Social Work Annual Review 2022-2023

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

ANNUAL REVIEW 2022–2023

MISSION STATEMENT

“The mission of the social work program is to prepare communitycentered, civically-engaged generalist practitioners motivated by their vocational callings to serve as social workers committed to pursuing reconciliation, restoration, and the common good of individuals and community well-being.”

GREETINGS!

The 2022-2023 academic year finished strong. Our online adult undergraduate (AUG) program preparing to welcome its third group of students in the Fall, and our first set of AUG students will be entering their Field internships in August. We are so grateful for the group of committed and enthusiastic adjunct instructors who have embraced this program and bring their expertise to those Saturday mornings with our students. Our traditional undergraduate (TUG) program remains a strong presence on campus, with a particularly large and engaged group of rising sophomores and juniors this year.

We find ourselves leaning into a number of changes Trinity is making campus-wide in ways that energize us and support our students. Our 4-day academic schedule and the space that creates on Well-Being Wednesdays is affording students to consider ways to use their time in support of financial, physical, mental, and social well-being. The growth of the Earn, Network, Learn (ENL) initiative campus-wide is providing students opportunities for real-world work experience in exchange for tuition assistance; several social work students will be taking ENL Co-Op positions this fall at Beth Shan. And, this August we will see the first group of incoming freshmen and transfer students admitted under Trinity’s new tuition reset model, which we hope increases both the number of students and - more importantly – the equitable access to higher education for all students.

Now as we all settle into the summer rhythms and work tasks, we also hope for a muchneeded time of renewal and relaxation- faculty and students alike. This annual review is both a summative snapshot of some of what this past academic year looked like in the Social Work Department and a look forward to some of the best things on the horizon for the year ahead. As always, we are thankful for each person who receives and reads this review, as it means you have been a partner and supporter of our program. We ask for your prayers and continued support as we plan for the upcoming year and the new initiatives in both of our programs.

Be well,

Allison Tan, MSSA, PhD Department Chairperson

BSW GRADUATES

On Friday, May 5, 2023, Trinity Christian College hosted its commencement ceremony at Ozinga Field. Congratulations to Trinity’s BSW graduates fro m the Class of 2023.

DECEMBER 2022

BSW GRADUATE

STEPHANIE TORRES

MAY 2023

6 BSW GRADUATES

MADELEINE ARMSTRONG

SABINA BALINT

KENDRA HERRY

JOHN KENNEDY

EMILI KRONST

AMY MEYRICK

LINDSAY NOYES

AMBER SAVAGE

BRANDI SNIEDER

NATASHA VAN MAANEN

NICOLE WIDEMAN

BSW graduates are planning to go to Baylor University, Dominican University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Lewis University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Illinois at Chicago for graduate school.

PHI ALPHA HONOR SOCIETY

On Monday, April 24, 2023, Trinity’s Phi Alpha Honor Society inducted four new students: Letisha Banks, Mercy Brooks, Laura Lovell, and Yaretsi Selvas. These scholars represent the top of their class academically, and we applaud their hard work. Dr. Lenore Knight-Johnson was this year’s Honorary Inductee and spoke at the ceremony as the keynote speaker.

Affiliated Faculty- congrats to Timika and Amy

At Trinity, the rank of Affiliated Faculty is extended to adjunct faculty who demonstrate strong, consistent and engaged teaching in their department. The Department of Social Work is excited to announce that Dr. Timika Anderson-Reeves and Amy Tiemersma have both been granted Affiliated status this year! Timika has taught in both the traditional and adult programs, most recently taking on several of the AUG courses as her own – including Values and Ethics and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Amy has taught several courses in our traditional program including Values and Ethics and Practice with Individuals. Timika and Amy, THANK YOU for your commitment to our department and support of our students!

Dr. Timika Anderson-Reeves

Amy Tiemersma

ANNOUNCING THE NEW DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK & SOCIOLOGY!

Trinity’s Social Work and Sociology departments share a rich history of close collaboration around shared mission, vision, and work toward forming students as people committed to justice, equity, and the flourishing of all God’s creation. With the support of Trinity’s Academic Council, we are excited to announce that our departments will be combining to form the NEW Departmenwt of Social Work & Sociology, effective this Fall.

Our rationale for this proposal is rooted in recognition of our existing relationship and our vision for what is made possible by formalizing our mutual commitments and goals amid the innovative directions of the college. Social Work and Sociology faculty work together informally and we share several interests that inform our respective programs. By combining our departments, we shift this sharing of ideas and mutual support into pooled resources (financial, human, time, knowledge) and tangible benefits for students, the college, and our wider community.

Together, our departments oversee the Social Work major, the Social Work minor, the Sociology minor, and the Urban Studies minor. These curricular programs share similar courses and learning outcomes and, with a combined department, there is potential to grow these existing major and minor programs. In addition, formalizing our departmental collaboration provides support for the continued growth and strengthening of the Chicago Connect Foundations curriculum,currently under the direction of Dr. Allison Tan. We are deeply invested in this place-based curriculum and believe housing it in an interdisciplinary department will reinforce the core postures of this curriculum.

We also share a commitment to and experience in community-based participatory research. Through the Honors Program, Dr. Knight-Johnson integrates this research methodology into courses and student engagement, and is looking to expand toward an eventual community-based research center on campus. This goal would provide opportunities for students, faculty, and community members to collaborate on new initiatives, further strengthening Trinity’s relationship with its surrounding area. Combining departments draws together the expertise of our faculty and creates mechanisms for the development of community-based research projects in local and global contexts.

SAVE-THE-DATE FOR FALL CEU WORKSHOP

This fall, we are excited to welcome LaVon Lenaway to campus to lead us in a Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT). VDT is an evidence-based practice model for building empathy regarding the experience of living with dementia. This is a hands-on, experiential activity which then culminates in a largegroup debriefing. This CEU event will take place on Thursday, November 30th from 9:00am -12:00 pm (3 CEUs). A registration link will be made available in late summer or early fall, but save-the-date now for this great day of learning together! Note: space will be limited, given the hands-on nature of the experience, so sign up early if you want to join us!

BSW PROGRAM 2022-2023 OUTCOMES

Assessment data on program competences is collected during BSW students’ senior year in (1) the senior level social work courses (aka The Macro 3) and from (2) their field placements. To see the full outcomes of program competencies, please go to Social Work Learning Outcomes on Trinity’s website. Link to be included for Social Work Learning Ou

*Please stay tuned for more upcoming CEU opportunities in the 20222023 academic year hosted by the Social Work Department as well as cohosted with the Psychology Department.

FACULTY UPDATES

CINI BRETZLAFF-HOLSTEIN, DSW, LSW, FOCAE DIRECTOR OF THE ONLINE BSW PROGRAM, PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK

Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein gave her tenure lecture this spring entitled Becoming More Fully Human through the Pursuit of the Peaceable Kingdom. In October 2022, Cini presented at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work Annual Convention in Oak Brook, IL on Environmental Justice and the Social Work Pedagogical Toolkit. She wrote and submitted a book review on Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation, edited by Jasmin Singer, which was accepted by the Journal of Animal Ethics. Together with Lisa Doot Abinoja and faculty colleagues in the Nursing, Counseling/Psychology, and Education departments, Cini and her colleagues received a summer research grant from Trinity Christian College to begin analyzing research results from their interdisciplinary simulation from Spring 2022 and Spring 2023. They are working together to write up the findings for one or more peer-reviewed academic journals and continue to plan for the third annual spring student interdisciplinary event for spring 2024. Their forthcoming workshop proposal was accepted at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting (APM) in October 2023 in Atlanta, GA. Their presentation is entitled Interdisciplinary Simulation-Based Learning Experiences for Increasing Student Competencies. Additionally this summer, the social work faculty with faculty colleagues serving on Trinity’s adjunct care team received a summer collaborative grant from Trinity Christian College to plan, develop and facilitate an adjunct faculty professional development CEU workshop for the social work affiliated and adjunct faculty. This half-day workshop is designed to engage with different pedagogical approaches, share teaching wisdom and experiences, and work collaboratively to develop each participant’s own unique identity and approach to teaching through the drafting of a teaching philosophy statement. Cini and Allison Tan will be presenting on the department’s adjunct professional development program and CEU workshop at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting (APM) in October 2023 in Atlanta, GA. Their workshop is entitled Celebrating & Supporting BSW-Level Adjunct Faculty in the Development of Their Pedagogical Identity.

LISA DOOT ABINOJA, ALMOST OFFICIALLY PHD, LCSW DIRECTOR OF FIELD EDUCATION ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK

Lisa Doot Abinoja defended her dissertation Intersectionality: Race and First-Generational Status on Sense of Belonging on April 27, 2023. She looks forward to officially having her PhD conferred on August 6th, 2023! Lisa co-presented at one conference this year with Allison at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work Conference on Othering: Students’ Sense of Belonging in a Christian Campus Environment in October 2022. As stated above, Lisa is working on two summer interdisciplinary collaborations. Additionally, Lisa was chosen as a Scholar in Residence through Chicago Semester where she will be researching incorporating experiential qualitative research into coursework and community-academic collaborative partnerships, and identifying best practices in experiential learning to apply to pedagogy and program development with Sociology colleague Lenore Knight Johnson. As the field director, Lisa pursued four new field placement opportunities for our students, including partnering with Institudo del Progresso Latino, Mommy’s Haven, Rosecrace, and Tinley Park High School. This upcoming year, she will continue to teach Organizational Leadership and Development, Field Seminar, Diversity, Oppression, Inclusion, Working with Individuals, and Finding your Scholarly Voice. This summer she is teaching her first class in the new adult undergraduate program and is really enjoying the dynamic adult undergraduate students. Lastly, institutionally, Lisa will take on a new role as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) chair.

ALLISON TAN, MSSA, PHD BSW PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT CHAIR, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK

This year, Allison continued her service on the Admissions and Academic Performance Review Committee at Trinity, mentored another group of freshmen through the THRIVE program, and settled into the role of Social Work Department Chair. Allison also became the Director of Chicago Connect courses for the college, joined the Foundations Committee, and is currently overseeing a task force focusing on the re-design of the FDN 101 (Thrive) course for incoming freshmen. This summer, she will be working with Dr. Ben Ribbens on their co-taught interdisciplinary course on poverty. In the coming year, she is excited to be able to mentor three new student research projects through the Honor’s Program and the VandeVelde Junior Scholars and anticipates opportunities to assist those students in finding both presentation and publication venues for their important work. Through her church, Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, Allison and her son Avery continue to serve a ministry team to welcome and establish homes for refugee families through World Relief and Refugee One.

If you have any questions about upcoming CEU workshops, please contact: