University of North Carolina at Charlotte
School of Social Work
YEAR IN REVIEW
2018-2019
To foster optimal health and well-being, equal human rights and a just society.
socialwork.uncc.edu
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Table of Contents 2018-2019 Snapshots
1
Director's Message
2
Academic Programs
3
Student Spotlight
4
Faculty Highlights
5-6
Community & Collaboration
7-8 9
Student Organizations
10
Alumni Highlights
2018-2019 School of Social Work Snapshots
Tianca Crocker (third from left) at Call It By Its Name: Uncovering Digital Inclusion in Academic Literature and Research workshop, April 2019
2019 Ethics and Social Work Conference panel discussion, April 2019
Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign Bakesale, October 2018
SSW Faculty at the 2018 faculty retreat
An Evening of S.T.A.R.S., May 2019
Travis Hales (third from right) with presentation group in Rome, Italy, July 2019
Faculty and students at the BSW Club sandwich making operation, March 2019 1
DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
As the calendar year draws to a close, I am pleased to share with you a snapshot of a few milestones met during the last academic year at UNC Charlotte School of Social Work.
Established in the 1970s as a concentration within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, we are excited to celebrate our 5th year as a School of Social Work this year. We have continued to grow, solidifying a mission to prepare future social work professionals for leadership in areas of culturally- informed, communityengaged practice, policy and research, with a particular emphasis on persistent and emerging social problems in rapidly diversifying urban areas locally, nationally and globally.
As you explore the second edition of our annual publication, you will see our faculty, staff, students and alumni leading on the front lines of critical social matters.
Here's to another great year ahead, working with and supporting our community partners.
Best, Schnavia
Dr. Schnavia Smith Hatcher Director of the School of Social Work
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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
The Bachelor of Social Work Program The Bachelors of Social Work Program (BSW), established in 1988, is in its 30th year. The BSW program has an enrollment of 251 students, a 9% increase in students for the 2019-2020 academic year. The BSW Social Work Honors Program continues to provide undergraduate students an opportunity to become more involved in community-based research projects.
247
118
129
14
Total BSW students enrolled in 2019-2020
Lower Division (Freshmen & Sophomores)
Upper Division (Juniors & Seniors)
BSW Honors Students
The Master of Social Work Program The Master of Social Work Program (MSW), established in 2000, prepares future social work professionals over three different plans of study. The UNC Charlotte School of Social Work Master's program is tied for 51st in the 2019-2020 U.S. News & World Report rankings. This ranking is an improvement from the previous year, gaining four places and ranking in the top 20 percent of all graduate social work programs nationally. There are 180Â students enrolled in the MSW program for the 2019-2020 academic year.
180 Total MSW students enrolled in 2019-2020
24
94
62
6
1-Year Advanced Standing
2-Year Full Time
3-Year Hybrid Program
Early Childhood Mental Health Graduate Certificate
Field Education Each year, students in the MSW program and seniors in the Upper Division BSW program are placed into a human service agency to complete field education requirements. There are over 200 students
200+
150+
in Field Education for the 2019-2020 year, participating in internships in urban and rural settings around the Charlotte area. The School of Social Work has partnered with 15 new agencies and has 47 new Field Instructors trained.
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Students in Field Placement Field Education Agencies
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
BSW Student Spotlight BSW student Esmeralda Martinez participated in undergraduate research over the summer of 2019. Martinez researched How can we make mobile markets more effective? Assessing The Bulb in Charlotte's Historic West End. Martinez chose this topic because she wanted to understand whether mobile markets in the West End of Charlotte were actually creating an impact on food insecure communities by providing fresh fruits and vegetables. To study the topic, Martinez engaged in participant observation, interviews, and a survey that addressed challenges customers faced in obtaining healthy produce, their perception of The Bulb services/produce, their recommendations, and preference of a paying model for that mobile market. With the data
Martinez presenting at UNCC's Summer Research Symposium, July 2019
collected, Martinez made recommendations on the challenges the mobile market encountered. Overall, Martinez learned that mobile markets truly make a positive impact for combating food insecurity in the growing West Side of Charlotte.
"Undergraduate research has opened doors that I never knew existed. This opportunity has alowed me to meet dedicated individuals in the academic field; furthermore, I have come to know key community members who are truly making a change in communities." - Esmeralda Martinez, BSW student in undergraduate research
BSW Honors Student Erin Meehan was given the opportunity for an undergraduate research project through the Charlotte Research Scholars Program (CRS). Meehan worked with BSW Program Director and Professor Sonyia Richardson on the project and welcomed MSW Advanced Standing student Abby Waters and Dr. Travis Hales to the team. The research topic was driven by Professor Richardson's interest in suicide data among adolescents. An initial literature review raised alarming questions about suicide vulnerability within the LGBTQ youth community. Meehan's research team conducted a quantitative exploratory study to identify risk factors influencing suicide attempts among sexual minority high school students in a southeastern state credited with less-inclusive LGBTQ policies.
Meehan at UNCC's Summer Research Symposium, July 2019
The findings informed strategies for reducing suicide attempts among this population and suggested directions for future research.
"Conducting research as an undergraduate catapulted me into a community that I most likely would not have been exposed to until enrolling in a Master’s program. It allowed me to enter my senior year with a full appreciation for practice-informed research and research-informed practice in our field. In a nutshell, it has taken my social work experience to an entirely new level." - Erin Meehan, BSW student in undergraduate research
MSW Student Spotlight Cody Walker is a Wisconsin native who joined the Army as an Airborne Infantryman in 2009. He was stationed in Italy with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team from 2011-2014 and with them was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012. In 2016 Walker exited the military, moved to Charlotte, and started UNC Charlotte's BSW program, doing his Field Education at the Mecklenburg County Veteran Services Office. After getting his BSW and going straight into the MSW program, Walker was awarded the UNCC Graduate School Commander F.M. (Mike) Reynolds Veterans Scholarship. Walker's current goal in social work is to work directly with Veterans in a clinical setting. He hopes to bring knowledge and experience in military processes, combat and social work to support service members transitioning into the
Walker at the Graduate School Awards Recognition Reception, October 2019
civilian lifestyle. "I hope to use the insight I gain from working directly with Veterans to help shape policy." Walker's Field Placement is at Veterans Bridge Home, where he meets with Veterans one on one in a space for them to voice any issues and focuses on getting Veterans connected to the appropriate place.
"My field placement is helping me achieve my goals by getting me real world experience in a structured learning environment. I am building lasting connections and getting the chance to prove my worthiness of providing service to our countries’ Veterans and my brothers and sisters in arms." - Cody Walker, MSW student
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FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS
Promotions At the 2019 Faculty Convocation in August, the University recognized twentytwo faculty for their promotion to Full Professor. Of those twenty-two, two are faculty in the School of Social Work. Congratulations to Dr. Shanti Kulkarni and Dr. Diana Rowan for their promotion to Full Professors.
Shanti Kulkarni
Diana Rowan
New Faculty Hires The School of Social Work welcomed three new faculty members this year! Assistant Professor Dr. Dante Bryant examines the dynamic ways in which primary social institutions sustain and facilitate racially inequitable outcomes for African Americans. In addition, Bryant explores pedagogical and professional practices within social work, specifically as they relate to
Dante Bryant
diversity, equity and inclusion.
Lecturer Kevin Edwards-Knight is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of practice experience with persons experiencing homelessness, severe mental illness, and people living with HIV. Edwards-Knight was a contributor to Social Work with HIV and AIDS: A Case-based Guide and has a research interest in incorporating animal assisted therapy in mental health treatment.
Kevin Edwards-Knight Assistant Professor Dr. Yuqi Guo focuses her research on health care disparities, oncology social work and epidemiological diseases care (e.g., HIV & HCV). Currently, Guo aims to use health information technology to deliver knowledge of cancer prevention and care to those who have limited access to health care services. In addition, she conducts multiple studies working with a transdisciplinary team in the areas of public health and chronic disease management including HCV treatment and dementia prevention and management.
Yuqi Guo
Faculty Involvement Dr. Tianca Crocker participated in the Net Inclusion conference in April 2019 as a speaker for a workshop on digital equity research in academic literature (Call It by Its Name: Uncovering Digital Inclusion in Academic Literature and Research). The workshop was attended by municipal leaders, foundation officers, and practitioners across disciplines. Four other presented with Dr. Crocker, who were higher education scholars from education, agriculture, communication, and social work. Dr. Crocker also moderated a session, Community-Wide Digital inclusion Coalitions, about building digital inclusion coalitions in urban and rural communities.
At the XXXVIth International Congress of Law and Mental Health in Rome in July 2019, Travis Hales organized a presentation session on Designing Trauma-Informed Systems. In the session, Travis Hales presented the findings of his dissertation from a presentation titled A Cross-Lagged Panel Design Examining the Longitudinal Relationships among Choice, Collaboration, Commitment, and Burnout. In his research, Dr. Hales discovered that employee's sense of commitment to the organization predicted their experiences of choice and participation in the workplace, a finding that challenges traditional organizational literature.
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Grant Funding
FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS
Lucille P. and Edward C. Giles Dissertation-Year Graduate Fellowship Social Work Undergraduate Program Director and Clinical Assistant Professor Sonyia Richardson has been awarded the 2019-2020 Lucille P. and Edward C. Giles Dissertation-year Graduate Fellowship. Richardson receives this award as a Quality Matters (QM) Associate Faculty Fellow, has been trained as a certified QM reviewer and will assist QM internal and external peer review. The fellowship supports UNC Charlotte doctoral students as they work to complete a dissertation in pursuit of their degree. Richardson centers her research on understanding factors that influence suicide attempts among racially diverse high school students.
Professor Richardson (center), April 2019
National Academies of Practice Award Dr. Schnavia Hatcher, Director of the School of Social Work, has been inducted into the National Academies of Practice (NAP). Dr. Hatcher was elected as a Distinguished Fellow in Social Work. NAP selects Distinguished Fellows to honor outstanding achievements in inter-professional practice. The mission of NAP is to advance inter-professional healthcare by fostering collaboration and advocating policies in the best interest of individuals and communities.
Dr. Hatcher (center) with social work fellows at the NAP induction ceremony, May 2019
2019 Evelyn Berger Award Dr. Julian Montoro-Rodriguez, Professor of Gerontology and Social Work and former Director of the Gerontology program, has received the 2019 Evelyn Berger Award from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Aging Coalition. The award recognizes outstanding contributions an individual or organization has made to address and support older adult issues.
Dr. MontoroRodriguez (center) with staff from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Aging Coalition, June 2019
Community Engagement Award Roger Suclupe, Clinical Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work, was honored with the Community Engagement Award at the 2018-2019 Faculty Teaching and Staff Employee of the Year Awards in the College of Health and Human Services. Professor Suclupe serves on a number of community agency committees including Mental Health America of Central Carolinas, Camino Community Center, Thompson Child and Family Focus, and Anthony Morrow Charities.
Professor Suclupe with CHHS Dean Catrine Tudor-Locke, August 2019
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COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION
Integrated Behavioral Health Program Symposium & Celebration The Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) program held a symposium to learn more about IBH and inter-professional practice in healthcare. The 2018-2019 UNC Charlotte IBH scholar graduates and faculty were honored as the 2019-2020 cohort was welcomed into the program! The event featured local panelists and national speaker Dede Sparks, LMSW Associate Director of the Institute for Collaborative Health Research and Practice at Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin. The speaker and panelists discussed resilience and its relationship to integrated behavioral health and inter-professional practice. The event was held at the UNCC Center City Campus in August of 2019. The event was coordinated by Dr. Shanti Kulkarni, School of Social Work Professor.
RASE Academy Forum The Race and Social Equity (RASE) Academy was established in 2018. The RASE Academy fosters the scholarship of practice and research focused on advancing racial and social parities within the community. The first Race and Equity Forum was held in 2018, to bring together thought leaders in the community representing a variety of perspectives on race and social equity issues. In March of 2019, a second forum was held by the RASE Academy. Social Determinants of Justice: Cross Systems Perspectives for a Thriving Charlotte Community featured keynote speaker Judge Ty Hands of the Mecklenburg County District Court. The panelists included Jarris Bell, MSW and Movement Family Wellness, Pamela Broome, Niner University at UNC
From left to right: Dr. Ticola Ross, Jarris Bell, Dr. Schnavia Hatcher, Judge Ty Hands, Pamela Broome, Dr. Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, Jacob Wiltshire
Charlotte, and Dr. Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, PhD and Leading on Opportunity. The discussion was facilitated by Jacob Wiltshire, MSW and 2018 School of Social Work graduate.
An Evening of S.T.A.R.S. In May of 2019, the School of Social Work held for the first
Dr. Ticola Ross (left) and Dr. Schnavia Hatcher (right) presenting an award
time, An Evening of S.T.A.R.S., to celebrate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. The event was coordinated by Dr. Ticola Ross, Clinical Assistant Professor and Field Director. Many students were inducted into Phi Alpha Honors Society and Child Welfare Collaborative Scholars, BSW Honors students, and Disciplinary Communication Consultants (DCC) were recognized. The S.T.A.R.S. Awards each represented a different aspect of the School of Social Work to honor; Students, Teaching & Field Education, Alumni, Research &
Awards being distributed at An Evening of S.T.A.R.S.
Scholarship, and Service, Advocacy, & Outreach.
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COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION
2019 Ethics and Social Work Conference The theme for the 2019 conference was Ethics of Trauma and Resilience in Integrated Behavioral Healthcare. The conference featured a keynote presentation by Rachel A. Fusco, PhD and MSW, on More than your score: Ace Screening in Integrated Behavioral Health. Fusco is an Associate Professor and Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Health and Well-being at the University of Georgia School of Social Work. The conference included a networking session with professionals and
Incorporating Integrated Behavioral Health into Primary Care Settings workshop
students. Two breakout workshops were offered: The Virtual Behavioral Health Integration: A team-based approach to support patients within the ambulatory care setting and Incorporating Integrated Behavioral Health into Primary Care Settings: Confessions from the Field. The workshops were followed by a panel discussion on Ethics of Integrated Behavioral Health. The event was held at the UNC Charlotte Center City Campus and coordinated by Dr. Ticola Ross, Clinical Assistant Professor and Field Director and Frances Ferrante, Clinical Assistant Professor and Field Placement Coordinator.
The Virtual Behavioral Health Integration workshop
The Helping Hands of Our Community: Addressing the Social Determinants of Health Clinical Assistant Professor and MSW 3-Year Program Coordinator Roger Suclupe and fellow social worker Drew Reynolds, CEO of Common Good Data, have launched a podcast called The Helping Hands of Our Community: Addressing the Social Determinants of Health. This podcast aims to highlight the work that individuals and helping professionals in the community are doing to help create healthy and thriving communities by addressing the social determinants of health. The two colleagues offer insights, interview guests, and talk about all the great things being done to improve the lives and well-being of people and communities. Some of their guests include community members, health professionals, elected officials, and social workers. UNC Charlotte School of Social Work faculty members Dr. Tianca Crocker and Dr. Travis Hales have sat down with Suclupe and Reynolds to discuss Digital Inclusion for economic and social well-being and
Drew Reynolds (left) and Roger Suclupe (right)
trauma-informed care, respectively.
Feed Every Need Summer Program In summer 2019, students in the BSW program participated in Atrium Health University Hospital's Kids Eat Free program. Kids Eat Free is an Atrium Health initiative that provides free healthy meals to all kids ages 18 and under during summer break. Feed Every Need is an extra initiative to connect marginalized families with community resources. UNCC Social Work students used the skills learned in class to connect participants with agencies in child care, education services, housing, immigrant/refugee services, transportation, counseling, crisis assistance, clothing, health care, and more. Feed Every Need is growing, with other community agencies providing assistance. Our BSW student volunteers manned a table each Wednesday throughout the summer, where they educated and informed children and caretakers about food insecurity and available resources in the Charlotte area. Undergraduate Research student, Erin Meehan, led this initiative to help give back to our local community.
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Students at Feed Every Need
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Social Work Club (BSW Club)
Graduate Social Work Association
The Social Work Club is a campus organization open to all
The Graduate Social Work Association (GSWA) is a student
undergraduate students. The club participates in community
organization that serves as an advocacy group and faculty
service projects and events, presents information on social
liaison for the students of the MSW program. GSWA seeks
work topics, and is a resource for students pursuing social
to bring awareness and sensitivity to cultural and ethnic
work. During the 2018-2019 year, the BSW Club held the
diversity with a special focus on empowerment and
Latinex Community & How to Work with Interpreters
inclusiveness of individuals who are vulnerable,
Training, volunteered for Girls on the Run Race, and held the
disenfranchised, oppressed, or living in poverty. GSWA
Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign & Bake Sale in
strives to promote this well-being for the local community
partnership with the Women's and Gender Studies Triota
through volunteering, media presence, guest speakers, and
Honor Society - donations were given to Safe Alliance. The
community outreach. Some of the activities the organization
club also held 3 mentoring sessions for sophomores to work
is currently involved with is Students4Giving, an annual
on their Upper Division applications. The BSW Club
conference to raise money directed to a community agency.
celebrated Social Work Month 2019 with a collaborative
Students4Giving promotes philanthropic learning activities in
sandwich making operation with SSW student and faculty,
university classrooms to encourage students to become more
delivering over 200 sandwiches to Urban Ministries.
engaged in the local community and to offer contributions to the well-being of vulnerable populations in the community. Other activities GSWA has led in the past are an HIV/AIDS
Students at the sandwich making operation, March 2019
panel discussion,and AIDS Walk. Current and upcoming events include the Student Mentoring Program, Students4Giving, multiple fundraisers, and community engagement activities.
Some of the 2019-2020 Graduate Social Work Association (GSWA) Executive Board
Students at the Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign, October 2018
The BSW club has many events planned for the 2019-2020 year. In September, two self defense classes taught by a
GSWA bowling student mixer, September 2019
UNCC student with a Black Belt in Karate are taking place. The October meeting is a Civic Engagement panel. In November, the club will pack hygiene kits for several local organizations who work to help those affected by homelessness. These donations will go to Charlotte Rescue Mission, Urban Ministries, On Ramp at The Relatives, The Men's Shelter of Charlotte, and Flo Charlotte. The club has many more events planned for the spring.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
SSW Alumni Spotlight Elisabeth Bridgewater is a UNC Charlotte alumnae, receiving her undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2007 and master's degree in Social Work in 2009. Elisabeth started her social work career in North Carolina in 2009 serving in the Eastern part of the state. In 2013 she and her husband relocated to Seattle, WA where she continues to utilize her UNC Charlotte education as a leader in the field of Mental Health and Wellness as a Clinic Operations Manager for Kaiser Permanente of Washington.
The driving forces behind the creation of these scholarships is to assist adults that have chosen to return for their higher education, despite all of the other responsibilities that they juggle, and have chosen a field that is in desperate need of well trained professionals. The Elisabeth A. Bridgewater Undergraduate Scholarship for Excellence in Human Services Education awards $500.00 to a student identified as a Non-Traditional Student and is a
Elisabeth Bridgewater
sophomore, junior, or senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in social work or psychology. The Elisabeth A. Bridgewater Scholarship for Excellence in Human Services Education awards $500.00 to a student pursuing their master’s degree in Social Work.
The legacy that Elisabeth has provided to UNC Charlotte is a statement of admiration to a university and a School of Social Work that not only supported her as an adult/non-traditional student but provided the training that shaped her career moving forward.
Kedra Murray graduated from UNC Charlotte in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree and Cum Laude honors. Murray is a member of the Phi Alpha National Social Work Honors Society. As a BSW student, Murray wanted to focus on working with children and adolescents in the school system to evoke change in a much needed area, "I find that success and leadership comes from being a student. Students are the leaders of the future." Murray completed her Field Education with Communities In Schools, a non-profit organization that promotes student success, which expands to career readiness and aims to reduce school dropout rates. After graduating, Murray now works full time with Communities In School as a Check and Connect Coordinator at Newell Elementary School. Working with students grades 3-5, she helps reduce chronic absenteeism and is a resource for any academic, health, or family service need.
Kedra Murray
"I feel that the way UNCC SSW’s curriculum is structured has help me piece together all components of a social worker through mIcro and macro practices. I remember in the beginning I learned the environment we live in, cultural competence, and how to put on a “social work lens” to make social improvements and/or change. I then learned how social change and be factored into the government, like policies and laws. The most important thing that I’ve taken out of the curriculum and inserting into my field of work is how to ethically interact and build relationships with others, whether it’s a community partnership or an individual client."
- Kedra Murray, UNCC School of Social Work 2019
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UNC CHARLOTTE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
To prepare future social work professionals for leadership in areas of culturally-informed community-engaged practice, policy and research, with a particular emphasis on persistent and emerging social problems in rapidly diversifying urban areas locally, nationally and globally.
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UNC Charlotte College of Health and Human Services School of Social Work 9201 University City Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 Email: sswadmissions@uncc.edu Telephone: (704) 687-7924 / (704) 687-7931 Fax: (704) 687-1658