VCU School of Social Work

On October 19th, Nana Ryosho defended her proposal entitled Job resources and demands and their effects on job satisfaction and job search behavior among certified nursing assistants (CNAs) working in nursing homes. The project is chaired by Dr. Ellen Netting with support from Drs. Pam Kovacs, Sarah Kye Price, and outside member, Connie Coogle, who is with the VCU Center on Aging. Nana's IRB proposal has already been submitted and she is on her way to a timely completion.

On November 5th, Jessica Jagger, who just passed her comprehensive exam last month, successfully defended her proposal, Emergency management policy intent and experiences for people with disabilities: A comparative policy analysis in the US and Jamaica. Dr. Netting is also chairing this dissertation, this time with the support of Drs. Mary Katherine O'Connor, Sarah Kye Price, and outside member, Fred Orelove of the VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities. Jess is leaving today for her related Fulbright experience in Jamaica.

Congratulations to Dr. Geraldine L. Meeks, who successfully defended her dissertation at VCU's School of Social Work on October 26, 2009. Dr. Meeks' title is Environmental and organizational factors influencing similarities and differences between nonprofit human service providers that are faith-based and those with no religious affiliation. Dr. Patrick Dattalo chaired the dissertation with support from committee members, Drs. Ellen Netting, Mary Katherine O'Connor and Kevin Allison, of the College of Humanities and Sciences. Dr. Meeks relied on Resource Dependence Theory and Neo-Institutional Theory to aid her analysis in hopes of building a conceptual model for understanding similarities and differences in faith-based versus non-affiliated service providers. Specifically she used data from a cross-sectional survey with 121 nonprofits in the Richmond area. Findings show that the most important differences are expected differences in funding sources: congregational/religious funding for faith-based organizations and government/contracts for non-affiliated organizations. She concludes that, as in previous research, "similarities outweigh differences, " and that instead of dialogue and decisions that place emphasis on which type of provider provides the most effective service, more attention should be paid to their community service delivery capacities, which she suggests would move organizations from competition to collaboration.

Gerry was one of our first Council on Social Work Education Minority Fellows, and in 2006 received the Graduate School's Jesse Hibbs scholarship. Her dissertation was in part supported by a SAMHRP Dissertation Award. A former administrator with the local YWCA, Gerry received two previous degrees from VCU, an MSW and a MPA, and is now employed in a research coordinator position in VCU's new department of Social & Behavioral Health.

Dr. Geraldine L. Meeks and Dissertation Chair, Dr. Patrick Dattalo

Dr. Meeks with dissertation committee members, Drs. Kevin Allison, Ellen Netting, Mary Katherine O'Connor and Pat Dattalo

Geraldine Lewis Meeks will defend her dissertation on Monday, October 26th from 1:00 -3:00 pm in the Raleigh Building, Room 101. Gerry's title is Environmental and organizational factors influencing similarities and differences between faith-based and non-religious human service providers. Dr. Patrick Dattalo is chairing the dissertation with support from committee members within the School, Drs. Ellen Netting and Mary Katherine O'Connor, and outside member, Dr. Kevin Allison, VCU's Associate Dean of Community Activities in the College of Humanities and Sciences. Gerry's draft is available in the Ph.D. office for loan until October 26th, and afterwards in the Ph.D. offices in the basement.

Hsing-Jung Chen's dissertation defense will be held on Wednesday, November 18th from 10:00 AM - Noon, also in Room 101. Hsing-Jung's title is Robust protective factors that help youth with a parent experiencing depression achieve positive adjustment. Dr. Pamela J. Kovacs is chairing the dissertation with support from committee members here in the School, Drs. Patrick Dattalo and Sarah Kye Price and outside member, Dr. Gene H. Brody of the Center for Family Research at the University of Georgia. Hsing-Jung's draft will be available in the Ph.D. office two weeks prior to her defense date.

Congratulations to both these women on reaching this final stage! You are invited and encouraged to attend these events, so please mark these important dates on your calendar !

The most recent School of Social Work eNewsletter, Volume 1, Issue 3, has a new section entitled Alumni Focus where information updates on PhD, MSW and BSW alumni will be posted in each issue. An alumni survey was recently implemented providing a quick and easy way for graduates to share their latest news with the social work community.

PhD alumni featured in the first Alumni Focus :

John Austin, MSW 1974, Ph.D. 1984, was recently promoted to
associate vice president for research and sponsored programs at Delaware State
University.

Leanne (Wood) Charlesworth, Ph.D.1997, is an assistant professor at
Nazareth College of Rochester and has recently accepted a half-time appointment
as coordinator of student learning outcomes assessment.

Lisa Cox, MSW 1987, Ph.D. 1997, is an associate professor of social work
and gerontology at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey where she was
tenured/promoted in 2004, and appointed program director soon thereafter. Lisa
enjoyed a most productive and rejuvenating sabbatical last year, has recently
submitted a grant proposal to NIA and will teach MSW students again this year.

Brenda Eastman, Ph.D.1997, is an associate professor at East Carolina
University and is currently serving as the BSW program coordinator for ECU's
School of Social Work.

Connie Kvarfordt, Ph.D. 2005, is an assistant faculty member in the School
of Social Work at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Raphael Mutepa, Ph.D. 2003, recently received tenure at West Virginia
State College.

Amy Nash, MSW 1995, Ph.D.1997, has worked for the City of Charlottesville for 14 years - since the week she graduated from VCU. She has held various positions with the City, all in child welfare, and currently works parttime as a foster home specialist, recruiting and training foster parents, so she can enjoy afternoons with her children, ages 9, 7, and 1. Amy earned her LCSW in 2002.

Hans Selvog, MSW 1986, Ph.D. 2005, is in private practice as a forensic
and clinical social worker and is teaching new forensic social work certification in
the extended education branch of California State University at Fullerton this fall.

Faculty and student members of the Doctoral Program Committee attending the retreat discussed a plethora of issues related to structural support and resources, curriculum, teaching and professional development, program assessment and evaluation evaluation, and community-building activities. Task groups were established and an agenda for the year was set .

Dr. Sarah Kye Price will teach the required first semester SWKD 701 Quantitative Research Methods and Analysis I course for the first time in Fall 2009. This is the first of a three-semester course series focused on concentrated study of principles of the quantitative, scientific method for knowledge building and practice- and policy-related research.
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Six new doctoral students attended orientation on August 18th and were welcomed by more than 70 faculty, staff and fellow doctoral students at the annual Welcome Dinner. View photos !

Congratulations to Jody and Leanne, who both recently defended their dissertation proposals and move on to IRB, data collection and/or analysis. This is a great big step. We graduated six folks last year and hope to at least repeat that number next year. Here's the full scoop on titles and committee members for these outstanding Ph.D. candidates.

Jody L. Hearn, Family Preservation in Families' Ecological Systems: Factors that Predict Out of Home Placement and Maltreatment for Service Recipients in Richmond City. Committee Members: Dr. Melissa L. Abell as Chair; Drs. Mary Katherine O'Connor, Holly Matto, Larry Williams (Business) and Anne Kisor (DSS).

Leanne Heaton, Neglect: Role of Family History and Subtype in DSM-IV Disorders and Later Social Functioning. Committee Members: Dr. Mary Katherine O'Connor as Chair; Drs. Pat Dattalo, Holly Matto, Michael Southam-Gerow (Psychology) and Kathleen Merikangas (NIH).

Second-year social work PhD student and Virginia LEND trainee Jessica C. Jagger has been awarded a Fulbright fellowship for 2009-2010. She will be conducting research on emergency management policy and disability in Jamaica through the Fulbright US Student Program.

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 to develop leadership through learning and international cooperation. The program operates in more than 155 countries, and has permitted more than 286,500 participants to study, teach, or conduct research. Approximately 7,000 grants are awarded each year to participants selected for their academic merit and leadership potential. This year's US Student Fulbright Program in the Western Hemisphere was one of the most highly competitive in the world. Read more....

Two doctoral candidates have scheduled their dissertation defenses in preparation for the upcoming School of Social Work graduation ceremony at the Siegel Center on May 15th, and the VCU graduation at the Richmond Colliseum on Saturday, May 16, 2009. The final step in pursuit of their doctoral degrees, their defenses will be held at the School of Social Work located in the Raleigh Building, 1001 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23284.

Michael Lee Howell
Friday, April 17, 2009, 2:00-4:00 PM, Room101

Mike's dissertation is entitled Intake decision-making in Child Protective Services: Exploring the influence of decision-factors, race and substance abuse.

Stephen Raymond Kodwo
Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 1:00-3:00 PM, Room 101

Kodwo's dissertation title is Determinates of long-term eldercare: Evidence from Ghanaian immigrants in the United States.

Faculty, fellow students and staff are invited to attend the dissertations.

Dr. John Matthews has been named a Fulbright Scholar by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. John will depart in early December 2009 for Windhoek, Namibia (Sub-Saharan Africa), where he will lecture in social work and community development for one year at the University of Namibia (www.unam.na), while also conducting a research project that explores risk and resilience among orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC), with a particular focus on children who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS.

Dr. John Matthews is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and Human Services at Eastern Washington University. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University, and an MSW from Radford University.

The Fulbright Program, America's flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has provided approximately 286,500 people - 108,160 Americans who have studied, taught or researched abroad and 178,340 students, scholars and teachers from other countries who have engaged in similar activities in the United States - with the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic, educational and cultural institutions, to exchange ideas and to embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world's inhabitants. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Among the thousands of prominent Fulbright alumni are: Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director and Founder, Grameen Bank, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006; Javier Solana, Foreign Policy Chief, European Union; Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University; Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation; Shamshad Akhtar, the first woman to hold the position of Governor, State Bank of Pakistan; Alejandro Jara, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization; Raoul Cantero, Justice, Florida Supreme Court; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, Writer; Daniel Libeskind, Architect; Aneesh Raman, CNN Middle East Correspondent; and Sibusiso Sibisi, President and CEO, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa.

Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than sixty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit our website at http://fulbright.state.gov or contact James A. Lawrence, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, telephone 202-453-8531, or e-mail fulbright@state.gov.

BSW STUDENT

Abby Sedaghatfar is a graduating senior that will be attending graduate school in social work this fall. She received the Lauren A. Woods Scholarship in the amount of $3,000 and was also named the VCU Phi Kappa Phi nominee for the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship national competition. Abi was selected from among university-wide applicants and was recognized for her superior academic achievement, leadership and service experience at VCU, in the Richmond community, and through several international projects. As part of her application Abi submitted a paper about immigrants that was thoughtful, well-written, and raised important social justice issues, something she is very passionate about. In his recommendation letter for Abi's application to the Lauren A. Woods Scholarship, Dr. Peter V. Nguyen noted "While I was impressed with Abigail's intellectual ability, it was her deep-seeded passion and affinity for immigrants that caught my attention. As a professor, teaching the content is easy, but instilling passion must come from within. It is this passion that drives a person to be a great social worker - one that impacts lives and makes a difference."

MSW STUDENTS

Jodi Mincemoyer was awarded the $2,500 MSW Phi Kappa Phi scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year. Jodi will start her concentration course work in the Fall 2009 semester and is expected to graduate in May 2010. She has extensive community service experience including working with the Virginia Organizing Project, serving on the Board of Directors for the Colonial Community Service Board, and serving on the Board of Directors for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. Jodi is completing her foundation year internship at Virginia Supportive Housing. Jodi has a strong commitment to social justice and activism, especially equitable access to education, opportunity, healthcare and housing. Jodi has multiple publications and describes herself as "a learner, seeker, teacher, and advocate".

Salima Jiwa was awarded the $1,000 MSW Phi Kappa Phi Unit scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year. Salima will start her concentration course work in the Fall 2009 semester and is a student at our Alexandria, VA campus. Salima is expected to graduate in May 2010. Salima has volunteered as a teacher's assistant, volunteered for a Head Start literacy program, and tutored undergraduate ESOL students. She also worked with immigrant families from Afghanistan and volunteered at a Children's Hospital. Salima holds a Master of Arts in Child Studies from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and has multiple publications and presentations related to children and parents' issues. Salima is completing her foundation internship at Herndon Middle School and describes herself as being "dedicated to using [her] knowledge, experience and skills to help others deal with their challenges and achieve their fullest potential".

Ph.D. STUDENT

Mariette Klein, a first year doctoral student, was recently awarded the 2009 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Doctoral Scholarship Award for outstanding achievement in scholarship and leadership. Klein was Director of Volunteerism for AARP in Washington, D.C. before entering the Ph.D. program in Fall 2008.

Congratulations to Dr. Samson Bwalya Chama, Dr. Trenette T. Clark, Dr. Soon Min Lee and Dr. Amy A. Waldbillig who were awarded their degrees at the VCU Fall Commencement ceremonies on December 13, 2008.

The School of Social Work faculty, staff and fellow students send each of you our very best wishes for the future !

We hope you've had an enjoyable winter break and are ready to begin the Spring 2009 semester !

Ph.D. classes - SWKD 710 (Netting), SWKD 705 (Dattalo) and SWKD 702 (Abell) - begin Tuesday, January 13th and will be held in RAL 230. SWKD 722 (O'Connor) will meet in RAL 230 and SWKD 704 (Kovacs) meets in in RAL 204, beginning Wednesday, January 14th.

If you have not as yet registered for the Spring semester, please do so as soon as possible. The last date for add/drop is January 18th.

Ph.D. candidate Samson B. Chama successfully defended his dissertation, Program Approach for Child Headed Households in Zambia in late august and is now anxiously awaiting his December graduation.

Three more doctoral students will defend their dissertations in the coming weeks, also in preparation for December graduation. We commend Chama, Amy, Trenette and Soon Min for their pursuit of excellence throughout their academic endeavor. Faculty and doctoral students are invited to attend the defenses in support of our Ph.D. candidates.

Amy Waldbillig
November 18, 2008, 1:00 - 3:00 P.M., Raleigh 101
"Implementation of PRIDE in Virginia: An Examination of Role Perception Among Foster Parents and Foster Care Workers"

Trenette T. Clark
December 3, 2008, 9:00 - 11:00 A.M., Raleigh 230
"Pathways to Drug Use Among Rural and Urban African American Adolescents: The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Parent and Peer Influences"

Soon Min Lee
December 8, 2008, 1:00 - 3:00 P.M., Raleigh 101
"Asian American Social Workers: Exploring Relationships Among Factors Influencing Career Choices"

Congratulations are in order for two of our doctoral candidates, Hsing-Jung Chen and Em Parente, who recently defended their dissertation proposals and are now on to IRB and data collection or analysis.

Hsing-Jung defended yesterday a proposal titled, Robust protective factors that help youths achieve positive adjustment despite environmental risks. Pam Kovacs is chairing the dissertation with the support of Pat Dattalo and Sarah Kye Price in the School and outside member, Dr. Gene Brody, founder of the Center for Family Research at the University of Georgia. Dr. Brody was able to be with us in person yesterday and indeed, Hsing-Jung is doing a secondary data analysis using data from his center.

Em defended on October 10th a proposal titled, Experience of supervision scale: The development of an instrument to measure child welfare workers' supervisory experiences. Pat Dattalo is chairing the dissertation with support of Mary Secret and Jenny Jones in the School and outside member and close friend of the School, Janet Hutchinson, from the Wilder School. Em's dissertation is one of the few in the history of the School that is about the development of an original measurement device.

Early on-line registration for Spring 2009 classes is under way ! 1st & 2nd year students can register for core curriculum classes according to their PhD Program Planning Form. Students undertaking Independent Study or Directed Research projects need their project proposals approved by the PhD Program Director before registerig for these electives. Students continuing Dissertation Research and those with Independent Study and Directed Research projects should contact the PhD Program Assistant for registration assistance.

Over half of our current 39 doctoral students will represent the VCU School of Social Work at the CSWE Annual Program Meeting next week in Philadelphia. They will be joining more than thirty other faculty and PhD alumni, many of whom will be presenting papers or chairing sessions at the event.

The Power of Personal Philanthropy
The Summer 2008 issue of The Power of Personal Philanthropy published by the VCU Office of Advancement features an article entitled, “Social work fellowship provides writing refuge,” that tells of the new McGrath-Morris Fellowship and the experience it provided to the first award recipient, Dr. Lori Thomas. Of course, Lori is currently featured on the front page of the School website. Her interview provides first-hand insight into the extraordinary personal value of the creative award developed by 2005 alumna Patty McGrath Morris and her husband, Jamie Morris, that provides a two-week writing retreat at the Morrises’ Tesuque, NM casita, as well as a $1,000 stipend for travel and other expenses. For the complete article, go to www.advancement.vcu.edu/donors/communications.html .

2008 Young Professional Award
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities AUCD) has selected 2006 alumna Dr. Mel Bellin to receive the 2008 Young Professional Award in recognition of her contributions to the Association and the disabilities field. The award will be presented at a special ceremony during the AUCD Annual Meeting on November 12, 2008. Congratulations, Mel !

Additionally, a review of Mel’s impressive research, “The sibling experience: What is revealed in the largest study ever on Spina Bifida siblings?,” is presented in the Summer 2008 issue of Insights Into Spina Bifida, the quarterly magazine published by the Spina Bifida Association (SBA) for parents and professionals caring for youths with the disabling birth defect. The review was taken from Mel’s recent presentation given at SBA’s Annual Conference. To view a summary of the presentation or of the sibling study, visit www.spinabifidaassociation.org.

Hans S. Falck Lectureship Series on Social Responsibility
Dr. Theresa Clark, a 1997 School of Social Work graduate, and an elementary student when the Prince Edward County public schools closed in 1959, is a featured panelist in the Hans S. Falck Lectureship Series on Social Responsibility presentation, “Civil Rights and Race Relationships in Virginia Public Education: A Case Study in Social Change.” The Richmond Peace Education Center, VCU School of Social Work and the William Byrd Community House are co-sponsoring the lecture, which will be presented Thursday, October 23, 2008, 7:00 PM, at the St. Andrews School Auditorium, 236 South Laurel Street, Richmond, VA 23220. For additional information go to http://www.wbch.org.

Six men and four women comprise the 2008-09 incoming cohort in the School of Social Work Ph.D. Program, four of whom are transitioning from the VCU MSW program and others are from Brigham Young University, University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, University of Cincinnati, and Eastern Washington University. The new cohort have strong academic and social work experience, with focus areas that include the epidemiology of child and adolescent mental health, mental health program evaluation, identity development of children and youth, effects of poverty and parenting on at-risk teenagers, prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect, homelessness, social justice issues, aging issues and community-based services and care-giving, treatment of adult and juvenile sex offenders, domestic violence [specifically sibling violence], effective non-profit management and program evaluation, enhancing social work teaching methodology, theatre as a model of community empowerment, and international social work.

This annual new student Welcome Dinner is the “kick-off” to the 2008-09 academic year at the VCU School of Social Work and will be held on August 19th, from 5:30 – 7:00 P.M. The casual summer supper is the setting for the School of Social Work faculty and fellow Ph.D. students to welcome the new cohort into the doctoral program.

Orientation for incoming Ph.D. students will be held on August 19th . It begins at 8:30 A.M. in the auditorium at the Performing Arts Center, 922 Park Avenue, where the whole School will gather for coffee, introductions and welcome by the Dean. Ph.D. student orientation will continue at the Raleigh Building, 10:30 A.M. – 2:00 P.M., and will include conversations with Dr. Kia J. Bentley, Sharon Foreman, President of the Doctoral Student Association, lunch with the doctoral instructors, and culminating with the student tour of the Raleigh Building.

We are proud to announce close to 250 graduates in all three programs this May.