VCU School of Social Work

Dr. Karen Rotabi; SSW alumna Abby (Torres) Dini (MSW '09); BSW student Priscilla Witwer; and, alumna Janett Forte (MSW '92), director, VCU Institute for Women's Health and assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry recently visited Washington, D.C., to brief the Obama administration and members of Virginia's Congressional delegation on violence against women in Guatemala.

Read the full VCU View article online at:
http://www.news.vcu.edu/vcu_view/pages.aspx?nid=3133

The Evangelische Hochschule für Soziale Arbeit & Diakonie in Hamburg, also known as Das Rauhe Haus, established a Hans Falck Lectureship. Every year a renowned scholar in social work will deliver this lecture. The first lecture was given by Prof. Timm Kunstreich, a dear friend of Hans who has promoted and expanded Hans's Membership Perspective in Germany. The title of the lecture was "Membership und Dialogisches Prinzip als Basis einer partizipativen Sozialen Arbeit."
Timm made an attempt to bring Hans's ideas together with some of Martin Buber's thoughts. Hans received a standing ovation and for a short while there he was his old self again - what a gift for everyone.

Read the full article here:

http://pd.startribune.com/sp?aff=3&keywords=baby%20broker

The BSW Student Organization (BSWSA) will begin collecting clothing and nonperishable goods at the next BSWSA meeting, on Wednesday, November 4th at 7:00 pm in Rodney's (Shafer Court). Afterward donation boxes will be placed in the Raleigh Building until November 20th. The clothing will be donated to the Daily Planet and the food will go to Central Virginia Food Bank. Questions should be addressed to BSWSA officer Mary-Kristin Lennox at lennoxmkc@vcu.edu

Alumna and adjunct instructor Mary Dunne Stewart and alumnus Marc Cheatham were recently profiled in Style Weekly's Top 40 Under 40.

Read more...
Marc Cheatham http://tinyurl.com/ylpx3ca
Mary Dunne Stewart http://tinyurl.com/yfvar3h

Congratulations to Marc & Mary!

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 !

Congratulations to Dr. Tony Mallon, VCU School of Social Work, Principal Investigator.

The Jessie Ball duPont Fund has awarded a $190,580 grant to Virginia Commonwealth University on behalf of a coalition of several VCU educational units and Richmond groups working to prevent and reduce poverty in the Richmond region.

The three-year grant will be used to create a VCU-United Way Financial Stability Alliance to develop a systematic and comprehensive approach for reducing poverty in the Richmond area. The effort is an extension of a planning grant from an earlier duPont Fund grant that assessed the needs and opportunities for collaborations in the Richmond region.

In addition to the United Way, community partners have been The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Petersburg, the Greater Richmond Earned Income Tax Coalition and New Visions New Ventures.

The alliance is working to expand the capacity of existing Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organizations to provide free tax preparation services to low-income residents, while also linking them to asset building organizations and services in the area and evaluating the impact of the effort, according to Anthony J. Mallon, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Social Work and principal investigator of the effort.

"It's an excellent example of a community-university partnership designed to address a pressing need," Mallon said. "This initiative involves multiple units within the university - the School of Social Work, the School of Business, the Department of Mass Communication and the Division of Community Engagement as well as several service organizations located across the Richmond-Petersburg area."

The DuPont Fund grant also will support the implementation of a service-learning course in tax preparation, the development of an annual daylong "financial stability fair" to kick off tax season and the creation of annual community forums to discuss project outcomes.

The Jessie Ball duPont Fund is a national philanthropic foundation that offers financial awards to promote community problem solving and accountability, asset-building and the independent sector.

Professor Liz Cramer will participate in the Rocketts Landing Run to the River 5k Walk to benefit the Neighborhood Resource Center (NRC) on Saturday, October 17, 2009. When Dr. Cramer was asked why she participates in this event every year, she said,
"I have watched the NRC grow from when they met at Joyce's Beauty Salon, to the purchase of the old post office, to the renovation of the building, to the development of youth and adult programming, to the Montessori school, to the community garden, and to the cafe. I have been very impressed with the dedication of people in the Greater Fulton Hill community to creating positive and healthy services for community members. I believe that the staff and volunteers treat everyone who walks through the door with respect and compassion. It has been easy for me to support this tremendous organization."

If you would like to participate in the event or want to volunteer to help on race day, please visit http://runtotheriver.org/

Dr. Gladys Monterroso, a Guatemalan law professor, human rights advocate and torture survivor, will present her testimony at a special VCU event on Tuesday, October 20, 2009.
The 1:00 PM discussion will be followed by Dr. Monterroso's testimony at 2:00 PM at the Pace Center on the VCU academic campus, 700 W. Franklin Street.

Gladys Monterroso was victim to kidnapping and torture in the spring of 2009. During her April visit to the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission office, Dr. Monterroso said, "I had a normal life before March 25. I thought I understood the victims of violence in Guatemala. Now that I am a victim, I realize that I never understood fully what it means to experience that level of violence. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? My life is forever marked, divided into before and after March 25, 2009."

Gladys is not a human rights worker. She is a lawyer, professor, party secretary, and mother of two. She is a victim of politically motivated violence. She is courageously speaking out in universities, churches and communities up and down the East Coast to bring attention to:

*the horrific levels of violence in Guatemala
*violence against women
*impunity
*politically motivated violence
*violence as a push factor for migration to the US
*victims of torture in present day Guatemala

Dr. Monterroso is a law professor at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City, and a licensed tax lawyer. She also holds a Master's Degree in Economics. Until she was attacked earlier this year, she worked as the secretary for congresswoman Nineth Montenegro of the political party Encuentro por Guatemala. In 2005 she was one of eight lawyers selected for recognition by the Guatemalan Constitutional Court and in 2007 she earned the "Valuable Literary Contribution and Academic Career Award" from the Dean of the Law and Social Sciences Faculty at the University of San Carlos.

Dr. Monterroso's VCU speaking event is co-sponsored by the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission, VCU La Milpa: Guatemalan Interest Group, the Highland Support Project Club at VCU and the VCU Office of International Education, Institute for Women's Health, and School of Social Work. For additional information on the VCU Richmond Event, please contact Dr. Karen Smith Rotabi at ksrotabi@vcu.edu See Dr. Rotabi's photo journal about her meeting with Dr. Monterroso.

We are very pleased to announce that the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Carmen Nazario to be Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. Carmen has a distinguished record of more than 40 years working in human services at every level of government, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors. She has devoted her career to developing and implementing programs that promote the well-being of children and families, and she will build on that important work as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. Please join us in welcoming her to HHS in this new role.

Bio
Until her recent nomination, Carmen Nazario was an Assistant Professor at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, where she taught social policy and coordinated the Social Work Practicum at the School of Social Work. Nazario has vast experience in public service with a focus on improving services to children and families within the United States and around the world, dating back to 1968. From January 2003 - December 2008, she served as Administrator of the Administration for Children and Families for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, where she led an agency of 4,000 staff with a budget of over $220 million. Prior to that, she served as the Senior Resident Investigator for the Jordan Poverty Alleviation Program, where she developed and implemented a national poverty reduction strategy for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and advised leaders in the nation on the delivery of social services. During the Clinton Administration, she first served as Associate Commissioner for Child Care in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families and later became the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Nazario joined the Clinton Administration after serving as Secretary of Health and Social Services for the State of Delaware from 1993-1997, and, prior to that, she was the Director of Social Services in Norfolk, Virginia, and Loudoun County, Virginia. Nazario has held a number of national leadership roles, including Vice President of the Board of Directors of the American Public Welfare Association, President of the National Council of Local Public Welfare Administrators, and Secretary of the National Council of State Human Service Administrators. Nazario is from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. She received a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico in 1967, and was awarded her Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work in 1973.

Recent MSW program graduates Laura Savitsky and Maria Illingworth, and their colleague Megan DuLaney, authored Civilian Social Work: Serving the Military and Veteran Populations, which was published in the journal Social Work, October 2009, Vol. 54, No. 4.

The article discusses social work practice areas for civilian social workers who provide to military services members, veterans, and their families.

Information:
This service project will be taking place at the Boys and Girls Club West End Unit at 910 S. Harrison, Richmond, VA.

Tentative Agenda:
4:00 - 5:00p Homework Assistance
5:00 - 5:30p Craft + discussing various things like the importance of reading and studying; after the craft/discussion the kids have a meal and we are welcome to stay and interact with the kids for as long as we'd like.

Mr. Fleming of the Boys & Girls Club would also like to encourage returning volunteers.
If you are interested in a regular volunteer opportunity this is a great way to establish a relationship with the Club members.

We hope you'll come and join us!
For any inquiries and to RSVP (by September 22nd) contact BSW student Kristin Lennox at lennoxmkc@mymail.vcu.edu.

The School of Social Work, as a part of VCU's Center on Health Disparities, has been involved in forming a partnership for health-promotion service and research with the Mosby Court public housing development. Mosby's Community Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2009, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held directly across from the Mosby Court Recreation Center (1543 Coalter St.) in an open field behind the apartments. You will be able to see the residents and vendors from the Recreation Center. Volunteers are needed to staff the table where we will be distributing a survey seeking community input on health and well-being. Volunteers are also needed to help serve food and help monitor the children games. There is also a request for a clown or someone to do face painting. If you are able to volunteer for 1 or 2 hours please let Sarah Kye Price know and provide her with your arrival and departure times (skprice@vcu.edu). If you have a T-shirt, hat, or any other clothing with a VCU and/or School of Social Work logo, please wear. Since this event will be held in an open field, don't forget to wear sunscreen and a hat. Although a few chairs will be provided, you may want to bring a fold-up chair.

The Master of Social Work Student Association (MSWSA) will be participating in the Comfort Zone Camp's Annual Charity Kickball Tournament on Saturday, October 10, 2009 from noon-5:00 pm. The event is open to all VCU social work students, family, friends, and other VCU students. All proceeds go to benefit the Comfort Zone Camp, a camp for children who have experienced grief and loss. If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact Sara Buckheit, MSWSA Community Chairperson, at buckheitsm@vcu.edu

Every year accredited social work programs from across Virginia host an annual conference for social work students. This year's "Rally in the Valley" conference will be held in Harrisonburg, VA. on October 1st and 2nd with Radford University and Ferrum College hosting with support from NASW-VA. The conference's theme is "Non-Traditional Careers for Social Workers" and includes an MSW graduate school fair and keynote addresses by Joan Upshaw, Founder and CEO of SocialWorker, P.R.N. and Joe Szakos, Executive Director, Virginia Organizing Project. There will also be a social, a morning presentation, and a variety of workshops of interest to young social work professionals. The fee for the conference is $47 for students and includes the registration fee, meals, and overnight accommodations.

Dr. Fabelo, Dr. Bromfield, and Mr. Ananda Newmark will be attending the conference with a group of BSW students from VCU. For more information, please contact Dr. Bromfield at nfbromfield@vcu.edu

We are pleased to announce that Dr. F. Ellen Netting was chosen as Best Reviewer for 2009 for the Journal of Social Work Education.

Dr. Netting's work was noted as outstanding from among that of 127 JSWE reviewers for the past year. The criteria for choosing the Best Reviewers include exceptional service in responsiveness to requests for review, timeliness in submitting completed reviews, and quality of written reviews.

JSWE Best Reviewer Award winners will be honored at the Council on Social Work Education 2009 Annual Program Meeting in San Antonio, TX, in November. Please join us in congratulation Dr. Netting!

Substance Abuse Prevention: Policies,
Programs and Strategies for Virginia's Youth
September 23, 2009, 9:30 - 12:30, Virginia State Capitol

Co-directors of the Virginia Family Impact Seminars, Dr. Ann Nichols-Casebolt, Interim Dean and Dr. Mary Secret, Associate Professor, from the School of Social Work, and Dr. Janet Hutchinson, in the Women's Studies Department, are pleased to announce the scheduling of the 2009 Family Impact Seminar. Family Impact Seminars provide objective, non-advocacy, solution-oriented research on timely policy issues, and encourage policymakers to consider the impact of policies on families, just as they regularly consider the impact of policies on the economy and the environment.

Speakers for this year's seminar include:

• Emmett W. Hanger, Jr., Senator, Senate of Virginia, District 24
• William H. Fralin, Representative, Virginia House of Delegates 17th District
• William C. Mims, Attorney General, Commonwealth of Virginia
• Tony Biglan, Ph.D., Director, Center for Prevention of Problems in Adolescense, Oregon Research Institute
• Patrick Tolan, Ph.D., Director, Center for Positive Youth Development, Professor, Curry School, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
• Aleta Meyer, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, Preventive Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse

The seminar is co-sponsored by the Virginia Commission on Youth and the Governor's Office for Substance Prevention (GOSAP), in collaboration with the VCU School of Education Center for School-Community Collaboration with funding from GOSAP with the Free Schools and Communities Act of 2001, Title IV, part A of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

For more information visit the Virginia Family Impact Seminar website: http://www.pubapps.vcu.edu/gov/vfis/main.html

Drs. F. Ellen Netting and Mary Katherine O'Connor's recent article, "Teaching Policy Analysis as Research: Consideration and Extension of Options," which appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of the Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE), has been chosen as the JSWE Best Conceptual Article of 2008.

The criteria for choosing the best article include the importance and timeliness of the content; originality of thought; innovative conceptualization of the topic; and presentation of conclusions and/or recommendations that add significantly to the professional knowledge base and to social work education. JSWE Best Article Award winners will be honored at the Council on Social Work Education 2009 Annual Program Meeting in San Antonio, TX, in November.

Please join us in congratulating Drs. Netting and O'Connor on authoring an important article for our profession.

Professor David Stoesz, Ph.D., is among forty-two individuals who where recently welcomed into the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). The invited membership consists of experts in social assistance and private employee benefits, and those who are dedicated to advancing research, administration, or policymaking in these areas. NASI members volunteer their time to work on a variety of projects, study panels, committees, conferences, as well as address the media.

According to the NASI website, "the National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization made up of the nation's leading experts on social insurance. Its mission is to promote understanding and informed policymaking on social insurance and related programs through research, public education, training, and the open exchange of ideas."

Congratulations, Dr. Stoesz!

Etta V. Butler, MSW, is this year's winner of the Employee of the Year Award from the Virginia Association of Home Care and Hospice.

Congratulations, Etta!

NOVA MSW Student Anita Petty, has been accepted into the 2009 White House Summer Internship Program. Ms. Petty will be placed in the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/internships/

Congratulations, Anita!

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....

Earlier this semester, the VCU School of Social Work launched a community service initiative - Community Reach Out -- that engages its faculty, staff, students and alumni to work together in service to the community. The goal is to add a new School-wide dimension to its long-standing commitment to social and economic justice, and helping individuals and families in need

This Spring, the focus of Community Reach Out is to those who have most acutely been experiencing the effects of the economic crisis. We will be initiating a new project each month of the Spring semester that relates to this focus.

The first project, facilitated by faculty and administrators in the School, was a clothing drive for unemployed women and men who need business attire for job interviews, and newly employed adults who are in need of work-related clothing. The clothing was collected, organized and donated to Goodwill of Central Virginia's job placement services, Freedom House, and TDC- Culture of Work Academy.

The second project, coordinated by the students, focused on helping a local respite care facility by collecting several items that are in high demand. The respite care facility is part of a well known local organization, the Daily Planet, that provides care for persons leaving the hospital that are still in need of care but have no home or support system. On Saturday, April 11, several from the School of Social Work spent a day at the facility doing yard work, food preparation, and socializing with the residents.

The final project for the Spring semester is led by the staff in the School of Social Work. During the month of April they are holding a food drive for the Central Virginia Food Bank, and on Tuesday, April 14 several members volunteered their time at the Food Bank's community kitchen. Click here to see our efforts recognized in the VCU VIEW

SSW Volunteers at the Central Virginia Foodbank Community Kitchen.
Top Row: MeMe Thornton, Ananda Newmark, Gwen Taylor, Pam Duffus, Lisa Pond.
Bottom Row: Dan Park, Candice Tam.

Faculty members, PhD and MSW students perform yard clean-up at the Daily Planet

Sarah Kye Price was recently elected to a two-year term as president of the Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Alliance (PLIDA). PLIDA (www.plida.org) is a nationwide (and expanding internationally) collective community of over 350 parents and health care professionals, who work together to ensure that all families experiencing perinatal loss and infant death receive comprehensive and compassionate care from diagnosis through the reproductive years. PLIDA focuses on increasing awareness about the emotional aspects of this bereavement and advocating for the provision of supportive care to individuals and families. PLIDA also provides support, education, and networking opportunities to the professionals who work with bereaved families.

PLIDA organizes the National Perinatal Bereavement Conference (www.perinatalbereavementconference.org) which is held around the country every other year. This training opportunity is one of the largest professional trainings focusing on this area of professional practice.

Sarah's research on reproductive loss and women's mental health during and around the time of pregnancy has been published in several journals, including Social Work, the Maternal and Child Health Journal, and Death Studies.

This week, Ms. Kristin Dunne was offered a Post-MSW Social Work Fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. She will be working in the Outpatient Clinic for Children in New Haven beginning in July. Congratulations to Kristin and best wishes for continued succes!

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 Mrs. Randi Buerlein who has been selected as one of VCU's faculty awardees for the Presidential Award for Community Multicultural Enrichment (PACME).

Randi has been a leader in engaging our faculty and students in projects and activities that promote cultural diversity, both through her work here on campus as well as internationally. As you might not know, in addition to her work in the School of Social Work, Randi was a founding member of the LGBT subcommittee of the VCU Equity and Diversity Committee, she was a catalyst for the Burnside Watstein Award, she does training for Safe Zones, and she was a leader of the For Africa event that received the VCU Currents of Change Award this academic year.

The awards ceremony where Randi and other winners will be recognized is scheduled for: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 3:00 p.m., Student Commons-Richmond Salons.

Congratulations again to Randi.

Come find out about interesting research projects, research-in-progress, and displays of creative scholarship at VCU! This event is hosted by the Committee for Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship and is being held on Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 12:00pm - 2:00pm, in the Commonwealth Ballrooms A&B in Student Commons.

For more information visit: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=51481307180

The School of Social Work Web site received a Silver award in a competition for overall Web sites in its class. The Admissions Advertising Awards competition is sponsored by the HMR Publications Group and is published in the Higher Education Marketing Report. The site was designed by VCU Creative Services under the leadership of Jennifer Carmean, Associate Director.

Here's a link to the Awards page:
http://www.hmrpublicationsgroup.com/Higher_Ed_Marketing_Report/hemr_awards_competition.html

Urban Views Weekly newspaper recently published an article on the VCU School of Social Work Head Start Program. The article features two VCU Head Start families -- a current and a past family. They were interviewed and shared about their experience with the VCU Head Start Program. Click here to read the full article: http://urbanviewsweekly.com/archives/891#more-891.

VCU School of Social Work Alumni Network (SSWAN) recently unveiled a Facebook page at www.facebook.com. If you’re already a member of Facebook, log-in and search “VCU School of Social Work Alumni Network.” If you’re not, just click here for a look at the site.

More than 250 alumni and friends have already joined the site. By becoming a Facebook member, you can reconnect with old classmates and learn about alumni activities and events, as well as continuing education happenings, etc. Most of this information can be found on the School’s own Web site, www.socialwork.vcu.edu; however, those connected via Facebook receive alerts when new information has been posted at www.facebook.com. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today!

The School of Social Work at VCU has launched a community service initiative - Community Reach Out -- that engages its faculty, staff, students and alumni to work together in service to the community. The goal is to add a new School-wide dimension to its long-standing commitment to social and economic justice, and helping individuals and families in need

This Spring, the focus of Community Reach Out will be to those who have most acutely been experiencing the effects of the economic crisis. We will be initiating a new project each month of the Spring semester that relates to this focus.

The first project was a clothing drive for unemployed women and men who need business attire for job interviews, and newly employed adults who are in need of work-related clothing. The clothing was collected, organized and donated to Goodwill of Central Virginia's job placement services, Freedom House, and TDC- Culture of Work Academy.

Questions? Contact the School of Social Work Dean's Office (acasebol@vcu.edu)

A continuing education activity presented by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work in collaboration with Albemarle Department of Social Services. This program is designed for social workers and their community partners.

With the increasing diversity in our communities, social workers and other helping professionals are responding to situations that challenge us to engage with individuals whose world views may be very different from our own. How will we develop the extensive knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to intervene in ways that are appropriate and effective? Dr. Humberto Fabelo, Dr. Peter Nguyen, and Anita Nadal will draw upon their extensive experience as clinicians and educators to share strategies for working with Asian, Asian American, and Latino/Hispanic populations, as well as principles of cultural competence and communication that must guide our work with all culturally different individuals.

PLEASE GO TO http://www.socialwork.vcu.edu/education/events/blackbeans2.html TO VIEW DETAILS AND TO REGISTER ONLINE.

Congratulations to BSW senior Leah Baldwin who was awarded the Durkin-Glatzer scholarship to attend the American Group Psychotherapy Association Annual Conference in Chicago, IL this February. The scholarship includes all conference expenses, accommodations, and a year membership to the Association. Way to go Leah!

Congratulations to Randi Buerlein and everyone else associated with the FOR AFRICA (http://www.40th.vcu.edu/caring/forafrica.html) effort for being selected by the University as its "Currents of Change" winner at the 40th Anniversary event held on October 24.

The event featured the awarding of what will become the annual “Currents of Change” to FOR AFRICA, a benefit that raised nearly $50,000 for a school library and child development center in Ghana. The benefit was a collaborative effort of the VCU School of Social Work, VCU School of the Arts, Peacework, Inc. and artists in the Richmond area. FOR AFRICA also was among VCU’s “40 Acts of Caring,” which include volunteer and community-service projects, community-based research, and service-learning projects and that represent 22 units on the Monroe Park and MCV campuses. It was from the “40 Acts of Caring” that a Currents of Change award winner was selected.

For more about this event and the award visit:
http://www.vcu.edu/insidevcu/0810forafrica/index.html

http://www.40th.vcu.edu/caring/index.html

Click here to see the School's booth at the exhibit hall:
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MSW Alumnus Beth Bonniwell is featured in Style Weekly's Top 40 Under Forty (October 8, 2008). The link below will take you to the piece about her.

http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=17937

Former dean, Frank R. Baskind, Ph.D., has been appointed as VCU's faculty/staff ombudsperson. Dr. Baskind ended his 16-year tenure as dean of the School of Social Work in June. He remains a professor in the School.

As the faculty/staff ombudsperson, Dr. Baskind is a confidential resource for all faculty and staff at Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition to providing assistance in problem, complaint and conflict resolution, Dr. Baskind will monitor the policies, procedures and practices of the University for fairness and equity. For more information on the role of the faculty/staff ombudsperson visit: http://www.provost.vcu.edu/ombuds/.

Dr. Baskind brings a wealth of experience and insight to his new role. Prior to becoming dean of the School of Social Work, Dr. Baskind was the founding dean of Social Work and Human Services at Southern Connecticut State University and associate head of Human Services and Social Work Programs at the University of Tennessee. He has served as president of the board of directors for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), as chair of the CSWE's Commission on Accreditation, and as a consultant and member of various community organizations such as United Way Services of Richmond, Leadership Metro Richmond, and United Way of Greater New Haven, Conn. He also has served VCU through numerous assignments and committees, including serving as a member of the advisory board and faculty mentor for the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute, member of the university's strategic planning committee, University Council co-chair and several search committees.

Dr. Baskind graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in sociology. He earned a master's of social work and a Ph.D. with specializations in curriculum and higher education administration from the University of Connecticut.

Retired VCU School of Social Work Professor Rose Jimenez-Vazquez, MSW, ACSW, is featured on NASW's consumer site, www.helpstartshere.org, as a part of Hispanic Heritage month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, 2008).

NASW asked several outstanding Hispanic social workers to tell them why they chose social work as their profession and what they see as challenges to serving the Hispanic community today.

Click here to go directly to the web site: http://www.helpstartshere.org/Default.aspx?PageID=1512

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.

Please join us for a School of Social Work Welcome just prior to the beginning of the fall 2008 semester.

WHAT: School of Social Work Welcome Session

WHEN: Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

TIME: 8:30am – 10:15am W. E. Singleton Center for Performing Arts (See map link below)

WHERE: *VCU W. E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts (922 Park Ave.)
Three blocks from the Raleigh Building (Social Work Building)
Link to a map: http://www.vcu.edu/maps/acmap/perform/perform.htm

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