UGA School of Social Work Magazine Fall 2014

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The Magazine of the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia

P U B L I S H E R

the university of georgia E D I TO R

Laurie J. Anderson EDITORIAL OFFICES

the school of social work tucker hall 310 East Campus Road athens, ga 30602

% (706) 542-1222 FAX

(706) 542-3845 E - MA I L

sswpr@uga.edu W E B S I T E

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university printing P H OTO G R A P HY

Michael Alexander Regina Alexander Laurie Anderson Nancy Evelyn Sandra Murphy Robert Newcomb Peter Frey Harold Waters Emily Williams school of social work faculty and staff

Š2014 The University of Georgia The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.

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Dear Friends and Colleagues,

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t is always a pleasure to update you on the activities of the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia. Over the past few years the collective work of faculty, staff, students, alumni and the Board of Visitors has helped the school attain several signal achievements. Most notably, the Council on Social Work Education—the sole accrediting agency for social work in the United States—fully reaccredited our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs through 2019. The site visitors’ report observed 10 areas of strength of our school and no concerns.

In 2012 the University Council approved the interdisciplinary dual master’s degree program in social work and public health. We were very proud to see the inaugural class graduate this past December. In 2013, we welcomed four new tenure-track faculty members and a MSW program admissions coordinator. As you will see in this publication, they hold outstanding expertise in their respective areas and possess strong academic and research credentials. Additionally, in 2013 the University Council approved the establishment of the Center for Social Justice, Civil and Human Rights. As a part of the new center’s efforts to address contemporary issues of social justice, this spring we were thrilled to welcome Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, to deliver the third annual Donald L. Hollowell Lecture. You can learn more about these events in these pages and at the Hollowell Professorship website (dlhprof.uga.edu).

Additionally, since 2013 the school:  Doubled the number of first-year MSW students at the Gwinnett campus;  Completed the 2020 Strategic Plan;  Continued to strengthen ties with Ghana and Northern Ireland through its study abroad programs;  Established, through the Office of Field Education, international field placement sites in Cape Town, South Africa and Lima, Peru.

Most recently, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten awarded the school a new endowed professorship, the Georgia Athletic Association Professorship in Health and Well-Being. This professorship will focus on research, teaching, and service in relation to the school’s MSW/MPH dual degree program.

In regards to student support, thanks to generous gifts from John W. Huey, Jr. and his wife Kate Ellis Huey, the Twenty-Seven Foundation, Betsy Vonk, Harry Vonk and Jodie Raney, talented and eligible students can now look forward to scholarships and assistance from the following funds:  The Helen Elizabeth Huey Scholarship Fund supports students devoted to protecting the interests of disenfranchised children, particularly those growing up in foster care.  The Twenty-Seven Foundation Graduate Support Fund supports students earning a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Organizations.  The Robert A. Vonk Scholarship supports graduate students who are committed to providing excellent social work services to benefit individuals with developmental disabilities.

My deepest thanks to our alumni and friends for their support over the past year. Your contributions to our scholarship funds and other forms of assistance continue to make a critical difference in helping exceptionally talented and diverse students to fulfill their dreams. As you read through the stories here, please consider how your help strengthens the programs that prepare graduates to advocate for positive social change.

Last but not least, this year—2014—marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the UGA School of Social Work! We are planning a gala celebration to be held on October 17 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Let me extend a warm welcome in advance to all our alumni, friends and supporters in anticipation that you will come and celebrate with us!

As always, I encourage you to stay connected with us. Please send any updates to Harold Waters, our alumni director, at hwaters@uga.edu. We love to hear from you and we want to keep you involved and informed of our activities as we look forward to our next 50 years!

Sincerely, Maurice C. Daniels, Dean and Professor

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The University of Georgia School of Social Work

Advocates for Positive Social Change

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Milestones

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—S— DETAILS ON PAGE 32

Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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Milestones: A brief history of the School of Social Work

by Laurie Anderson

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he University System of Georgia established the University of Georgia School of Social Work in 1964.

It was the second school of social work in the state after the Atlanta University School of Social Work*. Charles A. Stewart became the school’s first dean in January 1964; students entered the graduate degree program in September.

Classes were initially held at Waddell Hall on North Campus.

In the spring of 1966 the school moved to Candler Hall and awarded its first Master of Social Work degrees to a cohort of 14 students. In June the Council on Social Work Education, the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the U.S., accredited the graduate program.

Early field internships and funding grants focused on training social workers in the areas of mental retardation, child abuse, mental health, public welfare, public school social work, and legal aid. In 1969 the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare designated the school as a regional research center in social welfare, one of four such centers nationwide and the only one in the Southeast. The center was active for a decade, producing research on child neglect and persistent poverty in the South.

In the 1970s the CSWE accredited a baccalaureate program and the master’s degree curriculum was revised to meet new CSWE requirements. Both programs grew rapidly.

To accommodate the increased enrollment, the school moved to its current location at Tucker Hall on South Campus.

In 1981 the school launched a part-time Master of Social Work degree program that made graduate social work education accessible to nontraditional students. First offered in Atlanta, Savannah and Athens, today it is based at the Gwinnett Campus. Faculty also began planning the curriculum for a doctoral degree.

The first faculty, 1964: (front row, l-r) Merle Foeckler, Charles A. Stewart, Elsie Nesbit; (middle row, l-r) Kathryn Williams, Helen Exner, Barbara Keniston; (back row, l-r) James Jordan, Robert Wray, M.D., Paul Deutchberger.

The Board of Regents approved the doctoral program in 1990. Initially proposed as an academic research degree emphasizing mental health, the program soon broadened. Four years later, the school also established its first international program in partnership with the University of Veracruz in Xalapa, Mexico, a collaboration that lasted a decade.

Bonnie Yegidis became dean in 1995. During her tenure the school welcomed the first federal training program for child welfare practitioners in Georgia, as well as two endowed professorships––the Thomas M. “Jim” Parham Professorship and the Pauline M. Berger Professorship––focused on the areas of child and family policy and family and child welfare, respectively. The school also introduced study abroad programs in Ghana and Argentina and, in collaboration with the School of Public and International Affairs, the Master of Arts in Nonprofit Organizations. Additionally, the school brought in several visiting international faculty and established a servicelearning experience that enabled students to work with burninjured children. During this period an interdisciplinary group of faculty also initiated the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies, in partnership with the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies.

Maurice Daniels succeeded Dean Yegidis in 2005. During his tenure the school expanded its international programs and *Now the Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University.

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developed two dual graduate degrees––one in social work and law and one in social work and public health–– and endowed the Donald L. Hollowell Distinguished Professorship of Social Justice and Civil Rights Studies.

In addition, the school established the Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights and began cosponsoring with the Center an annual lecture named in honor of Donald L. Hollowell, the pioneering civil rights advocate.

Since its founding in 1964, the school has conferred more than 6,000 degrees. From eight initial faculty the school has grown to include a teaching and support staff of more than 40 tenured or tenure-track faculty, lecturers, part-time faculty and academic professionals. The school continues to develop student scholarships and endowed professorships, and introduce new interdisciplinary degree programs. The school’s faculty publish extensively in peer-reviewed journals and work across a broad spectrum of issues to inform public policy and assist marginalized populations.

As it advances into the 21st century, the School of Social Work remains committed to broadening UGA’s mission of teaching, research, and service.

Perhaps more importantly, the UGA School of Social Work continues to prepare graduates who are passionate about making this a better, more humane and just world for all.

Join us in celebrating our 50th anniversary October 17-18 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis! See page 32 or visit www.ssw.uga.edu/50th/ for details.

If you would like to share memories or photos of your time at the School of Social Work, please check out our survey at bit.ly/ssw50thalumnisurvey​ or contact Harold Waters at (706) 542-5450 or at hwaters@uga.edu.

We welcome your contributions!

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School of Social Work marks start of 50th anniversary

by Laurie Anderson

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ahler Hall in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education holds over 500 people, but had very few empty seats when Morris Dees spoke there for the third annual Donald L. Hollowell Lecture. Dee’s talk, titled “With Justice for All in a Changing America,” addressed the history and future of civil rights issues in the U.S. and marked the start of the School of Social Work’s 50th anniversary.

Dees was welcomed by Dean Maurice Daniels and Pamela Whitten, University of Georgia’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

“I am so proud to be part of this community of UGA,” said Whitten. “The passion to continue to fight the injustices that we face is inspiring.”

Dees’ presentation, which covered a career that stretched from the early 1960s through the present day, is recounted on the next page. R. Baxter Miller, professor of African American Studies and English in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and interim director of the UGA Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights, followed Dees and spoke briefly about the Center’s initiatives.

Afterwards Dees met with students for a discussion on how to create a more inclusive campus. The student event was organized by Uzma Chowdhury (MA NPO ’14).

The school also held a continuing education workshop, “Ethical Challenges With Special Populations,” in honor of the 50th anniversary. The all-day event at the Georgia Center provided an overview of the NASW Code of Ethics in relation to mental health, developmental disabilities, vulnerable populations during disasters, older adults, HIV/AIDS, and military personnel. It was conducted by Catherine Ivy (MSW

Charles Stewart, dean emeritus

President Cheryl Dozier, Savannah State University

’93), LCSW; Betty Watts, LMSW, USAR-Ret; and Jan N. Yates (MSW ’75), LCSW. Alumni, faculty and friends of the school also enjoyed a reception held in the Georgia Center to mark the start of the school’s celebration of 50 years of social work education. Dean Daniels gave an overview of the school’s history, and Dean Emeritus Charles Allie Kilpatrick (MSW ’66, PhD ’82) Stewart and Allie Kilpatrick (MSW ’66, PhD ‘82) related their memories of the school’s early days.

“We started a school of which we can be proud,” Stewart recalled. “We hired the best faculty we could get, and I’m so glad that we won many outstanding grants and competitions with other schools of social work.”

Former faculty member Cheryl Dozier, president of Savannah State University, also gave an enthusiastic account of her time with the school.

“I do appreciate the mentoring I received here,” she told attendees. “The School of Social Work at UGA continues to be a national and international program that makes a difference in the lives of students.”

Morris Dees discusses diversity issues with students

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2014 Donald L. Hollowell Lecture kicks off 50th anniversary celebration Presentation given by Morris Dees, co-founder of Southern Poverty Law Center

by Aaron Hale

Morris Dees, co-founder and chief trial attorney of the Southern Poverty Law Center, had a challenge for the university community audience April 3 during the third annual Donald L. Hollowell Lecture in Mahler Hall of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

The struggle for civil rights did not begin with the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, Dees said, and it didn’t end when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1967. Instead, there are still social justice issues that need to be addressed including those involving immigrants, sexual and gender orientation, and bullying, he said.

“The march for justice continues,” Dees said. “You students who are here tonight, and the adults also, have a front row seat to that march for justice. I challenge you not to keep that seat but to get up and get involved.”

Dees, a native of Shorter, Ala., is best known for winning multimillion dollar lawsuits in discrimination cases against hate groups. After the bombing of an Alabama church in 1963 killed four African-American girls, Dees and fellow lawyer Joseph Levin Jr. began providing free legal representation to victims of prejudice.

The pair co-founded the SPLC in 1971. In the decades since, the center has removed barriers to equality for AfricanAmericans, women, the disabled and the LGBT community, and advocated for humane treatment of incarcerated youth, immigrant workers and other marginalized groups.

During the lecture, Dees recounted stories of discrimination perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan in the South – including a lynching case against an African-American man in Alabama and a case of harassment against Vietnamese immigrant fishermen in Corpus Christi, Texas In both cases, the legal system worked to provide justice for the wronged. Dees said the heroes in these cases were the “foot soldiers for justice” who agreed to be plaintiffs in court to stop discrimination for future generations.

In closing the lecture, Dees predicted the current class of students is poised to help create a better and more diverse America. One day, Dees said, there will be a book written about this generation.

Morris Dees and Louise Hollowell

“I think it’s going to be a book about America’s greatest generation,” Dees said.

The Hollowell Lecture is named for the attorney who led the legal battle that brought about the desegregation of UGA in 1961. Louise Thornton Hollowell, the 100-year-old widow of Donald L. Hollowell, was in attendance and received a standing ovation when Dean Daniels introduced her to the audience.

The event was sponsored by the UGA Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights, the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies and the School of Social Work. The lecture also marked the beginning of the School of Social Work’s 50th anniversary celebration.

To learn more about the Hollowell Lecture, please visit www.dlhprof.uga.edu.

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Parham Policy Day looks at past and present

by Laura James (ABJ ’15), Red and Black

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wo civil rights activists, a minority health policy expert and an associate professor spoke on the theme of civil rights history and public policy at the University of Georgia School of Social Work’s 10th annual Parham Policy Day. Graduate students studying social work organized the event with June Gary Hopps, Parham Professor of Family and Children Studies.

Lonnie C. King Jr. and Roslyn Pope, activists during the civil rights movement, shared their experiences growing up in the segregated South. King and Pope said they spent time away from Atlanta as young adults, living in environments less plagued by discrimination. King said he joined the Navy for a few years, and Pope said she traveled to Europe and studied piano in Paris while she was a student at Spelman College.

Upon their return, both activists recognized the need for change.

“Returning to Atlanta… after having lived as a human being rather than an object of hatred for more than a year, it was almost unbearable,” Pope said.

King spoke on the importance of overcoming discrimination throughout his life and his role as an activist.

“The law was against us, but because I was a religious person, I knew there was a higher moral law,” King said.

A part of the Atlanta Student Movement, King and Pope developed a document known as “An Appeal for Human

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L-R: Lonnie C. King Jr., Travis Patton, and Roslyn Pope

Rights” that called for total racial desegregation by nonviolent means in 1960.

Travis Patton, a former project director for National Minority Male Health Project and an adjunct professor of sociology at Morehouse College, then spoke on current public policy’s impact on a variety of issues that King and Pope mentioned. He urged a bottom-up approach toward social issues.

“We need to be active to force our leaders to do things because making changes are not comfortable,” he said. “It shakes up the status quo. It shakes up the social order.”

After Patton spoke, Tony Lowe, an associate professor in the School of Social Work, recounted the story of Isaiah H. Loftin, a black postmaster in Hogansville who experienced discrimination in the late 19th century.

The speakers held a question and answer session following their talks. Veronda Baker, a graduate student from McDonough studying social work at the UGA Gwinnett campus, said she thought it was interesting to hear the speakers’ first-hand experiences.

“The speakers actually lived through the civil rights era, and they were pretty much foot soldiers and very instrumental in a lot of the rights that we have today,” Baker said.

More than 75 people attended the free public event held in the reception hall of the Tate Student Center. Parham Policy Day is named after Thomas M. “Jim” Parham, who was a professor in the School of Social Work and served in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter.

L-R: Jessica Scott, Leanna Showalter, Brittany Thurmond, Casey Westmoreland, Katherine Shaw, Amanda Pettus, Melanie Kim Proctor, Audry Motlagh, Melissa Armstrong

UGA School of Social Work honors faculty, staff and students at annual awards luncheon The UGA School of Social Work celebrated the accomplishments of its faculty, students and staff at the annual awards luncheon held on April 17 at Trumps Ballroom in Athens.

“I am always thrilled to recognize the extraordinary achievements of our students, colleagues, alumni, and friends,” Dean Maurice C. Daniels told attendees. “This event gives us an opportunity to shine a well-deserved light on our many outstanding faculty, staff, field instructors, alums and students.”

This year’s awards included a new honor: the Robert A. Vonk Scholarship, created by Betsy Vonk (PhD ’96), Harry Vonk and Jodie Raney to support students who demonstrate an interest in developmental disabilities. Leanna Showalter (BSW ’13, MSW ’14) received the inaugural scholarship.

Showalter has worked for several years with children who are identified with autism spectrum disorder.

The Pauline Durant Lide Scholarship went to Melanie Proctor (MSW ’15), with thanks to scholarship supporter Ben Clark, who was present at the luncheon. Proctor, a cancer survivor, plans to work with patients and families dealing with that disease. Jerry and Judy Loyd saw the Elizabeth B. Loyd Scholarship awarded to Alyssa Behnke (MSW ’15).

Behnke earned her undergraduate degree in child and family

studies and plans to pursue a career as a clinician in the mental health field.

Among the faculty and staff honorees, Brian Bride was named Ph.D. Teacher of the Year. Bride recently accepted the position of director of the School of Social Work at Georgia State University. “We are losing an outstanding scholar, colleague and friend,” noted Associate Dean Harold Briggs.

Three students received special recognition for academic achievement. Graduating seniors Mandi Moroz (BSW ’14) and Megan Gallagher (BSW ’14) both received the UGA Award of Excellence, which honors students who graduate in the top one percent of their graduating class. Madison Borst Parekh (BSW ’14) was recognized as a First Honor Graduate.

Parekh completed a baccalaureate degree with an overall grade point average of 4.0.

The James Dodd Distinguished Alumni Award went to Shelly Hutchinson (MSW ’00), owner and co-founder of the Atlanta-based Social Empowerment Center. The Center, which has experienced phenomenal growth since its founding in 2002, topped the Bulldog 100 this year as the fastest growing company owned or founded by a UGA graduate.

To see a complete list of honorees, visit t.uga.edu/L1.

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What dreams are made of…

A savvy business leader with social work sense reinvents family business

Story and photos

by Emily Williams

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King Shaw (MSW ’91) was destined for life in his family’s farm implement manufacturing business—the King Plow Company, started in 1902 by his great-grandfather Clyde Lanier King. In preparation, Shaw earned an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Georgia in 1974. Just as he was poised to take over as the fourth generation of his family to run the business, the farm crisis in the 1970s and 1980s put production to a halt. After a dozen years at the helm of the company, Shaw saw his great-grandfather’s dream begin to crash down around him.

“If you weren’t John Deere or one of the big ones you pretty much withered on the vine,” Shaw says. “It was clear what was happening—we closed the whole place in 1986. All my life I was told, ‘You’re going to run this business and you’re going to keep the family name on it.’ On a personal level, I was devastated that it came apart on my watch.”

Shaw was at a crossroads he never expected to encounter. He reluctantly sold the family business and tried to move on with his life. The first change was his career path and Shaw dedicated himself to his new bearings— passing the GRE and getting accepted to the University of Georgia School of Social Work.

“It was hugely important to me to go back to school. I wanted to be a therapist,” he says.

“I wanted it more than anything.”

Timing is everything…

Shaw entered the Master of Social Work program at the University of Georgia in 1990.

While working in his first internship with an Atlanta community health program for the homeless, the person he sold King Plow to defaulted on the loan. A savvy businessperson, Shaw had arranged a deal with the new owners of his 165,000 square foot facility in such a way that if they defaulted there would be no recourse—they simply would give the property back. He created the deal with the hope of one day regaining ownership.

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“It happened faster than I thought because I was in the middle of social work school when it happened. I got it back and thought, ‘Now what am I going to do with it?’” Shaw quips.

In the three years King Plow was under new ownership, one of Shaw’s artist friends rented space in one of the dilapidated industrial buildings. The brick structure, built circa 1900, is characterized by parapet walls on the outside and massive, exposed oak and heart pine timber beams augmented by heavy steel beams on the inside. High ceilings are punctuated by arched windows, skylights and large rectangular windows that make the most of natural light in an expansive interior. They agreed it could be a great space for artists.

Meanwhile, Shaw juggled his new career with supporting his wife and three young kids and his plans to save King Plow.

“As I was in social work school they were telling me things like, if you’re going to be part of a community then you’ve got to embrace whatever is important within that community,” Shaw recalled. The lessons he was learning at the School of Social Work not only applied to his new career, but to reinventing King Plow for a modern world.

Shaw sparked interest in the buildings when he offered free space to local groups that were fundraising for AIDS awareness. At any given event, four- to five-hundred people visited the facility. Later he allowed artists to set up galleries in the event spaces in order to give them exposure and produce a creative tone for events.

“It began to make sense. It was an amazing thing. It took on a life of its own. The artists and the arts community really embraced it.

They really felt this was a neat place with a neat vibe,” Shaw says.

With mounting interest from potential tenants and support from the mayor’s Atlanta Arts Blueprint for Action, which outlined the needs of the arts community in Atlanta, Shaw began devising a master plan. The new King Plow would rent and eventually sell space to artists and creative businesses for residential

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View more photos of King Shaw and the King Plow Arts Center at: bit.ly/KingShaw

and commercial purposes. He brought the electrical wiring up to municipal code requirements and let the new tenants build out the parcels to meet their individual needs. He installed a state-of-the-art fire alarm system, a new heating and air conditioning system and a new roof. Shaw worked closely with historical preservation organizations to keep the updates in line with historic regulations. Shaw won multiple awards for upholding and preserving the facility’s historical assets.

Also at the time of these renovations the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) came into effect. Shaw began outfitting the building with ramps and elevators. Not only did he satisfy ADA regulations, but from a commercial standpoint Shaw’s creative tenants found the accessibility features useful when moving equipment and artwork.

“Because of the School of Social Work, I had a good idea about what I thought the ADA meant. It meant that everybody needs to be able to get where they need to go and not be embarrassed,” he says.

Shaw’s business background and social worker’s compassion helped him to work successfully with the bankers who financed the project and the artists who began to occupy the new King Plow Arts Center.

“We were filling the units up as fast as we could get them built, and all of a sudden by 1996 we were full,” he says.

When the Olympics came to Atlanta that year, Shaw hosted events at his gallery.

Shaw’s social work training proved useful in other ways.

As a student, Shaw learned that his one voice could not get the job done when requesting utilities, trash pick-up and other 12

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city services. He used lessons learned in classes and in the field to rally local residents to get basic services from the city and other vendors.

“I wouldn’t have known to do it if it weren’t for the School of Social Work—the community organizing wouldn’t have happened; the ramps would not have happened. We probably would not have had the success with people coming to the events here. The interviewing skills that the School of Social Work taught me, I use them every day. They gave me the playbook that says, ‘If you want to go do this, here’s how you do it.’ The bottom line is, the King Plow Arts Center would not be here without the School of Social Work.”

Today, at any given time, King Plow accommodates 600700 people. There’s the Paul Mitchell cosmetology school with 200 students, the Actors Express Theatre, Georgia Lawyers for the Arts, and the Dogwood Festival, to name a few. Now the center boasts 230,000 square feet of usable space on 12.5 acres of land.

“When I first started at the School of Social Work, a professor asked ‘Why are you here?’ Some people said [they chose social work] for religious reasons; some people said because it felt good and they were motivated to do it.

The professor said, ‘It’s because we are all damaged and [subconsciously, we believe if] we can fix other people, we can fix ourselves.’ That has stuck with me. I’ve been fixing myself out here for the last 20 years, between helping to sponsor things like Create Your Dreams, to helping my kids and tenants start their own businesses. What is better than that?”

Alumnus supports

Create Your Dreams arly on when the King Plow Company began its metamorphosis into the King Plow Arts Center, Shaw and several others who wanted to make a big impact in local kids’ lives founded a program to help underserved youths in the nearby community. With input from the principal of a local elementary school and other key stakeholders, Create Your Dreams (CYD) was started to give kids long-term stability in their lives and a strong educational foundation so that they could succeed and break the cycle of poverty. Beginning with kids in third grade, the program provides support through the college years and beyond.

The program is housed at Shaw’s Art Center.

“These are kids that are bright kids, but they didn’t have the support system at home that was really going to give them the opportunity to be all that they could be, and this is where Create Your Dreams comes in—it gives them somebody else to talk to who cares about them,” Shaw says.

Create Your Dreams, which supports 50 local kids each year, provides a safe haven for educational and personal enrichment. Each cohort meets once a week at the CYD facility, but individuals may be required to come every day for tutoring if they fall behind on their grades. In addition to the weekly curriculum, CYD provides weekend activities, summer camps, college preparation and alumni classes after graduation.

At their weekly meetings, students share a meal and participate in a curriculum that includes traditional school lessons, life skills, college preparation and professional development. Students also get free time to do art projects or read. They

are exposed to a wide range of people and experiences intended to inspire them.

CYD also provides a family environment in which participants celebrate birthdays and holidays.

“They form a group dynamic that remains constant as well, so it’s not that we are just in the same location and we have the same staff, but they actually come with the same set of peers,” says Kim Dennis, executive director of Create Your Dreams. “When they were in elementary school they may have moved 20 times and lost all of their friends with the exception of us. We really do remain intact and stable.”

Many of these kids’ families move often, or are involved with the Division of Family and Children Services, and don’t have very much at home. The average income for a family of four from the area is $13,000.

“It’s a nice safe environment where they can do what they want. There are a lot of kids who just sit and read. It’s just quiet, there is no threat,” Dennis says.

“We try to get them to set goals. We try to do activities that promote creative thinking. We really want the children to think for themselves because in the environments where they come from they are very rarely allowed to make their own decisions that are positive and structured.”

Now in its twentieth year of operation, CYD shows no signs of slowing. Forty-seven students have completed the program since it was established, and every one of those went

Photo by Peter Essick /Create Your Dreams

by Emily Williams

on to graduate from high school. Most students—96 percent—continue on to a post-secondary education. And 50 percent of CYD’s college graduates are enrolled in a master’s program or have already received a master’s degree.

Dennis is proud of the numbers, but she is especially proud about the positive impact the program has had on its graduates.

“The kids in the program don’t get pregnant, they don’t drop out of school and they keep up good grades to get into college,” Dennis says.

One graduate in particular has come full circle, Dennis explained. A young woman from CYD’s first class graduated from the program and went on to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. She now teaches at the very school in Atlanta where she was an elementary student. She recently bought her own house and is helping kids just like herself find success.

“What the graduates get out if it is consistency, familiarity, and support.

We have created a family environment,” Dennis says. “CYD gives them confidence and courage.”

For more information about Create Your Dreams, see createyourdreams.org.

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Social Empowerment Center tops the field of Bulldog businesses

by Maria Torres (ABJ ’14) or the first time in the five-year history of the Bulldog 100, a female business leader’s operation headlined the list of fastest growing companies in 2014 – and she happened to be an alumna of the School of Social Work.

Rachelle D. Hutchinson (MSW ’00) and her husband Edward, who also graduated from the University of Georgia, were honored in late January at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta for their work at the Social Empowerment Center (SEC). The Hutchinsons might not play football at their SEC, but they do fight for something else. The couple founded the Center in Lawrenceville, Ga., in 2002 with the intention of providing mental health services to children in the area.

As the company’s reputation spread however, its services expanded as well. Before Hutchinson knew it, she 14

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was providing care to eight counties and dabbling in adult services. Now, the Social Empowerment Center is one of only a handful of mental health providers that caters to adults.

“I’m a social worker, not a numbers person,” Hutchinson says. “I go into work wanting to be the best for my employees, for our clients – not for the bottom line. If you go into it with a good intention, then the results are bound to be good.”

And the results have been better than just “good.”

Hutchinson’s business has experienced exponential growth since 2010, when its final profits stood at $325,000. Just two years later, the SEC’s bottom line skyrocketed to $2.8 million. Hutchinson expects 2013’s numbers will further eclipse last year’s number, coming in around $3.2 million.

Whatever one might expect, the success of the Social Empowerment Center has not quite gotten to Hutchinson’s head. She believes in helping others around her, just as a social worker should. She even lets employees see their own clients at her office, especially if they’re working towards licensure or private practice.

“I’m not competitive like that,” she says. “I want to see my employees grow and achieve their goals. Not everybody wants to do that because their bottom line is the profit, but that’s not our bottom line.”

Hutchinson got her start in 1993 as a food stamps case worker at Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services, after graduating from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She quickly transferred to child protective services, where she handled the midnight shift for a few years.

“If you’re going to work in mental health, DFCS is a great place to start,” Hutchinson says. “It’s like a mental health boot camp where you get to experience all of your firsts, so by the time you establish clientele, you really have a wealth of experience. There is nothing patients can tell you that’s completely new.”

Hutchinson says her training at UGA – along with the guidance of Robert Andoh of UGA’s Small Business Development Center, which specializes in educating small business owners – also prepared her well for her future success. She enrolled in the Master of Social Work program at the School of Social Work in 1997 and has been involved in the school ever since. In 2011, she received the Outstanding Field Instructor-Gwinnett Award for her role as field practicum supervisor for BSW and MSW student interns from UGA. In addition, Hutchinson now teaches at the University. She is in charge of a master’s class in cultural diversity that she hopes will continue.

“Social work, compared to a mental health degree, opened me to so many avenues: teaching, administrative work, marketing,” she says. “I have done so much with a social work degree that I could not have done with a psychology-related degree.”

Nominations for the 2014 Bulldog 100 were accepted between January and May 2013. To be considered for the list, each organization must have been in business for at least five years, experienced revenues in excess of $100,000 for the calendar year 2010, and be owned or operated by a former UGA student who owns at least 50 percent of the company or be the CEO, president or managing partner. The Bulldog 100 recognizes the fastest growing businesses regardless of size by focusing on a threeyear compounded annual growth rate.

More than 800 nominations were received for the 2014 Bulldog 100.

The class includes companies of all sizes, providing services and products in a variety of industries, including advertising, staffing, real estate, pest control and mixed martial arts. Companies as far west as Texas and Kansas, and as far northeast as New Jersey, made the list this year.

The 2014 Bulldog 100 Celebration recognized the 100 businesses and 141 alumni who lead those companies on January 25 at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta.

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On a Roll

B rent B uice :

by Caroline Wingate (ABJ ’14)

Every day at Georgia Bikes in Athens, Ga., Brent Buice (MA NPO ’04) uses the skills he learned in the classroom.

Particularly valuable, says the executive director of the nonprofit, is the advice he received from Professor Emeritus Tom Holland, who established the master’s degree program in nonprofit organizations. “‘People give to people, not organizations,’ Dr. Holland used to say,” recalls Buice. “It’s so true. There is no substitute for talking sincerely and face-to-face with potential supporters. You can’t fake authenticity, dedication or passion and when you personally convey those things to a donor; it makes their decision a lot easier.”

Managing a nonprofit requires the ability to juggle many tasks, since Buice must work with other organizations, keep an eye on legislative issues, manage limited resources, and develop and maintain advocacy efforts. Buice keeps priorities in mind when determining what to do. He employs a system that labels items as “must get done,” “things that really should get done” and then “things I want to get done.” He is assisted by dedicated volunteers.

“I always knew I wanted to work in public service that led to tangible benefits for my community. I considered a master’s degree in social work and a master’s in public administration, but felt that the Master of Arts degree in nonprofit organizations was the perfect hybrid of the two,” says Buice. Buice also has a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, and has completed graduate coursework in instructional design and development.

After graduating in 2007, Buice worked for UGA in several roles and also served as a volunteer board member of BikeAthens, an organization that promotes safe transportation options in Athens. He sees a lot of positive things about the Classic City.

“Athens is authentic. It has character and characters...

It’s fun, affordable and has made meaningful commitments to being a sustainable place with a high quality of life,” Buice says. “I’ve traveled all over the state, and I know that Athens is a very special place, one of the few cities in Georgia I would consider making my home. Obviously, I like how bikeable and walkable Athens is, though there’s plenty of room for improvement.”

Although Buice says his work is extremely rewarding and “doesn’t even feel like work,” he adds that the hardest part about his job is the lack of resources. “There is so much important work to be done…Like most nonprofit directors, I wish I had a larger budget and more staff,” he says.

Still, he feels he is make a positive impact. This past fall, Buice worked on educating the citizens of Hall County about the importance of Georgia House Bill 689. This initiative proposed licensing of bicycles and increased restrictions and fines for cyclists.

“Georgia Bikes believes this is a local issue that deserves a local solution, as opposed to radical, sweeping state legislation. We offered to coordinate a task force for Hall County to address motorist concerns while prioritizing bicyclist safety,” Buice says.

Buice advises MANPO students to “Choose an elective concentration that interests you but also pushes you. I was interested in but knew essentially nothing about web design or public relations management, but what I picked up in my elective courses has been as valuable as my core coursework. Also, do something meaningful with your internships. Find a local organization you care about and consider yourself an eager employee for the duration of the semester. Both you and the nonprofit will have a richer experience.”

Brent Buice riding with Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on the Atlanta BeltLine in August 2013 as part of the National Conference of State Legislators Summit “Bi-Partisan Bike Ride.”

Photo courtesy Brent Buice

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Alumni Q&A: Victor Wilson

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n 2013 Victor K. Wilson became the new vice president for student affairs at the University of Georgia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in social work from UGA in 1982 and his master’s degree in student Photo by Robert Newcomb, UGA Photographic Services

personnel in higher education from UGA in 1987. In the 1980s,

Wilson served as the director of orientation and assistant director of admissions at UGA, and later as associate vice president for student affairs. Most recently he served as executive vice president for student affairs at the College of Charleston, where he helped develop the Higdon Student Leadership Center, championed the creation of a drug and alcohol task force, and oversaw the renovation and expansion of the student health center.

Q: Why did you choose social work as an undergraduate?

A: I was pre-med but it wasn’t working out. I knew I wanted to work with people, interact and help in some way, so I thought, “This will give me a foundation that will help me to help folks, even if I don’t become a social worker. It will be an excellent foundation to work with people.”

Q: How did a degree in social work prepare you for working in student affairs?

A: The degree in social work taught me to always see context.

I was more a “what you see in front” person, but you need to know that when you’re dealing with people, there’s a little more to the story, and you need to look at that. That really helped me professionally.

Q: What skills does a good administrator need?

A: Learn how to supervise people and do it well or you will be eaten alive. Supervising people is an art and a skill, and that’s where the social work people skills really helped me to be a better supervisor. Sometimes you have to deal with people who are angry, and you deal with them the way a social worker does, by saying things like “Let’s talk about you.”

Q: What do students at UGA need that you can facilitate?

A: The issues in higher education are different from the issues in student affairs. They intersect in a few areas, such as access

Victor Wilson (BSW ’82, MEd ’87)

and affordability. There is a critical need to deal with mental health issues and the various ways they manifest. It’s not always a student with a gun; it could be family problems or anger issues. I’m not saying there are an inordinate number of students with mental health issues, but ever since Virginia Tech we have to be much more in tune with these issues and meet those needs.

Q: What are your hopes for the Student Affairs office?

A: In terms of leadership, I will look at creating a position to focus on campus collaborations with academic affairs. For years folks used to say that Student Affairs was a red-headed stepchild, and many folks don’t understand what we do. I say that we are the ones who get the students to class; who help them deal with relationship problems or counseling or whatever it is that is needed to connect with academics. A lot of that comes back to the Tucker Hall education.

Q: What do you enjoy about your work?

A: I enjoy interacting with the students the most. They keep me young! They make me think that I’m much hipper than I am. (Laughs.) And I love seeing when the light goes on for someone, when you see a student engaged in a program, or when a person comes back and says to you “You know those things that used to bother me? I’ve grown a lot since then.”

Then I know we’ve done what we need to do.

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Class Notes

1970s Janet Buckworth (MSW ’79) associate professor of exercise science at Ohio State University, is coauthor with Rod Dishman, Patrick O’Connor and Phillip Tomporowski of Exercise Psychology, Second Edition.

In January 2014 Bruce Thyer (MSW ’78) professor and former dean with the College of Social Work, Florida State University, was elected a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and also joined the inaugural class of Fellows of the Society for Social Work and Research.

The popular online music guide service Allmusic.com named The Bright Spots, an album written and recorded by Randall Bramblett

Connect with us!

Send your updates to Harold Waters, Alumni Development Director, hwaters@uga.edu or call 706-542-5450 |

Tom Reis (MSW ’85) recently authored the book Headwinds: The Dead Reckoning of the Heart, the story of a solo, crosscountry bicycle trip he took at age 22 from Oregon to Virginia. Reis is a social services instructor at Inver Hills Community College, Minn.

In April 2013, David P. Talley (MSW ’85) of Alpharetta, Ga., was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta by Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus.

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In May 2013 Nancy D. Bryan (BSW ’80) was named executive director of Ruth’s Cottage, a shelter for victims of domestic violence that serves clients in the Georgia counties of Worth, Irwin, Turner and Ben Hill.

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Christina “Cris” Adams (MSW ’95) was interviewed in May 2014 on the Sue Ellen Sanders Radio Show, WPSL AM 1590 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Adams, vice president of community impact for United Way of St. Lucie County, spoke about a program she started in 1996 to collect school supplies for grade school students. The 52-minute interview may be viewed at bit.ly/CrisAdams.

Sue Genaro Legacy (MSW ’91) authored The Joy of Nada (Create Space, 2013) a humorous memoir of how she overcame negative thinking patterns.

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Evelyn Wynn-Dixon (MSW ’95) mayor of Riverdale, Ga., was the subject of the March/April 2013 cover story of Southern Journal magazine and an article in the March 2013 issue of Georgia Magazine.

Peter Frey/UGA

Cecil Cornwell (MSW ’68) retired, was named Artist of the Month by the city of Newnan, Ga., which displayed his work at the city hall in May 2013.

Cornwell specializes in landscape painting and wood carving.

(MSW ’89) among its favorite rock albums of 2013.

Michael Alexander/CNS

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2000s Samson Chama (MSW ’03) coauthored a retrospective study of young people’s perceptions of group home efficacy that was published in the June 2014 issue of Residential Treatment for Children and Youth. In 2013 Chama joined Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., as an associate professor of social work.

In July 2013 Lemuel LaRoche (BSW ’02, MSW ’03) selfpublished Hidden Ripples: Life’s Unspoken Language, a collection of short stories. He was also the subject of a new documentary, Life the Griot, which premiered in January 2014 in Athens. The film documents LaRoche’s activities as a poet, activist and director of Chess & Community, a nonprofit created by LaRoche to teach kids to “think before you move.” See more at www.lemuellaroche.com.

J.D. (Dawn) Milford (MSW ’08) was named 2014 Case Manager/Social Worker of the Year by All About Seniors.org, a South Carolina-based nonprofit. J.D., a UGA Gwinnett Campus graduate, was recognized for “caregiving excellence to seniors.”

Jane Skinner (MSW ’09) co-authored a scholarly article on retirement communities published in the April 2013 issue of The Journal of Housing for the Elderly. Skinner is adult programs coordinator at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center in Foster City, Calif.

In 2013 Betty Barnard (MA NPO ’11) joined the staff of the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council as a planning and policy development specialist. Among her responsibilities, Barnard manages the programmatic requirements for federal grants totaling more than $16 million for 220 victim services agencies across the state.

Amanda Bennett (MA NPO ’12) was promoted in 2013 to assistant director of development for The Georgia Bulldog Club at the University of Georgia Athletic Association.

Services, Heil was selected from more than 1,600 caseworkers statewide.

Fenwick Broyard III (MSW ’13) was named executive director of Community Connection of Northeast Georgia in July 2013.

Rebecca Dallas (MSW/MPH ’13) is a child and family therapist at Pathways Transition Programs, Inc. in Decatur, Ga. Alissa Heil (BSFCS ’08, MSW ’11) was named Georgia DFCS Caseworker of the Year in November 2013.

A supervisor with the Walton County Department of Family and Children

In Memoriam Jefferson Eugene Anglin (BSW ’90) 50, of Athens died June 22, 2013. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.

Anthony “Tony” D. Crumpton (BBA ’84, MSW ’88) 54, of Troutdale, Ore. died Aug. 26, 2013 due to injuries sustained in an automobile collision. Crumpton worked as a mental health counselor. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Memorial Fund P.O. 669 Auburn, Ala. 36831-0669 or to your local food bank or animal shelter.

Walter A. Denero (MSW ’70, DPA ’80) 79, of Athens died Oct. 20, 2013. Denero directed the Athens Model Cities Program in the early 1970s, a federal program that brought over 20 million dollars to Athens for infrastructure improvements. He went on to become the founding director of the J.W. Fanning Leadership Center and a recipient of the Outstanding Georgia Citizens Award. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Susan A. Engram (MSW ’94) 60, of Blackshear died Aug. 20, 2013 after an extended illness. Engram worked for the Harrell Psycoeducational Center in Waycross from 1982 until 1993, and then for the Pierce County Board of Education as

Robbie Schwartz/Walton Tribune

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Tamara Hurst (PhD ’13) joined the University of Southern Mississippi as an assistant professor in August 2013.

Chris Papadopoulos (MSW ’11) joined the St. Francis House, St. Augustine, Fla. in July 2013 as lead case manager.

While serving in Thailand with the Peace Corps, Sasha-Noel Udom (MSW ’12) created a video with her students in honor of the 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It can be viewed at bit.ly/ SashaNoelUdom.

a school social worker until her retirement in 2007. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Satilla, 808 Evergreen Way, Waycross, Ga. 31501 or First United Methodist Church, 410 Williams Street, Waycross, Ga. 31501.

Marisa Anne Haag (MSW ’10) 30, of Lawrenceville died June 14, 2013. Haag was a social worker with DaVita, a kidney dialysis service. To express condolances, please visit the online guest book at bit.ly/MarisaHaag.

Matthew P. Nelson (MSW ’83) 55, of Wasilla, Alaska died Aug. 16, 2013. Nelson worked with a home-based hospice program and also counseled domestic violence offenders among incarcerated inmates and released convicts at a women’s resource center. Persons wishing to honor Matt may make a donation in his memory to a hospice organization in their area.

Frank L. Thomas (MSW ’74) 78, of Evans died Aug. 7, 2013. Thomas retired in 1994 from Gracewood State Hospital after thirty years of service.

Send alumni obituaries to records@uga.edu or mail them to the Alumni Records Dept.

394 S. Milledge Ave., Athens Ga. 30602.

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School of Social Work welcomes five faculty

by Laurie Anderson The School of Social Work at the University of Georgia recently welcomed five faculty members to its ranks. Mary Caplan, Orion Mowbray, Trina Salm Ward and Tiffany Washington joined the School at the start of the 2013-2014 school year as tenuretrack assistant professors; Leon Banks joined as admissions coordinator for the master of social work program.

Mary Caplan earned a doctorate and a master’s degree in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to that, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Oregon.

She worked in the youth development field for nearly a decade after earning her undergraduate degree until her passion for economic justice motivated her to further her education. Her research interests include the relationship between social policy and consumer debt; predatory lending; and economic survival strategies of mental health consumers. Her teaching background includes social policy; community practice; social work research; community mental health; and poverty.

Orion Mowbray comes to UGA from the University of Michigan, where he earned a doctorate in social work and social psychology; master’s degrees in social work and psychology; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He also earned a master’s in sociology from Eastern Michigan University. Raised by parents who were concerned with social justice issues related to poverty and mental health, his research interests include the role of social networks and other social phenomena, including stigma, prejudice and discrimination. His social work teaching interests include research methods; mental health assessment; human behavior/social environment; and quantitative methodology and data analysis.

“This is an exceptional group of scholars and researchers,” said Dean Maurice C. Daniels. “The depth and breadth of their backgrounds, experiences, and interests not only reinforces the School’s support for cutting-edge social work research, instruction and practice, but also its commitment to social justice.”

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Trina Salm Ward earned an interdisciplinary doctorate in health sciences at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee, where she also earned a master’s degree in social work. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin. Her research addresses the social, biological, and environmental aspects of infant mortality. Salm Ward’s social work teaching interests cover qualitative research methods; social and behavioral theory; and community (macro-level) courses. She holds a joint appointment with the College of Public Health and will oversee the new dual master’s degree in social work and public health.

Tiffany Washington earned a doctorate in social work and a bachelor’s degree in communication studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master’s in social work from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. At one time she considered a degree in law, but found that social work best integrated her concern for advocacy, research and social justice on behalf of underserved populations.

Washington’s research interests include aging and chronic disease, health disparities, and intervention fidelity. Her teaching interests encompass aging and health; aging and public policy; social work practice in health care settings; health behavior theory; and service-learning.

Leon Banks is a familiar face at the UGA School of Social Work, having earned a doctorate at the School and served as a temporary assistant professor and part-time instructor. Banks received a master’s in social work from Savannah State University and a bachelor’s in psychology from Howard University.

His background includes youth and prisoner counseling, 12 years as a clinical case manager for a family agency, and six years as co-owner of Equilibrium, a firm that offers social services. In addition to coordinating admissions for the master of social work program, Banks teaches graduate students, assists with practica placements, and provides liaison services to students in field practicums.

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Professor studies domestic violence among female Korean immigrants

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merica is known as “the land of the free.”

For Korean immigrant women trapped in abusive relationships, though, freedom is a luxury many think they can’t afford. Unfamiliar with English and ignorant of their options, they are often entirely dependent on their abusers.

“The partner may be the only person providing support and navigating the American system,” says Y. Joon Choi, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work.

Victims often don’t reach out to their communities, either, says Choi, because Korean women traditionally are expected to be patient and suffer in silence. The result, she adds, is a higher incidence of hidden abuse than their American-born counterparts.

Choi, a South Korean native, aims to change that. She has been studying the abuse of women since she was an undergraduate student in Seoul, when two high-profile cases of Korean prostitutes murdered by U.S. soldiers “sparked a fire in me,” she says.

The issue convinced her to pursue a master’s degree in international relations at City University of New York. While there, Choi volunteered at an Asian women’s shelter, where she noticed how the lack of English skills, isolation, cultural attitudes and ignorance of the law and of support services combined to create huge hurdles for immigrant women seeking to escape their abusers.

After graduating, Choi continued to work at the shelter but became frustrated by how available services “didn’t stop domestic violence.” She went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in social work to better address domestic violence through prevention. For her doctoral dissertation, she surveyed Korean ministers’ responses to battered immigrant women.

“If the victim has the courage to seek help, she often will seek it from a religious institution,” Choi says.

“Korean clergy are very conflicted, though. They see their responsibility as keeping the family together. They also are not trained to deal with domestic violence.”

Attempts by clergy to give couples counseling, Choi says, often result in increased violence.

At the School of Social Work, Choi continues to look at barriers to aiding battered women and to prevention of domestic violence in the Korean American community. She

Photo by Harold Waters

by Laurie Anderson

Assistant Professor Y. Joon Choi

currently is working with Joe Phua, an assistant professor and digital communications expert in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, to develop an online program to educate Korean American faith leaders about abuser and victim behavior.

Funded by a Research in Diversity Seed Grant from the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of Institutional Diversity, the pair have prepared an online training system in Korean and English that shows faith leaders how to identify, manage and refer domestic violence cases that occur within their congregations, as well as prevention activities they can implement.

The duo is testing the pilot program with a small sample of clergy and plan to test it with a larger group in the coming year. If the training program works, it will be made available nationally, Choi says. She believes the program’s format also can be broadened and adapted to Latino and other immigrant communities where affiliation with religious organizations is high.

“I want it to be useful to everybody,” Choi says. “It’s not about changing just one person’s attitude towards domestic violence, it’s about changing community attitudes.”

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Saving the Soul of Georgia tells story of pioneering civil rights lawyer The University of Georgia Press has released a new book, Saving the Soul of Georgia: Donald L. Hollowell and the Struggle for Civil Rights, by Maurice C. Daniels, professor and dean of the University of Georgia School of Social Work.

Hollowell was Georgia’s chief civil rights attorney during the 1950s and 1960s. Best remembered for orchestrating the legal battle that resulted in the admission of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to UGA in 1961, he also defended African-American men accused or convicted of capital crimes in a racially oppressive legal environment. Hollowell represented activists arrested for their civil rights work, and fought to overturn laws that maintained state-sanctioned racial discrimination.

“Hollowell’s civil rights work extended far beyond the desegregation of UGA,” said Daniels. “His lawyering and activism had a major impact on changing the racial landscape in Georgia—surmounting racial barriers in public secondary education, voting, housing, and public accommodations, among others. His body of work helped to establish legal

precedents that protected the rights of social justice advocates.”

In conjunction with the book’s release, WUGA-TV broadcast the Telly Award-winning documentary “Donald L. Hollowell: Foot Soldier for Equal Justice” throughout December 2013 and early January 2014. Daniels served as executive producer of the documentary, which was developed by the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies in partnership with the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at University of Georgia.

For more information on Saving the Soul of Georgia: Donald L. Hollowell and the Struggle for Civil Rights, see bit.ly/SavingTheSoulOfGeorgia.

Alberta J. “Bert” Ellett, a University of Georgia associate professor of social work, has been named a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research. Fellows are members of the SSWR noted for their individual accomplishments, leadership and contributions to science. Ellett is among the first to be chosen for the newly established honor and the only Fellow from Georgia.

“Dr. Ellett’s research has helped to promote the professionalization of child welfare staffing practices, which will promote better outcomes for children and their families,” said Maurice C. Daniels, professor and dean of the School of Social Work. “We are delighted that the Society for Social Work Research has named her as one of the inaugural Fellows.”

Since joining the School of Social Work in 2000, Ellett has been the principal investigator of research and instructional grants that total more than $8 million. A nationally recognized expert on child welfare, she is known for her research on how child welfare organizations can retain and promote the development of competent staff.

In 2003, Ellett completed the largest and most extensive survey to date of turnover and retention of child welfare workers in Georgia. The report resulted in development of a set of procedures used by the Georgia Department of 22

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Family and Children Services to select and retain student interns and professional staff. Ellett also identified factors indicative of workers’ intention to remain employed in child welfare, and developed measures of those factors. These measures are now used by researchers in more than a dozen of the most populous states in the country. She has presented Alberta J. “Bert” Ellett more than 70 papers at national conferences and published 20 articles in refereed journals.

In addition to her research, Ellett was co-editor of the Journal of Public Child Welfare from 2004 to 2010 and editor-in-chief from 2011 to the present. Ellett’s instructional experience includes teaching courses on child abuse and neglect, and foster care and adoption. As a UGA faculty member she has advised more than 250 social work graduate students.

The Society for Social Work and Research is a nonprofit professional organization devoted to the promotion of human welfare through research and research applications. Its members number more than 1,300 worldwide.

Photo by Harold Waters

UGA researcher named Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research

The National Association of Social Workers has named June Gary Hopps a NASW Social Work Pioneer®. The NASW Social Work Pioneer® Program recognizes those who have contributed to the evolution and enrichment of social work and who serve as role models for future generations of social workers. Hopps, University of Georgia Thomas M. “Jim” Parham Professor of Family and Children’s Studies, was among 12 individuals inducted into the program in October 2013.

“Dr. Hopps has made enormous contributions to the cause of social justice and to social work education, from her involvement in the historic Atlanta student sit-ins to her national leadership as a scholar, teacher and administrator,” said Maurice C. Daniels, dean of UGA’s School of Social Work. “The School of Social Work joins the NASW in saluting this eminent pioneer in social work.”

Hopps earned her undergraduate degree in political science and history at Spelman College, where she was active in the civil rights movement. In 1960, she helped to organize and participated in the first student sit-in and lunchcounter boycotts in Atlanta, which ultimately resulted in the desegregation of public facilities in that city.

After earning a master’s degree in social work at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) and a doctorate in planning and policy at Brandeis University, Hopps joined the faculty at Ohio State University. Four years later she joined Boston College’s Graduate School of June Gary Hopps Social Work as the youngest dean in the school’s history.

Over the next 24 years at Boston College, Hopps took the small school to national prominence. The school rose to rank 14th in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report, and faculty publication rankings rose to the top 10, according to a study in the Journal of Social Work Education.

Hopps’ many honors include recognition by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for outstanding public service and the NASW Presidential Award for Excellence in Social Work Education. In 2005, Spelman College named the June Gary Hopps Atrium in her honor.

UGA Photographic Services

June Gary Hopps named National Social Work Pioneer®

Shari Miller: Changing lives through teaching Shari Miller, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, has spent six years at UGA not only changing the lives of students, but also changing the lives of people in the Athens community.

Working with faculty from the horticulture and foods and nutrition departments as well as the environmental educator at the State Botanical Garden, Miller created an after-school garden program for Athens-Clarke County elementary school students. UGA students from those disciplines worked in teams with children at the local schools to address issues such as poverty, wellness and sustainability.

The garden program is just one of Miller’s unique classroom experiences. Miller has employed a range of other methods, including role-playing, small-group discussion, field trips and service-learning in her classes. She also uses a variety of technology such as videos, music and the Internet to help provide more perspective to her students.

She describes her teaching method as active, saying she often “encourages students to take risks, to explore ideas out loud and to grapple with and tolerate the uncertainty that accompanies working with humans in human circumstances.”

In recognition of her innovative and effective teaching strategies, Miller was named a 2013 recipient of the Richard

B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the university’s highest early career teaching honor. Russell Awards annually honor three outstanding teaching faculty.

Winners receive $5,000.

While Miller’s use of Shari Miller varied teaching methods in and outside of the classroom has brought her some recognition, it’s her passion and ability to connect with students that makes the biggest impact. Former students also praise Miller for her enthusiasm and compassion and talk about the effect it had on them.

“When my classmates or I related an overwhelming story from our field experience, she would respond with empathy, but also find strengths in our approach,” said former student Caroline Lozen. “She is the teacher who changed the dynamic of my education from simply retaining information, to making the text meaningful and real.

“It was this new lens on learning that spurred my passion to delve further into the field,” Lozen also said.

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UGA Photographic Services

By Matt Chambers, Columns

fac u l ty

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Submissions for the iffany Washington, assistant professor of social work, award were evaluated on a received the 2014 Student Award for Social Work scale of one to five in three Research by the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral categories: scientific rigor, Education in Social Work. Washington was recognized contribution to knowledge, as lead author of a manuscript written in 2013 while she and potential for impacting was a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina social work policy, practice or at Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work. The award is given research. Washington’s paper Tiffany Washington annually to an individual doctoral student or collaborative was one of a dozen submitted group of students whose published or in-press scholarship for consideration under new GADE standards that require serves as a model for scientific rigor and shows high potential submission for the doctoral award to be published or accepted to impact social work practice, policy or research.

“Doctoral students from peer and aspirational universities for publication.

“GADE wants to recognize the activities of doctoral compete for this research award,” said Maurice Daniels, students that signal the kind of scholarly work they dean of the School of Social Work. “It is a testament to will create as faculty,” said Jill the high quality of Dr. Washington’s Berrick, Zellerbach Family research that GADE selected her for “Doctoral students from Foundation Professor in the this outstanding honor. We are indeed School of Social Welfare at the fortunate to have her as a colleague.” peer and aspirational University of California, Berkeley The paper, titled “Fidelity universities compete for and chair of GADE’s 2014 awards Decision-Making in Social and this research award.

It is subcommittee. “Washington really Behavioral Research: Alternative did an excellent job in specifying Measures of Dose and Other a testament to the high exactly what the intervention was Considerations” addresses the quality of Dr. Washington’s that clients received, and she was sometimes difficult task of ensuring very good about understanding treatment fidelity, i.e. delivering an research that GADE dosage. This is really important in intervention as its designers intend selected her for this social work because we deal with it to be delivered. Washington and outstanding honor. We are very complicated situations with her colleagues analyzed fidelity in an individuals and with families, and intervention study titled “Families indeed fortunate to have so studying what interventions Matter in Long-Term Care.” The her as a colleague.” look like can be difficult because intervention, designed and led by interventions are often customized Professor Sheryl Zimmerman and to fit the needs of the individual.” collaborators at Sheps Center for The paper was published in July in the online edition of Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina, the journal Social Work Research, in advance of publication gauged the effectiveness of a program that promoted family the September issue of the printed journal. and staff involvement with patients in long-term care settings.

Other researchers who contributed to the paper were Taking an innovative approach, Washington and her Sheryl Zimmerman, Kenan Distinguished Professor, School associates measured how much exposure to each component of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill; John Cagle, University of the program participants received or completed, and from of Maryland; David Reed and Lauren Cohen, UNC Chapel that calculated a “dose score.” Participants who engaged Hill; Anna Beeber, UNC Chapel Hill; and Lisa Gwyther, in all the program components received a full dose of the Duke University. The research was supported by the National intervention. The researchers compared how well partial and Institutes of Health grant number R01AG025443, and the full doses achieved the desired results.

John A. Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program in Geriatric “This method of calculating dose can suggest which of Social Work. many intervention components are most related to treatment outcomes,” said Washington.

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Photo by Robert Newcomb/UGA

New faculty member receives GADE 2014 Student Award for Social Work Research

In Memoriam

F A C U L T Y

Merle Marie Foeckler (1918 - 2013)

erle Marie Foeckler died peacefully at age 95 on July 22, 2013, in Brevard, North Carolina, where she had lived for over 10 years. Foeckler was a founding faculty member of the University of Georgia School of Social Work, from which she retired as associate professor emerita in 1982.

“Merle Foeckler was a wonderful friend and colleague,” said Dean Maurice C. Daniels. “A pioneer and trailblazer in the development of the School of Social Work, she was a brilliant social work educator. Merle had a passion for the cause of social justice and helped to advance civil rights in the Athens community. She was the epitome of class and dignity and leaves an enduring legacy in social work education and practice.”

Merle Foeckler earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University, a master’s in social work from Columbia University and completed additional graduate studies in social work at the University of Chicago. Her career spanned over 40 years and included service with the American Red Cross in military hospitals during World War II and the Korean conflict; Duke University Medical Center; as a faculty member of the School of Social Welfare at Florida State University; and as a guest lecturer at several university schools of social work in Sweden.

A gifted teacher and faculty mentor, Foeckler took a strong interest in field education and was a generous donor to the School of Social Work Field Education Program. Building the field program at UGA, she once told an interviewer, “was my most challenging and rewarding experience and accomplishment.”

“She was very proud of a number of her students and her part in establishing the School of Social Work at Georgia,” said longtime friend Nancy Polansky. “I think she would like to be remembered as a good social work professional who was dedicated to the field, her duties and her students.”

An ardent civil rights activist and an active community volunteer, Foeckler served as president and board member of Hospice of Athens; consultant to Volunteers of Aids Athens; and a leader in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens.

She continued, even into her nineties, as an active contributor to her community in Brevard. Foeckler loved the arts and expressed some of her own creativity through painting,

collage, mixed-media work and poetry. She also loved music and supported the Metropolitan Opera as well as the Brevard Music Center and Brevard Philharmonic.

“She had a very diverse life and wouldn’t have missed a minute of it,” said Polansky. “She was her own woman.”

Those wishing to celebrate Merle Foeckler’s life may do so through contributions to the Merle M. Foeckler Field Instruction Fund via the University of Georgia School of Social Work (UGASSW/University of Georgia Foundation, Milledge Centre, Suite 100, 394 South Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA 30602). The fund, established through Merle Foeckler’s generosity, supports continuing education opportunities for the school’s field instructors.

Contributions in Foeckler’s memory may also be sent to the Unitarian Universalists of Transylvania County Endowment Fund (UUTC Endowment Fund, 24 Varsity Street, Brevard, NC 28712).

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Dual degree milestones and a look at the program

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he dual degree program in social work and public health recently experienced two milestones. Its first cohort graduated, and the School of Social Work and the College of Public Health welcomed Trina Salm Ward, the first faculty member jointly appointed to the two academic units.

“Dr. Salm Ward’s appointment is a critical next step in the development of this program,” says Pamela Orpinas, professor of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health. “We wanted to hire someone with a strong foundation and understanding of both degrees and who could take the program to new heights. Trina has all the requirements for this position: a good understanding of both degrees, excellent communication with students, and research interests that complement our faculty members’ research interests.” The position was made possible through funding provided by a faculty hiring initiative begun by Michael Adams during his tenure as university president.

Prior to earning her doctorate, Salm Ward received her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and worked as a family therapist.

She transitioned into clinical and population health research, where she was involved for more than a decade. After learning about the high rate of infant deaths in the U.S., especially among infants of color, the Wisconsin native decided to pursue a doctorate that incorporated coursework in public health, social work, health sciences, and nursing.

“I am really excited at the prospect of connecting social work and public health,” says Salm Ward, who began overseeing the dual degree program in January 2014. “Each area has strengths and approaches that complement the other.

Individuals with this dual degree will be well poised to work within interdisciplinary teams to address the social and health issues plaguing our society.”

Fewer than 40 social work and public health dual degree programs are offered nationwide, while demand for integrative health and social work training continues to rise. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 34 percent employment growth by 2020 for healthcare social workers, much faster than the average for all occupations.

A rich choice of field practicums at UGA present opportunities for students to develop both interpersonal and “big picture” skill sets. For her field practicum, for example, Rebecca Dallas conducted a needs assessment for the Emory Cancer Center for Excellence, identified potential strategies and resources for staff to promote public health objectives, including educational and nutritional activities, and provided social services and crisis intervention to cancer patients.

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The first social work and public health dual degree cohort (L-R): Ciera Schoonover, Rebecca Dallas, Alethea Chiappone, Ilana Olin and Matt Ottenweller

“I like that the program gave me the opportunity to see how two different fields can integrate to better serve both fields,” says Dallas.

“Our program helps to ensure integration of the knowledge and skills of both disciplines,” says Trisha Reeves, who directed the dual degree program from 2011 through 2013. By taking courses from both fields at the same time, Reeves points out, students can better consolidate learning in both social work and public health.

In another move uncommon to other dual degree programs, faculty work with students to fulfill their social work and public health field placement requirements at the same agency. The unified approach, says Salm Ward, “helps students see how the two fields can work hand-in-hand in the same agency.”

Students also graduate in less time without trimming credit hours, says Reeves. UGA’s program requires 91 credit hours; MSW and MPH programs nationwide require from 86 to 93 credit hours. With careful course coordination, students are able to complete the programs simultaneously at UGA over a two-and-a-half year period, rather than the three years which is usually the case at other universities.

With that in mind, Reeves says, “an MSW/MPH degree may be the educational bargain of a lifetime.”

To learn more about the social work and public health dual degree program, see ssw.uga.edu/academics/mswmph/msw-mph.html.

International Field Placements: New Opportunities in South Africa and Peru

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n 2013 the School of Social Work field office developed international field placement opportunities in Cape Town, South Africa and Lima, Peru.

Sandra Murphy (PhD ’07), director of field education, established the placement sites to enable students in the social work graduate program experience cultures outside the United States. Cross Cultural Solutions, a nonprofit organization that offers volunteer service to communities abroad, arranged the placements.

“Each agency focuses on a specific aspect of human services, such as working with children, delivering services for seniors, or working with women and children impacted by AIDS,” says Murphy. “Some placements could also allow students to gain experience in program development and evaluation.”

Why travel abroad for a field placement? A recent study published in the journal Field Scholar notes that social work professionals increasingly find themselves working with diverse client systems that require advanced levels of multicultural awareness. The Migration Policy Institute reports that in Georgia alone the foreign-born population surged by 63.3 percent between 2000 and 2011.

“These international field placements expand chances to understand diversity and differences in values and norms while engaging with populations in need,” says Murphy.

Villa El Salvador, in Peru, is a large urban, planned coastal district of Lima.

It was established in 1970 to handle the urgent housing requirements of families emigrating from the countryside to the city. The inhabitants designed the district to be self-sustaining and now maintain the infrastructure. A number of human service organizations address the challenges of the population.

The cultural melting pot of Cape Town, with about 3.7 million people, provides a backdrop of great physical beauty alongside issues such as high unemployment and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. South Africans encourage the development of programs to improve education for children, health care for the elderly and the disabled, and to create better support mechanisms for disenfranchised populations, among others.

Professional social workers supervise the graduate students on site.

Requirements for foreign language proficiency vary. For a field placement in Peru, the student needs some fluency in Spanish. In South Africa, however, most residents speak English as well as one or more of 11 official languages. Students may choose a placement based on their MSW concentrations and areas of interest (see sidebar).

For more information, see t.uga.edu/Ok.

Top: Shanty towns crowd the slopes of Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill northeast of central Lima, Peru.

Bottom: A township in Cape Town, South Africa. Photos by Sandra Murphy.

A field placement in South Africa In 2013 Regina Alexander (MSW ’14) completed the field internship that is required for the master’s degree in social work by interning with a nonprofit organization serving the transgender community in South Africa. Alexander, who could have stayed stateside to fulfill the degree requirement, chose instead to go overseas to the School of Social Work’s new field site in Cape Town, and asked to serve a population that was marginalized due to gender identity or sexual orientation.

With the help of the not-for-profit agency Cross Cultural Solutions, the School of Social Work’s Director of Field Education Sandra Murphy arranged an internship with Gender DynamX (GDX), South Africa’s oldest and largest nonprofit serving the transgender community.

“Not all Africans despise transgender people,” says Alexander, “but many fear for their lives.

Compounding this, transgender people also may experience threats based on their tribe or ethnicity.

It was fantastic to meet and work with people who were fearless in their efforts to work across social and cultural barriers to bring better awareness and protection to the transgender community.”

To read more about Alexander’s experience, see t.uga.edu/PD.

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st u d e n ts

Kimberly Brown: Building trust in Israel

by Caroline Wingate (ABJ ’14)

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Photo courtesy Kimberly Brown

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uilding trust with total strangers is always a challenge, but Kimberly Brown (MSW ’14) did it in one of the most trustaverse regions of the world—the Middle East.

In June and July of 2013 Brown, at the time a second-year MSW student at the University of Georgia, interned at the Western Galilee Hospital in Haifa, Israel.

There, despite language barriers and cultural differences, she earned the respect and trust of clients and coworkers. The opportunity was provided by the Center for Global Health in the UGA College of Public Health, through its Developing Leaders in Global Health Systems program.

“It was a fantastic experience because it really helped me to see the importance of cultural sensitivity and the importance that understanding how the cultures of others can influence the practice of any professional,” says Brown.

Brown was one of ten graduate students from the University of Georgia who participated in the eight-week program, UGA’s first study abroad program in Israel.

Students took classes in global health issues, leadership and health care systems, and participated in a special “hands on” internship for which they analyzed and compared health outcomes in different settings, such as hospitals, clinics and homes.

Brown had opportunities to observe and assist Holocaust survivors as well as hospital social workers who focused on pediatrics and oncology. Her coworkers helped to translate but she was also able at times to converse with clients, such as a chemotherapy patient who was comfortable speaking English.

“I enjoyed the experience of hearing firsthand from a patient rather than through translation, and it helped me develop my bedside manner,” she recalls. “Most of all I learned the best practices on how to gain my patients’ trust.

Brown and other students near the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

The first impression is everything. Helping your patients and clients depends so much on whether or not they believe they can trust you.”

Brown not only worked well with clients but also impressed hospital staff, says Dr. Richard Schuster, director of the Center for Global Health and professor of health policy and management in the College of Public Health.

“Her leadership was very apparent in her ability to form a wonderful rapport with the members of the social work department of the hospital,” says Schuster. “She was well respected by her new social work colleagues, which is a great accomplishment coming from a different culture.”

Back in the U.S. now, Brown plans to work with refugee children in public schools.

“I would like to experience and exert competency in many different areas,” she says. “I am interested in youth, but in a more narrow sense, I am interested in working with youth and families who are marginalized within different societies.”

To learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Global Health at UGA, see www.publichealth.uga.edu/cgh.

Stud e n t P r o f i l e

Madison Parekh: First Honor Graduate Madison Parekh (BSW ’14) maintained a 4.0 grade point average while attending the University of Georgia, a feat which earned her the designation of First Honor Graduate.

While paying her way through college, the Marietta, Ga. native worked with victims of sex trafficking and abuse, went on mission trips to Haiti, Guatemala and the West African nation of Togo, and volunteered with the homeless population in Atlanta.

Why UGA? It was the most affordable option for me. I had

to work hard outside of school to maintain funds to live on and pay for my education. While this was difficult, it also helped me really learn about money managing and responsibility.

UGA is also an in-state school so I would not be too far from my family. After the first year, I chose to come back to UGA because I had found a great community through Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), and I wanted to continue in my social work classes with teachers that I respected a lot. The social work school and my community (especially at RUF and the International Justice Mission) made my experience something to cherish.

In the Classroom I really enjoyed a number of my

professors at UGA. Shari Miller, Melinda Moore and Steven Young are most definitely my favorites. Dr. Miller sparked my initial love for social work. She was my first social work professor in my freshman year. She taught me what it meant to be a social worker and what I could do in the future. Since my first year, I had Dr. Miller as a professor two more times, and I was always so thankful to have her as a teacher. She always taught me more than I thought I could learn and opened my eyes to new ways of looking at things. I don’t know where I would be without her guidance. Melinda Moore was always lively, encouraging and very informative. I learned so much about international social work from her. She also was a continuous supportive force for me as I worked through classes and life. Steven Young taught me a ton about working with and communicating with clients. He taught me how to learn from role-plays and about some of the most important things to do in a social work session.

Internship I interned at the Wellspring Living For Girls program, one of the most incredible experiences in my life.

Wellspring helps girls who are victims of domestic minor sex trafficking, also known as commercial sexual exploitation

of children. I grew to really care about these girls and want to continue working with this population.

The girls taught me so much about strength, resilience, growth and change. They were inspiring to work with, and I was privileged to be able to advocate for them.

Other Activities Throughout my time at UGA I was involved with International Justice Mission (IJM) at UGA as a member and as the campus organization’s president. I have a heart for justice and this organization allowed me to live in a way that was seeking justice and to walk with others who had the same passions.

The Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) also helped me to find a home at UGA, to find deep friendships and to have a place to express and explore my faith in a real and deep way….They made me want to stay at UGA, pursue my social work degree and get involved in the community.

I was also a volunteer at a counseling agency called the Taylor Grove Yates Counseling Center. There I was able to learn about the ins and outs of counseling and, more than anything, to help set up, organize and run an art therapy clinic for some of the clients. This was such a fun experience in which I also got to see the value of creative expression in a new setting.

Post graduation plans I think I am ready to take a bit of a break from school, classes and textbooks. I want to be able to practice what I have learned in school and in my internship. Eventually, I will probably get my master’s degree in social work, because I think I would like to be licensed and maybe do counseling one day.

Madison and her husband recently moved to Hartford, Connecticut. To learn more about Madison, see her profile as a UGA Amazing Student at t.uga.edu/Om.

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SNA P SHO T S

See more photos at bit.ly/UGASSW-Spring2014.

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31 Photo by Joseph Aczel

The University of Georgia School of Social Work

50th Anniversary Celebration “Reflecting on Our Past & Envisioning the Future” October 17-18, 2014 n Atlanta Marriott Marquis International Ballroom 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303  Reconnect with alumni and friends over dinner, dancing, live music and special presentations!  For details and updates, or to register, visit

ssw.uga.edu/50th.

— are you traveling? — A special $99 room rate is available October 16 – 18 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis!

Reserve your room now by calling 1-404-521-0000 or 1-800-228-9290 and say you are with the UGA School of Social Work. Reservations must be received on or before Monday, October 6, 2014 to secure the discounted price. To book online go to bit.ly/ugassw50thhotel and under ‘guest type’ click ‘attendee’

— Share your memories! — Contact Harold Waters at (706) 542-5450 or via e-mail at hwaters@uga.edu for more information.

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The Dean Charles A. Stewart Scholarship Fund The Stewart Scholarship Fund supports Master of Social Work students who demonstrate  a clinical focus,  superior scholarship,  financial need, and  a commitment to volunteer service.

The fund was established to honor Charles A. Stewart, who served with distinction as dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia from 1964 until 1995.

Stewart saw the school’s academic offerings grow from an initial master’s degree program that focused on a few areas of study to baccalaureate and doctoral degree programs that address a broad spectrum of social needs.

His emphasis on excellence in teaching and his dedication to professional standards helped to build the school’s reputation as a source for leaders in the field of social work.

“

We started with a really student-oriented curriculum which valued the input of students for the operation of the school.”

— Charles Stewart, founding dean, University of Georgia School of Social Work

“

His door was always open for faculty and students and he always supported new ideas from faculty that would benefit the school.”

— Allie Kilpatrick (MSW ’66, PhD ’82), professor emerita

Dean Charles A. Stewart

Dean Charles A. Stewart Scholarship Fund

Giving Levels $250 – Charter Club $500 – Georgian Club $1,000 – Associate $5,000 – Fellows $10,000 – Benefactor To donate, visit bit.ly/sswstewartfund, or contact Harold Waters, Alumni Development Director, 706-542-5450 or hwaters@uga.edu.

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

SocialWork Magazine School of Social Work The University of Georgia Tucker Hall Athens, Georgia 30602-7016

PAID

Athens, GA Permit No. 165

University of Georgia School of Social Work 1964 - 2014

— See page 32 for details — The University of Georgia is a unit of The University System of Georgia. The University of Georgia is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. The University does not discriminate with respect to employment or admission on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or veteran status.