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.