and promptly went to work at the School, taking on career development for students and alumni seeking employment in the nonprofit, for profit and public services sector. While at SHS, she established and led the daily operations of the nationally ranked and model program for social work students and alumni, and has coached thousands of social work students and alumni. She maintained strong collaborations with other schools of social work, NASW, and CSWE on career development issues, including licensure, labor market, and professional identity. Jennifer also presented nationally and regionally on a variety of social work career development topics. She continues to her work in retirement as a social work career coach and consultant, author, speaker, and trainer.

Sarah Swords announced her retirement from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, effective summer 2024. At SHS, Swords served as clinical associate professor, assistant dean for Master’s Programs at the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work, and co-director of the GRACE (Gerontology Resources and the Aging Community in Education) Program, a field education initiative that addresses the workforce shortage in social work and aging. Swords joined the faculty in 2010 and taught practice and field courses through summer 2017 before being promoted to assistant dean for Master’s Programs in September 2017. She also served as co-chair of the Steve Hicks School’s re-affirmation of accreditation effort with the Council on Social Work Education and represents the MSSW program on committees at the school and university level.

A Final Encore

On Friday, April 5, the Steve Hicks School of Social Work celebrated a 30-year tradition with a school-wide talent show.

Social Work’s Got Talent - previously called Homespun Entertainment and Fall Follies among other names – fully packed the Utopia Theater for one final performance in the 1925 San Jacinto building. The show, produced and directed by Isaiah Jones, was emceed by Dr. Lori Holleran Steiker, who told stories of the building, celebrated the SHS community, and led the crowd in a rousing rendition of Amazing Grace.

Performers included:

10 Box Limit (band)

Park Street Orkestar (band)

Megan Keller

Joanna Mendez

Dante Vargas & Monica Urso

Michael Romero

J.D. Moore

Jasmine Blanco

Ginger Brice

Erin Cantrell-Martinez

Jaime Fuentes Balderrama

and Dean Allan Cole

for the SHS Talent Show

Dean Rebecca Gomez is Gone (Home) To Texas

In her first year as a Ph.D. student at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, Rebecca Gomez (Ph.D. ’12) would sit in her data analysis class in the basement of the building, often wondering what her purpose at the school should be.

Now, more than a decade later, her purpose is to serve as the school’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs – and she now leads meetings in the same classroom that she sat in all those years ago.

Hired in Summer 2023, Dr. Gomez works with leadership, faculty, staff, and students to advance the school’s mission of providing national leadership to promote social and economic justice, alleviate critical social problems, and enhance human well-being.

Before coming to work at UT Austin, she served in significant leadership positions at Our Lady of the Lake University and Virginia Commonwealth University, including serving as interim dean at VCU’s School of Social Work.

Coming back to Texas was a decision that Gomez was excited to make, saying that it was the “perfect time” to return to the Forty Acres. She is passionate about building up students, developing top-level scholars, and leveraging the “huge resource” that SHS is to the region and state, especially in creating relationship-building social workers.

“These

students are the future of our

profession, but our profession is kind of the future of our world,” Dr. Gomez said.

The Well-Being of Students

Thinking about the future and the wellbeing of the next generation is a common element in Dr. Gomez’s life philosophy. She is a national expert in child and foster care wellness, with a research emphasis on complex trauma, child welfare workforce development, youth empowerment, substance use impacts on family systems, and more.

She also thinks often about the well-being of students, especially first-generation students who are a significant portion of the student body at SHS. Dr. Gomez remembers the anxieties she had as a student herself and wants new students to be provided opportunities to engage with faculty, especially by “just being in the room.”

Since taking over the role of associate dean, Dr. Gomez has built new programs such as Community Connect, which pairs up students with faculty and grows interconnectivity between the two. Community Connect is an event where once a month, students can meet their faculty members, share a meal, and informally –yet purposefully – be with their social work community.

“These students are extremely talented, they’re extremely smart, and if they’re in

that shared space, those talents will become evident,” Gomez said. “The University of Texas is a big place, and we have the opportunity to make it feel a little bit smaller with our community.”

Looking to the future

With a planned school move to West Campus, a record amount of student support funding, and new opportunities for students, Dr. Gomez is unquestionably the most optimistic individual at SHS.

When asked what she was most excited about for the future of the school, it’s hard for her to pick just one thing: “What am I not excited about?”

She sees a new era for SHS this year, both literally and figuratively as the school moves to Walter Webb Hall. She’s excited about well-needed facility updates, collaborations with other schools at UT for interdisciplinary research, integrating more events for students, and so much more.

Above all else though, she’s excited to keep meeting with students and building up scholars in new, exciting ways.

“I think we have the opportunity to all work together to do things in this world differently,” Dr. Gomez said. “Whatever ‘differently’ may look like, I know we can do that with the great minds we have.”

The

GRACE Program & the SHS Master’s Programs evolve with time to new leadership

Time, as they say, is inevitable. It forges legacies, establishes age, and eventually, shapes us all.

The Gerontology Resources and the Aging Community in Education (GRACE) Program, a program that has led dozens of social workers into serving older adults and their care partners, is going through its own shaping as program champion Sarah Swords, pictured left in the grey jacket, hands the reins – along with an assistant dean role – over to Joan Asseff, pictured right in the black jacket.

“It’s exciting and mildly terrifying. As is true with most life changes, right?” said Swords, who officially serves as clinical associate professor and assistant dean for master’s programs at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.

Swords, who will retire in Summer 2024, has been involved with SHS as a faculty member since 2010. She has led the GRACE program since she joined SHS and has served as assistant dean of master’s programs since 2017. In her more than 40 years of social work experience, she has worked with survivors of domestic violence, had a private practice in psychotherapy, conducted supervision and consultation, worked as a practicum instructor, and more.

When interviewing for her initial role at SHS more than a decade ago, Swords quickly realized that she had valuable experience working with older adults. Her grandmother would stay with her family most of the year and Swords was one of her caregivers. She then worked as a nurse’s aide during summers, learning about how important assisted living and long-term care was.

By the 1990s, leaders in health care understood that the coming baby boomer generation would severely strain current delivery

systems, which had insufficient professionals trained in geriatrics. The Hartford Foundation, for one, began funding training programs in medicine, nursing, physical therapy, and social work, to grow the workforce.

“The UT School of Social Work benefited by receiving funding for faculty, students, and field instructors, to focus on social work in aging,” Swords said. “The GRACE Program grew directly out of this workforce development process.”

By the time Swords joined the faculty, a strong foundation of faculty and community practice expertise existed, which she leveraged to build the GRACE Program from the tiny program it was when it was started in 2009, in which 6 students participated.

As of spring 2024, more than 280 students have graduated with the designation of GRACE Scholar. The Program’s growth has been fueled by student interest and generous funding from the St. David’s Foundation.

“We could not reach the number of students and community professionals without our partnership with Andrew Levack, our program officer from the St. David’s Foundation. It has been a transformational relationship,” said Swords. Through practicum education, educational enrichment events, and mentorship, the program prepares students for micro, mezzo and macro levels of care for aging adults. Students who indicate an interest in aging, end-of-life care, medical social work, and other fields for their internships, will be recommended to the GRACE program for practicum placement.

“Older adults are often forgotten, dismissed and unheard,” said Nadia Velasquez (MSSW ’16), who was one of the students who participated in the GRACE Program. “As a social worker, I find it important and meaningful to bear witness and advocate for older adults who go without their needs met.”

Velasquez now works as an in-home therapist at Family Eldercare, where she provides psychotherapy to older adults and those with chronic illness who are homebound. With this work, she provides mental health services and other care to them in their homes. She says that the funding for the GRACE Program through the St. David's Foundation was a huge motivating factor for her as a first-generation college student. The scholarships the Foundation provided helped her to be able to focus on the older adult population and still have financial stability.

Other alumni from the program, such as Delilah Dominguez (MSSW ‘14) who now works as a physician’s assistant for Yale Psychiatric Hospital in the inpatient geriatric unit, said that the GRACE Program prepared her to serve older adults in every capacity in her career.

“Dean Swords is one of the most skilled clinicians I have ever met,” Dominguez said. “She has a keen ability to read people, and by seeing our areas of growth, it encouraged how we helped others.”

Dominguez added that Asseff, Sword's successor, will be a valuable asset to the program moving forward because of her intentional nature and firm belief in social justice.

Asseff, who became co-director for the program in 6/2023, is a licensed clinical social worker and a clinical associate professor at SHS. She has extensive social work experience in the areas of hospice, skilled nursing, home health, grief and loss counseling, and case management with older adults and their caregivers.

When Swords took on leadership of the GRACE Program, Asseff was one of the first practicum instructors that Swords contacted to ask if she would host GRACE students at a skilled nursing facility in South Austin. Asseff continued to host students every year for internships, and was eventually hired as a full-time clinical faculty member for SHS in May of 2017. Asseff’s career in social services for aging adults made her the perfect counterpart to Swords. In 2020, she began assisting Dean Swords with GRACE program coordination and student mentorship, which represented the beginning of their partnership to support and grow the program.

This summer, Asseff will take over both as the sole director of GRACE and as assistant dean for master’s programs when Swords retires. The two are actively planning and collaborating with each other on the transition, and Swords said she is excited by the work that Asseff will continue to do in order to grow the program.

“I’ve always been aware of the people whose shoulders I stand on, and I couldn’t do the work I do without people having confidence in me,” said Swords. “Over the past seven years, we have worked as a team to make this program one of the many gems in the Steve Hicks School. I am proud that the GRACE Program has achieved national recognition for contributing to work force development in social work in aging. I hope many more students find their spark in social work with older adults through participation in the program.”

“I am so honored and grateful to carry the legacy of Sarah Swords forward,” Asseff said. “This program is ahead of its time, and I can’t wait to see what resources we can add to promote innovation at the Steve Hicks School.”

Now, nearly four decades since that conversation, Franklin serves at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work as the director of external relations and the Stiernberg/ Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health. Her list of accolades is long. She’s been designated as a Social Work Pioneer from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), selected as one of only 20 Longhorn Legends by the University of Texas, and owns a variety of other career achievements that she too humbly dismisses.

“I have colleagues that now call me Dr. Legend,” Franklin said laughing, referring to the Longhorn Legends banner that was revealed outside of DKR Memorial Stadium. “Who ever saw that coming?”

Call her Dr. Legend or Dr. Franklin, but either way, she feels that she’s still got several opportunities in front of both her and the school she has faithfully served since 1989.

How to Help Young People

Cynthia Franklin’s father, a cotton farmer who never learned to read or write, came from Indigenous decent from rural Oklahoma. Her father spurred her to get her education and eventually work in academia, especially to focus on a long career working with youth in K-12 schools.

“He instilled in me that the best thing that I can do is to help youth get their education,” said Franklin.

Franklin was educated and trained as a

Up and Out

What Dr. Cynthia Franklin sees for the future of the Steve Hicks School

When Cynthia Franklin, Ph.D., was first in college, she studied for religious service. Then she had a moment with an academic advisor that would shape the rest of her life.

The advisor sat at her large wooden desk, leaned across it to where a young Cynthia Franklin sat, and told her “Cynthia, God has called you to be a social worker.”

family therapist, her vision is to see every educational setback in youth experiences to be turned around into a setup for success. Throughout her career she became an internationally recognized expert on solution-focused brief therapy and mental health in K-12 school contexts.

Used as a strengths-based, intervention developed by social workers, solutionfocused brief therapy (SFBT) is a “whole new way of thinking” about psychotherapies, Franklin said. Instead of working through people’s past problems, SBFT focuses on their preferred futures and propels every step they take forward.

Franklin developed the research basis of SFBT that is now practiced around the globe She played a large role in the highly successful solution-focused dropout prevention program, Gonzalo Garza Independence High School For the past 30 years, she has implemented SFBT in schools ranging from Texas to Scandinavia, and she has continued to watch more and more students graduate every year from the Garza program – some of which have also later graduated from UT-Austin.

The Future of SHS

Recognizing past successes is a part of developing a preferred future, Franklin said, but change is constant. She is happy to see the growth of the school she’s dedicated her career to, and in the future, believes the top 10 program for social work education will be a standout Top 5 program. In her current role as the Director of External Relations, Franklin cultivates relationships

between the school, professional social work organizations and the community. She adds that without relationships inside and outside of the school working together, we will “never solve the critical social problems – a key job for all social workers.

“It’s the institutions you cultivate that make you successful”

Franklin sees a bright future for the Steve Hicks School. She believes all of the many successes at the SHS are catapulted forward through the school’s strong community. The school’s ability to work together to equip and mobilize students is what makes SHS a top school for the social work profession, she said. With the faculty, and the numerous research institutes at the school, Franklin sees a tremendous public impact.

Using the words “up and out” to describe how SHS students are sent out to impact people’s lives, Dr. Franklin knows that the University of Texas and the Steve Hicks School change the world for the better. After all, it’s the school that made her Dr. Legend.

“It’s the institutions you cultivate that make you successful,” Dr. Franklin said. “And at this institution, I am proud to serve. I owe my life to the University of Texas system.”

Bringing together communities, medicine, and the practice of social work

When Lailea Noel, Ph.D., MSW, took over as the new director for the Institute for Collaborative Health Research and Practice (ICHRP) this past summer, her vision for ICHRP included two specific goals: increased communication and increased collaboration.

Established at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work in 2004, the Institute of Collaborative Health Research and Practice provides the infrastructure for bridging the gap between research and practice in health practices. The objectives of the institute are to develop and disseminate best practices in addressing the interconnected association of health outcomes and the emotional and social wellness of individuals and families. According to the Institute, if one or more of these areas are at risk, the other areas witll also be at risk.

Barbara Jones, Ph.D., who is now the dean at Boston University’s School of Social Work, previously ran the institute and centered the work around bridging the gap between research and practice. Dr. Noel wants to continue this work as well, with an emphasis on bringing in additional voices to the room to discuss best practices, help with reviewing grants, enhance research training, and more.

Dr. Noel, who also serves SHS as an assistant professor and the Meadows Foundation Fellow in Quality of Life in the Rural Environment, is no stranger to this kind of work. Her research investigates the influence of inequities in social drivers of health and access to mental health services on the utilization of timely medical treatment, particularly within residentially isolated rural communities.

She knew she wanted to help improve health care for poor women and

children as an undergraduate student, and immediately went to work on improving those systems. After getting her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, and her master’s degree at The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, Dr. Noel started working with the American Cancer Society to help improve community care for those that are geographically isolated in the city of Chicago, which put her into the oncology field.

It was here that she had her “second awakening” in social work, specifically to how disparity plays a role in healthcare and how geography can significantly affect health outcomes. The abilities of healthcare providers and the passion of the community didn’t always align, and Dr. Noel saw that as her chance to make an impact.

“We have wonderful scientists in medicine and public health and policy, but how can we include the community at this table?” she said. “That’s where social work really gets the opportunity to shine. We’re really good at bridging conversations to bring clients and patients forward.”

In hopes to be more a part of the conversation around geographic isolation and disparity, Dr. Noel completed her Ph.D. in Social Work at Washington

University in St Louis. She joined the faculty of SHS in 2020 where she began focusing her research on the influence of inequities in social drivers of health and the access to mental health services, and timely medical treatment, particularly within rural communities.

Dr. Noel uses a research approach called systems dynamics group model building, which serves to bring together different stakeholders around a particular issue. She says that her work bridges practitioners, academics, and communities, which is her vision for ICHRP. By bringing in multiple perspectives, she said, it is far more likely that the institute will be able to improve health results for communities most at risk of inequities.

“I love the University of Texas because of how interdisciplinary it is,” Dr. Noel said. “The work we do collaboratively beyond our walls is a major advantage, and I’m looking forward to building even more connections for health collaborations.”

THANK YOU, 1925 SAN JACINTO

Following three decades of service and fond memories, SHS will move into a new home to reflect a modern, top-of-the-line school of social work.

In the words of Mark Twain, history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

In the mid-1990s, after more than 25 years of being housed “temporarily” in a converted motel, the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin needed a better space to do its impactful work. An opportunity presented itself for the School to move into its first-ever “permanent” home – the former University Junior High School building, originally built in 1933.

The School commenced their move into the facility at 1925 San Jacinto Boulevard in 1994 and threw a weeklong celebration to commemorate the completion of the move on September 8, 1995. To the students, faculty, and staff at the time, it was a welcome relief to be in a facility that finally met their needs.

Becca Hutchenson (BSW ’96), then the head of the student-led Social Work Council, told the Daily Texan at the time that students were relieved to finally be in a building that was “more technologically advanced” and more accessible for all populations. Dean Barbara White noted in School newsletters that it was time for social workers to have “adequate space” for growth and “a building that graduates can be proud to show others.”

Now, after three decades of excellence, growth and success, SHS once again finds itself in a similar scenario. As the School is preparing a new and ambitious chapter to accommodate its reputation as one of the best social work schools in the nation, it does so with appreciation of its home at 1925 San Jacinto Boulevard, and gratitude for the people who made the building a second home for many people and many years.

(cont.)

A

BUILDING

ROOTED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE

University Junior High began with a groundbreaking partnership between the University of Texas and the Austin Independent School District, establishing a junior high school that would serve as a laboratory for innovative educational practices. Located in the heart of Austin, the school was among the earliest integrated schools in Austin, and it served as an immediate reliever facility to John T. Allan Junior High School, which burned down in 1956.

The school served as a beacon for laboratory teaching until May 31, 1967, when UT closed the school, took over the facility, and moved the students to a new location.

In the 1960s, the facility served as the home to the UT School of Music, then the College of Education and the Division for Continuing Education before renovations began in the early 1990s. In 1991, the University of Texas Child Development Center opened on the site, marking the first childcare center to be run by the State of Texas.

Yearbooks from UHJ show the wide-ranging population at UHJ following integration efforts

Soon after, the University announced that the site – one of the first education centers in Austin to focus on social impact – would be getting a fitting tenant: the School of Social Work.

“I think it was becoming that we ended up in this building, it had a sense of destiny about it,” said Dr. Cynthia Franklin, the Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health at SHS, who arrived to the School in 1992. “Education is really about changing society. It’s about changing people.”

At top right, SHS leadership cuts the ribbon to open the new building.

At bottom right, workers install a temporary sign at 1925 San Jacinto to recognize a new tenant: the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin (later named the Steve Hicks School of Social Work).

THE BARBARA WHITE EFFECT

By 1995, the School of Social Work was fully moved in and the School was rapidly getting national attention for its excellence. Under the leadership of Dean Barbara White, the school’s academic profile increased while garnering praise for its evident sense of community and camaraderie.

“She would gather around the families, and she knew every child’s name,” Dr. Franklin said. Staff often stated a running joke that if someone needed to ask Dean White for something, their odds of getting a “yes” would exponentially increase if that person brought a baby into the office when they made the ask.

As the first-ever Black individual to hold a dean position at The University of Texas at Austin, Dean White’s tenure

was marked by her unabated dedication to fostering a collaborative environment where faculty, staff, and students could thrive as a unified force. Equipped with a permanent building, Dean White was able to solidify the structure for a world-renowned clinical concentration for social work education, build out an in-depth macro concentration in social work policy, support research and students, and most importantly, develop a culture that became “the envy of schools across the nation,” as Dr. Franklin described it.

Dean White retired in 2011 and received the Presidential Citation in 2012, the highest university award at UT. Following her tenure, Dean Luis Zayas stepped up to lead the Steve Hicks School, continuing the school’s commitment to excellence and innovation.

A DECADE OF SEEKING SOLUTIONS

Under Dean Zayas and his leadership, the School expanded its research initiatives and expanded its faculty, ensuring that the voices and perspectives of all communities were represented in social work education and practice. Dean Zayas would also bring in significant fundraising, including a $25 million naming gift pledge from businessman Steve Hicks.

Dean Zayas also was tasked with a difficult question in the next evolution of the School: how does a growing, succeeding school of social work handle the issues that come with a space that could no longer accommodate its growth?

In 2015, SHS first began exploring the option of moving to a new building after finding that necessary renovations were not cost-effective. Under Dean Zayas, outside firms explored renovation options for the School, noting the

lack of space, inadequate amenities, and accessibility issues in the building.

Early estimates in 2015 started with price tags exceeding $50 million to get the building up to modern needs, and still did not resolve issues such as expanded space, a necessary element which added an even higher price tag to potential construction.

Faced with this challenge, SHS leadership wrestled for the next decade on what would be the best resolution to find a building that reflected the caliber of its people. As the dean position shifted from Dean Zayas to current Dean Allan Cole, a new opportunity presented itself.

LOOKING BACKWARD TO LOOK FORWARD

In 2022, after collaborating with University leadership, a deal was struck by Dean Allan Cole to move SHS into a new permanent home on Speedway, at what is currently McCombs Business School, directly across from Gregory Gym. The new home for SHS will be opened in five years and finally house all of its research institutes, faculty, staff, and students in one location – a prime one, at that.

“We’ll be at the epicenter of campus and that presents all kinds of opportunities for social work, in particular at the University of Texas that we’ve never experienced,” said Dean Cole.

As part of the vacating of the 1925 San Jacinto facility, arrangements were made with UT Athletics as well, paving the way for one of the most significant financial gifts in the history of the School. Dean Cole said that unprecedented funding will allow for significant support of students, faculty, staff, programming and the school at large, allowing the School to increase its scholarship.

And as for where SHS will be as they wait those five years? The School will reside in Walter Webb Hall, a

Looking Backwards to Look Forward , a documentary directed by Vanessa Reiser, further captures the memories of this building. View the documentary on YouTube with the help of this QR code.

newly renovated building located on West Campus that will be the temporary home for SHS while the Speedway property is prepared. Found right in the heart of The Drag on Guadalupe Street, the facility is close to where students live, and is a stone’s throw from the UT Tower.

As the school peers into the potential of the future, it remains committed to the mission of providing national leadership to promote social and economic justice, alleviating critical social problems and enhancing human well-being. The growth of the school will only continue, and with a new space, the next generation of social workers in Texas and beyond will be able to thrive in a community of their own.

“We’ve needed better working spaces to do the important work of social work in the 21st century,” said Dean Cole. “The places where we locate ourselves and spend our time and the people with whom we are in relationship in particular places matter. We have the opportunity as a school to look backwards to understand who we are and where we’ve come from, and to build on that as we look forward into new opportunities to become a new version of ourselves.”

Dr. Yolanda Padilla, the Clara Pope Willoughby Centennial Professor in Child Welfare, admires artwork on the walls of 1925 San Jacinto.

Big Questions with Dean Allan Cole

1SHS is moving into a new building. Tell us more about the moving process into Walter Webb Hall and what the long-term future looks like for our facilities.

We executed Phase I of the moving process to Walter Webb in March over Spring Break, which took our non-student facing staff and offices (such as development, marketing, HR, finance/ business, and researchers) into Walter Webb Hall. The remaining faculty and staff, which all have student-facing roles, will move to WWH after Commencement.

So far, the reports I’ve heard from staff on the new building are quite positive. They’re excited about being in West Campus, where many students live. The staff is also excited about being in a newly renovated space which finally meets the technological, infrastructure, and human needs of a top school of social work. We’re still early in the process, but I’m encouraged to hear their responses after moving into the new building.

Of course, this new situation is temporary. Five years from now, we will be moving into a new and permanent location on Speedway, right across from Gregory Gym, where the current McCombs School of Business building resides. This new space will allow all of our units to reside under the same roof in the middle of campus, showing off our status as one of the best social work schools in the country.

Our School has long needed a larger, modernized, and higher quality facility from which to conduct our important work. Getting to collaborate in a win-win-win situation with our University, McCombs, and UT Athletics positions us for long-term success. I am excited about SHS thriving in these new facilities.

2

There’s been a recent change from Field Education to Practicum Education. What was the reasoning behind this new naming convention?

We changed our naming from Field Education to Practicum Education to more accurately describe the opportunities given to our students to practice the profession of social work. We also agreed that the conventional naming needed to change to better highlight the learning opportunities that come with these active learning roles.

We are also entering a time of new momentum in practicum education. On average, we are adding approximately 40 new practicum opportunities a year for our students, and I am grateful to members of the Community Partnership Development Committee (CPDC) for helping lead these efforts and making us successful.

Furthermore, SHS now has 10 grant-funded programs, as well as other support for students, approaching $2,000,000 annually . We are not finished with our efforts to provide more financial support for our students, including practicum-related support, but it’s important to highlight the substantial progress that places us in an enviable position among leading schools of social work throughout the country.

3

Speaking

of funding,

you’ve said many times before that Student Support is one of your biggest priorities as Dean. What

significant developments have you accomplished in

this

regard recently?

I have served as dean for almost two years. In that time, SHS has raised approximately $30 million dollars, $8 million of which is designated to enhance academic experiences for BSW, MSSW and Ph.D. students . Specifically, these funds support scholarships, domestic and international practicum placements, career and professional development, licensing preparation, and resources for the highest quality teaching and classroom engagement.

In fact, two out of three SHS students receive direct funding from SHS in the form of a stipend, support funds, and/or a scholarship. We have between 400 and 600 individual donors giving to SHS annually with their donations concentrated on supporting students and promoting their success, and I am grateful for their generous support.

Fundraising and building student support requires a dedicated and hard-working team. Thanks to the SHS development team led by Marie Cloutier and Emma Millerick, and to our University-wide collaborators, we have several more gifts on the way. I’m energized by getting additional funds into the hands of our students to offset the cost of a high-quality University of Texas and SHS education.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Dean Cole meets with John David and Leslie B. Moritz, namesakes of the Moritz Center for Societal Impact; Dean Cole speaks with students at a donor appreciation event; Dean Cole throws Horns Up with Heisman winner Ricky Williams; Dean Cole hangs out with SHS community members during the 2024 Great American Eclipse on the Caven Lacrosse and Sports Center at Clark Field.

4What’s the latest with how SHS is engaging with global social work?

When we think about social impact in social work, we can think of it on a global scale. In this past academic year, we’ve had students take on international practicum opportunities in Europe, Mexico, and South Africa, and we’re always looking to expand our network of collaborators.

In one example, representatives from SHS served front and center with a historical international delegation in Mexico City during La Feria Internacional del Libro de las Universitarias y los Universitarios (FILUNI). During that event, we had strategy meetings with UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) leadership to plan academic and research initiatives and facilitated connections with some of UT’s 4,000+ Texas Exes living in Mexico.

In another example, we welcomed top social work educators from Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile to strengthen our School’s long-standing ties with Chile, where social work was heavily censored under the rule of Pinochet’s dictatorship. The work being done by those scholars – including SHS alum Karla González Suitt, (Ph.D. ‘16) – is a strong testament to the impact SHS faculty, staff, students, and alumni have around the world.

Adding robust partnerships and initiatives fosters additional opportunities for positive change globally.

5

What music are you playing to these days?

I love playing bass guitar, which I began learning a little over a year ago; and play regularly with several groups of people. Most recently, I played in a Led Zeppelin tribute show, which was a lot of fun, and I am preparing for an upcoming show with a group that features a setlist full of Rolling Stones songs.

Several SHS colleagues, along with my daughter and me, have a band called 10 Box Limit, and we play a variety of music, with songs like “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce, “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo, and other contemporary selections.

And we take requests!

“How Do I Prove That

What Kewal Hausmann

(BSW ’23) Learned About Social Work Through Their Practicum Experience at Doug’s House

In an unsuspecting home in Austin, Doug’s House is a sanctuary that serves as the only hospice and recuperative care facility in Central Texas that supports those living with HIV or AIDS. Doug’s House is one part of Project Transitions which is a local organization that provides affordable housing for Austin residents with HIV or AIDS.

To enter the front door, temperatures are checked immediately, IDs are scanned, and health screening questionnaires must be filled out. To exit the back door, it is impossible to miss the backyard garden, which is filled with bricks marking both those who have passed within the facility and members of the greater PT community who contributed their time and passion to the work being done. Confidentiality is revered and expected in this space, and the work that is done is mission critical to those battling illnesses.

And in the middle of it all? A 50-year-old social work student named Kewal Hausmann, who is taking exceptional joy in their practicum placement.

“No one is having as much fun as I am, and I work in hospice care,” said Hausmann.

Hausmann, a non-traditional student in every sense of the word, found social work education after

teaching yoga for 20 years in spaces like schools, hospitals, and prisons. They claim they’ve since realized they were doing social work all along through their classes and individual yoga therapies, but they simply didn’t know what social work was when they were inadvertently practicing it.

Spurred on by mentors, Hausmann began at ACC studying social work during the pandemic and transferred to the Steve Hicks School of Social Work in the fall of 2021. Hausmann, who graduated with their BSW in Fall 2023, became one of the more than 500 SHS students that annually partakes in practicum education as part of their degree. They told their advisors that they had only one place that they wanted to take their practicum learning – and it was Doug’s House.

Founded in 1989 and run by Project Transitions, Doug’s House is a 5-room hospice serving people with HIV and AIDS in the Austin area. It is a special care facility that employs about 20 individuals who help provide both recuperative and hospice care in a home-like setting.

Mentored by Aranda Salazar (BSW ‘14, MSSW ’19), who is employed as the Doug’s House program coordinator, Hausmann practices their mezzo-level social work skills by assessing the organization in

I’m Good at Helping?”

its training and operational functions. They also provide care for the residents by talking with them, doing arts and crafts projects, preparing food, and simply being with residents to celebrate milestones.

“Birthdays are big deals here,” Hausmann said, noting that every birthday is a celebration over HIV.

“For some of our clients, acknowledging a birthday is one of the ways they get loved. You get seen. You get celebrated. And for some of them, it’s the first time in a decade someone gave them a party.”

Sharing that social experience has been “transformative” in the way that Hausmann views social work. As a queer individual, Hausmann said the practicum placement was their “one and only” place they wanted to serve, and describes it as an honor to care for “those that go before me” at Doug’s House.

“Case management skills are important, but providing solutions, making art, celebrating humans, and doing emotional connection is how we practice social work,” said Hausmann. “School provides a lot of structure. Learning that people have had this experience though and getting to turn your classroom theory into full practice unlocks a whole different type of thinking.”

Salazar, who also did her practicum work at Doug’s House while she was completing her BSW, said the practicum work she did was fundamental to making

her become an effective social worker. As someone who was “super critical” of systems as a student, she said Doug’s House was one of the most important experiences of her schooling.

“I needed life experience to be a better social worker,” Salazar said. “You learn by participating. You learn from your coworkers, you learn from those who are older, and you learn the tools to advocate for someone. Being at Doug’s House allowed me to explore solutions in social care, and it gave me the tools I needed to be an effective social worker.”

As Salazar continues her work at Doug’s House and Hausmann looks forward to their next chapter of earning a MSSW degree, both feel more confident on their social work skills thanks to their practicum at Doug’s House. They encourage students to understand the importance of learning during their practicum work and to find ways to utilize their skillsets in that learning process.

“The whole point of school is to answer the question ‘How do I prove I am good at helping?’,” said Hausmann. “The best thing for me about this placement has been the sense of affirmation that I get in doing this work and knowing I can help. I am extremely grateful for the guidance and help that I get from my practicum supervisor, and I’m grateful that I have found that I feel capable, and that I know more than I think I know.”

NATIONAL LEADERS FROM COAST TO COAST

From Seattle to Boston and Tallahassee to Anchorage, the Steve Hicks School of Social Work branching its leadership across the nation.

What starts on the Forty Acres changes the world. And what starts at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work changes social work education across the country.

SHS is becoming an incubator of leaders as SHS graduates and former faculty of SHS are quickly making their names known as leaders at top social work schools across the nation. Utopian Magazine sat down with four of these deans to discuss how SHS influenced their social work knowledge, their careers, and their preparation to become a dean at top schools across the country.

Donna Aguiniga, Exploring the Frontier of Alaska

The University of Alaska at Anchorage is home to the only master’s level social work education program originating in The Last Frontier, which gives SHS alum Donna Aguiniga (Ph.D. ’10) a critical role in preparing social workers for service in the 49th State.

“There’s always more room to bring social work to the forefront,” Dean Aguiniga said. “When we talk behavioral issues, substance abuse, school interventions, or any other key issue, social work has unique value in addressing the challenges that our society and state faces.”

In August 2023, she was appointed as UAA’s Assistant Dean of Social Work, which is the position that directs the school of social work. Dean Aguiniga now oversees what is the largest social work faculty UAA has ever had. With 14 full time positions already

in place, the school is actively recruiting for another three tenured and tenure-track positions.

Since the start of the 2023-24 academic year, Dean Aguiniga said there’s been “unprecedented” recognition and support for social work within the university and the state. She credits SHS for the perspective she learned from mentors like emeritus professor Dr. Calvin Streeter, who helped shape the way she focuses on teaching and teachers as a philosophy of her dean role.

“For someone who is teaching, even one course a semester, that teaches you the primary needs of working with students,” she said. “It made me a better instructor, but it got me thinking early on about how to support faculty to be instructors. Supporting my instructors is how I succeed as a dean!”

Barbara Jones, Innovating in Community Leadership at Boston University

For Dean Barbara Jones, taking the dean role at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) was an unprecedented opportunity to join a top social work school dedicated to social justice, teaching and research excellence. She brought her deep and longstanding commitment to fostering community, culture, and belonging to this new role, specifically in the area of health social work.

As the former associate dean for health affairs at SHS and chair of the Department of Health Social Work at Dell Medical School, Dean Jones has a deep passion for social work leadership and health social work. To her, leading in that space is a mission-critical initiative that radiates throughout social work education and amplifies how we make a more comprehensive social work education.

“When we think about social work in health, we often talk about how social work needs to be joining teams, offering our voice,” said Dean Jones. “As social workers on interprofessional teams, we also need to be leading in this space. Social work has so much to contribute to the creation of value-based healthcare that focuses on health equity and access to care for all.” During her time in Austin, Dean Jones played a

key role in promoting social work and interprofessional health initiatives, emphasizing the often overlooked, but critical, relational aspect of leadership and the significance of nurturing an individuals’ sense of purpose and community. Drawing from her interdisciplinary clinical research and leadership background, Jones envisions social workers to be not only a part of a team, but to also be leaders driving discussions and initiatives in diverse professional settings.

In her transition to BUSSW, Jones remains committed to creating communities where individuals can “feel like they’re in an environment where they’re seen and held and then [they] can do great things from there.” Her approach to fostering collaboration centers on building a hopeful and futurefocused environment -- encouraging faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners to actively contribute to shaping the school’s upward trajectory and stellar reputation.

“I’m thrilled to be the dean of BU School of Social Work and I’m excited about lifting up the incredible work they’re already doing,” said Dean Jones. “I’m inspired to continue to enhance the opportunities for growth in our Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health (CISWH) and our Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research (CADER). BUSSW is made up of social work leaders and innovators and I am honored to join the school. I’m so grateful for all that I learned in my leadership roles at UT Austin, and that I get to bring that experience with me to contribute to the vision of BUSSW as we move forward into the future.”

When Dean Michael Spencer (MSW ’92) began his permanent role as the Ballmer Endowed Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Washington, he was already making history. Dean Spencer is the first Native Hawaiian to ever hold a Dean position at the University of Washington, and when he reflects on his new responsibilities, he harkens back to being in Austin for the first time.

“Coming from Hawaii to Texas, I kind of backed into a MSW based on the community work I was doing,” Dean Spencer

(cont. on page 25)

Michael Spencer, Making History at Washington

What advice would you give to another person looking to become a Dean?

“Do not be afraid to reach out to people for assistance! What I found is that people are more than happy to have coffee with you, to exchange emails, to otherwise reach out to individuals. There’s nothing better than talking to a student and figuring out what they want to accomplish – because I either want to do it too or I know someone who does!”

Donna Aguiniga, Dean, University of Alaska at Anchorage

“When we think about social work, we often talk about how social work needs to be joining teams, offering our voice. And I really believe we need to be leading teams. Work collaboratively and respectfully with our interprofessional colleagues and bring our health equity and social justice lens to both contribute to and lead these discussions.”

Barbara Jones, Dean, Boston University

“As a professor, you get a little bit more freedom to speak. But when you’re in charge, there’s a much greater context to decision-making and making the decisions that are in the best interest of the institution and the mission of social justice. The work may get frustrating, but that’s the stone you pound every day. Eventually, you get to break through and that’s what keeps you going as a leader. Keep working on the stone.”

Michael Spencer, Dean, University of Washington

“First and foremost, come to work every day and lean into a community of caring for one another. That propels us forward to do the work that matters. It all begins with hearing about the person that is down the hall from you, looking out for one another, being kind to each other, and looking for opportunities to come together as a community.”

David Springer, Dean, Florida State University

Our School’s reputation for being an incubator of leaders is clear from the amount of Deans and university leaders across the nation who have ties to SHS. In addition to the four Deans featured in this story (noted with the white stars), other recently placed leaders (noted with gold stars) include:

Donna Aguiniga (Ph.D. ’10), Assistant Dean and a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Alaska Anchorage

Tamara Davis (Ph.D. ‘03), Dean of the School of Social Work at Indiana University

Dorie Gilbert (MSSW ’92, Ph.D. ’96), Professor and Dean of Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences at Prairie View A&M

Barbara Jones (former faculty), Dean & Professor at Boston University School of Social Work

Rebecca Gomez (Ph.D. ’12), Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin

Susan Mapp (MSSW ’96), Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Innovation Professor of Social Work at Elizabethtown College

Henrika McCoy (former faculty), Morris Endowed Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver

Keva Miller (MSSW ’96), Dean & Professor School of Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University of Washington Tacoma

Michael Spencer (MSSW ‘92), Ballmer Endowed Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Washington

David Springer (former faculty), Dean of the College of Social Work and the Guy and Delores Spearman Professor of Social Work at Florida State University

Matthew Theriot (MSSW ‘99), Director of the School of Social Work at the University of Central Florida

said. “Meeting other social workers got me to UT because, one, I wanted to expand my geographic horizons and, two, well, I just love the color burnt orange.”

Born on Oahu and educated at the University of Hawaii for his undergraduate work, Dean Spencer came to the Forty Acres as a young father and was working on services to people with disabilities, especially in light of the then-recently passed American Disabilities Act. It was his time as a TA in Dr. Ruth McCoy’s class, however, that first showed him that teaching might be his calling – specifically when he was given the chance to give a lecture.

“That lecture said I can stand in front of a classroom, speak well, and do this,” he said. “But it also made me realize that I was young, eager, and wanting to change the world. I wanted find a way to be a part of the best in higher education, and to be the best, you have to learn by watching them, listening to them, and emulating them.”

Although he originally planned to work after his master’s, friends from SHS convinced him to apply for a doctoral program, leading him to the University of Washington for the first time. It would eventually lead him to a 20+ year career at the University of Michigan, which prepared him to return to Seattle as a celebrated scholar and higher education leader. His calling to higher education started as service in a classroom, but now Dean Spencer gets to impact lives for the better far beyond just one class.

“In social work, we work every day toward justice, not just in my lifetime but for generations to come. That’s the lesson,” he said. “This journey has been the journey of a lifetime, and it started right there in Austin.”

David Springer, Bringing the Vibes to Florida State

After 26 years at the University of Texas, Dean David Springer went home to Tallahassee to start critical work at Florida State University. His first mission? Take a little bit of Austin, Texas back with him.

“When I meet with students, I prefer doing it by bringing in tacos and vinyl records,” Dean Springer said with a laugh.

Dean Springer, a three-time graduate of Florida State, was a key member of the self-described “FSU West” that was built at SHS

under former Dean and fellow three-time FSU graduate Barbara White in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was Dean Springer’s initial work under Dean White that taught him about building community as a leader, and where he learned that “leadership starts by knowing each other.”

Throughout his time at SHS and the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Dean Springer embodied a dedication to cultivating community and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of social work. Now, he’s executing at FSU a vision that reflects his belief in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the importance of aligning efforts toward a shared set of social work values.

“I’m truly blessed because the arc of my story is this intersection of being shaped by Florida State as a young scholar, and growing up as an academic at UT Austin,” Dean Springer said. “And now, having this opportunity to return to the place where I entered as a first-generation college student? I’m bringing with me lessons learned from various leadership opportunities that shaped me at UT Austin. It prepared me to be where I am right now in this moment.”

Future Leaders Still in the Making

SHS grows leaders in social work education today and will continue to grow leaders in the future. In fact, this next academic year will begin with another member of the SHS leadership tree taking a Dean position at another esteemed school.

The University of Denver became the latest school of social work to draw leadership from SHS, recently announcing that Henrika McCoy, Ph.D., as its next Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work, beginning June 15. McCoy, who currently serves as associate professor and the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Fellow in Services to Children and Families at SHS, will serve as Morris Endowed Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and as a tenured full professor.

“I am filled with gratitude for those who came before me and laid a strong foundation and the support I’ve received throughout my career. Both have prepared me up for this opportunity and I am eager to start the work that lies before me,” said Dr. McCoy. “The opportunities provided to me by the University of Texas and with the Steve Hicks School of Social Work are greatly appreciated, and they have been instrumental in my preparation to become a Dean.”

Let’s Talk About It

Jonathan Singer

Recognized as Pioneer in Social Work Podcasting

While working on his Ph.D. and teaching students in Pennsylvania, Jonathan Singer (MSSW ’96) couldn’t help but reflect on a pestering question he asked himself often: “How does a social work student learn critical information when they lack the time?”

That question stuck with him ever since he was at the University of Texas in the 1990s, serving in home-based family services right up to the edges of Travis County. He’d zig-zag over Austin, and when he’d be stuck in traffic, he’d wish he had more time to learn something on his drive.

The question kept biting at Jonathan until a breakthrough happened: the Apple iTunes store opened.

With the invention of the podcast, Singer realized he could centralize a place niche, evergreen topics within social work that would be accessible to students and social workers alike. With its debut in January 2007, The Social Work Podcast became the first-ever podcast for social workers – and is unquestionably the most popular. “I started recording summaries of my lectures because I assumed it would be more valuable to students after they graduated,” Singer said. “Students lose access to Blackboard, Canvas, and other resources when they graduate. I wanted students to learn on the go, have access to high quality content after they graduated, and I wanted my practice experience to serve as a guide to high academic concepts.”

Singer’s podcast has been downloaded more than eight million times and has enjoyed airplay in more than 208 countries. Singer is now an expert in social work digital media himself, with an international monthly audience of 40,000 listeners and 50,000 followers on social media platforms.

The achievements of his podcast were part of what secured Singer as one of the latest recipients of the NASW Social Work Pioneer Award. Recognized by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation, the Social Work Pioneer Award is one of the highest awards given in the social work profession. According to the Foundation, NASW Pioneers have “paved the way for thousands of other social workers to contribute to the betterment of the human condition; and they are role models for future generations of social workers.”

The award recognition is the latest in what Singer calls “unexpected gifts” from his podcast. In the 17 years that he’s produced the podcast, he’s had requests to translate his podcast into languages such as Turkish, caseworkers from South Africa reach out to former guests to consult on projects, and a host of other international opportunities generated from the podcast, including speaking engagements and publication invitations.

“I’m amazed every time,” Singer said. “It’s purposefully not behind a paywall so that anyone can access it, and the global research and impact it has spurred is incredible. It’s never a platform for me, but a platform for the social workers with whom I have the privilege of having a conversation.”

Singer, who teaches a a professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago when he’s not podcasting, looks forward to continuing to share space with social work experts and advance the practice of social work through his digital media efforts. In 2024, his text on Podcasting and Social Work Education, coedited with Australian social work professor Mim Fox, will be published by Routledge.

Singer’s blog can be found at socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com and The Social Work Podcast can be found on all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.

News from our Alumni

Gary Bachman, MSSW ’82, retired from his faculty position at Park University in Parkville, Missouri, with the rank of Emeritus Professor, becoming one of only 27 faculty members to have been so honored. He remains active on the boards of several social service agencies on both sides of the state line in the metropolitan Kansas City area.

Michael Spencer, MSSW ’92, was appointed dean of the University of Washington School of Social Work in July 2023, serving as the first-ever Native Hawaiian dean at UW.

Lynn Alsup, BSW ’92, MSSW ’96, released her memoir Tinderbox (ISBN 978-1-64742-541-8) in September 2023.

Jennifer Luna, MSSW ’95, retired from the University of Texas at Austin following a 28-year career with the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.

Susan Mapp, MSSW ’96, served as co-editor on the new book Successful Baccalaureate Social Work Programs: A Guide for Current and Emerging Leaders by CSWE Press.

Jonathan Singer, LCSW, MSSW ’96, received the prestigious NASW Pioneer Award. In addition to being a professor at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Social Work, he is the host of The Social Work Podcast, which has more than eight million downloads.

Todd Douglas, LCSW, MSSW ’96, became the CEO at Mind Body Optimization.

Michelle Ballan, Ph.D. ‘02 received the 2024 Building Knowledge Through Research Award from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crimes.

Lorena Sanchez, BSW ’06, MSSW ’08, began a new role as the director of admissions at SHS, following 15+ years of direct experience building and enhancing strategic relationships and partnerships with federal, state, and local entities.

Sarah Lackey, MSSW ’08, was awarded Field Instructor of the Year award by St. Edward’s University for her work with the Texas Advocacy Project.

Donna Aguiniga, Ph.D. ’10, became the Assistant Dean of the School of Social Work and SSWEND Scholar Mentor at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Emily Shryock, MSSW ’15, was appointed as the inaugural director of the University of Texas Disability Cultural Center (DCC).

Karla González Suitt, Ph.D. ’16, served in representation of Chilean social work educators with the University of Texas, presenting “Social Work Resilience in Chile: 50 Years of Growth Following the Chilean Coup D’état” at SHS as part of an on-going relationship between SHS and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Olivia Branscomb-Burgess, MSSW ’17, began a new role as clinical supervisor with the pediatric inpatient unit at Kitsap Mental Health Services.

Rachel Gandy, MSSW ’17, became chief of staff for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department in August 2023.

Christina Loftus, JD, LMSW, ACC, MSSW ’17, embarked on her new position as a Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP) Clinical Professional at the State Bar of Texas in September 2023.

Anao Zhang, Ph.D. ’18, assumed the role of Associate Director for the Curtis Center for Health Equity Research and Training housed at the University of Michigan School of Social Work.

Karen “Yvette” Bermudez, LMSW, MSSW ’22, became a public health advisor in the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Kiki Avilez, LMSW, MSSW ’23, earned her Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) license and began a role with Austin Bilingual Therapy.

Shannon Doyle, MSW ’23, started a role as a Research Associate with the AdoptUSKids Evaluation Team.

Jairo León, MSSW ’23, began a role as a clinical mental health professional at the Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center in Travis County.

Sarah Stransky, BSW ’21, MSSW ’23, started a role with Dell Children’s Mental Health Unit as a medical social worker.

The mission of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work is to provide national leadership to promote social and economic justice, alleviate critical social problems, and enhance human well-being.

Steve Hicks School of Social Work 1925 San Jacinto Blvd, Stop D3500

Austin, TX 78712-1405

Austin, Texas Permit No. 391