Cross-disciplinary collaborations and specialized education to support Utah’s future
2023 – 2024
FEATURES
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K-12 Partnership with Education
New interdisciplinary grant creates culturally responsive school mental health training program
12
Collaboration Focuses on Early Childhood Systems
Developing cross-disciplinary expertise
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John Hardy Stewart: Idea Man From farm boy to philanthropist
CONTENTS 3 From the Dean
SOCIAL WORK matters
The University of Utah College of Social Work 2023-2024
Dean Philip Osteen, PhD, MSW
Editors
Lisa Himonas
Jennifer Nozawa
Art Direction
University Marketing & Communications
Contributing Writers
Bethany Bingham
Amy Choate-Nielsen
Stephanie Dawson Pack
Lisa Himonas
Jennifer Nozawa
Philip Osteen
Danielle Thomsen
Contributing Editor
Lisa Goldstein Kieda
Contributing Photographers include Busath
Stephanie Dawson Pack
Austen Diamond
Meghan McCauley
Jennifer Nozawa
Harriet Richardson
Dave Titensor
Social Work Matters is published annually by the University of Utah College of Social Work
socialwork.utah.edu
A Message from the Dean
A general definition of collaboration is “the act of working together with other people or organizations to create or achieve a shared goal or vision.” Although not explicitly identified as a core value of social work, I believe the word captures a critical piece of social work practice and is embedded in the full continuum of our work and mission. Consequently, we are excited to share our many collaborations in progress across campus, in our community, and throughout the United States.
Two stories included herein highlight projects that focus on housing assistance and trauma-informed support for those experiencing homelessness. Our alumni and donors, as always, inspire us to keep reaching—to continue expanding where social workers serve, what they can do in those spaces, and how to ensure they have a voice at the decision-making tables of hospitals, schools, government offices, and more.
Engage with us!
Within these pages, you will read of faculty partnering with the University of Utah College of Education to create new cross-disciplinary opportunities for mental health training of MSW students and those working in special education, and a separate project to support K-12 Spanish-speaking communities. Faculty are also working with state and local agencies to evaluate and explore solutions to community problems, and they’re sharing assessment tools beyond our borders to improve training for social workers and care for clients. Others were honored for innovative and dedicated efforts to improve community care in a multitude of ways—from delivering meals to those in need, to coping with ancestral trauma, to suicide intervention.
Our students are working beyond their classrooms to improve our environment, too.
As Stephen Johnson wrote in his book, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, “… good ideas are more likely to emerge in environments that contain a certain amount of noise and error.” He goes on to explain that, once we land on a good idea, it shines with clarity and focus—but good ideas are not necessarily cultivated in noise-free, single-minded environments. We agree—so we’ll keep opening doors, knocking down walls, and building bridges. We invite you to join us on this journey.
Philip Osteen, PhD, MSW Dean
Constructed for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the George S. Eccles Legacy Bridge facilitates pedestrian traffic between the University of Utah’s main campus and health sciences campus.
Virtual Home Simulation –The New Frontier in Training Tools
For the last two years, each fall, student interns with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (LADCFS) have started their program with a test, a Virtual Home Simulation (VHS) test. Taken on a laptop, students enter a virtual home to conduct an assessment as if they were already an LADCFS case worker. Based on their performance, students are given a score to indicate how accurate their assessments are when compared to the assessment consensus of a group of experts. This training tool, developed by the Social Research Institute (SRI), and the Games and Applications (GApp) Lab at the University of Utah, is providing LADCFS employees valuable opportunities to practice assessments before they enter clients’ homes.
VHS trains students in three distinct casework skills: assessment of risks,
assessment of protection (a concept that combines the federal Children’s Bureau’s definitions of possible protective capacities of caregivers and/or the presence of other protective factors), and overall documentation practices. Skill levels were measured in the preand post-tests, as well as each practice session in between, in order to capture student growth over the course of the internship. In the latest assessment of the practice data, student scores improved on every metric—multiple factors at statistically significant levels. “Our objective in designing this tool is to provide more effective practice opportunities for child welfare employees,” said SRI Director and Research Assistant Professor Chad McDonald. “These data demonstrate that it may be working.”
Though data are aggregated for research, LADCFS coaches are given the ability to hone in on each intern’s data individually so that they can offer each intern specific feedback on their performance, what they consider to be risk and protective factors, and what they might have missed. Dr. McDonald explained this personalized feedback is essential to the success of this training tool. “Other industries have shown that effective, repeated practice—practice that comes with specific feedback—is important in skill building.” He added, “Perfect practice makes perfect.”
Future studies will consider not just how these skills change over the course of an educational program, but also follow those skills into the field to examine the transfer of learning from this training.
The Virtual Home Simulation offers unique, realistic case files, giving student interns the opportunity to practice assessment of risk and protective factors.
Alumni News
Alumna
Halaevalu
Fonongava’inga Ofahengaue Vakalahi named CSWE
President and CEO
At their annual meeting in November of 2022, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)—the accrediting body of schools of social work across the United States—announced the selection of Halaevalu Fonongava’inga Ofahengaue Vakalahi (PhD ’98) as the organization’s next president and CEO. Prior to this appointment, which began in January 2023, Dr. Vakalahi served as dean of the Hawaii Pacific University College of Health and Society, associate dean of the Morgan State University School of Social Work, and director of the MSW Program in the George Mason University Department of Social Work, among other leadership roles. Along with these accomplishments, her storied career in social work includes scholarly contributions in the areas of Pacific Islander families and communities
and Women of Color in academia, themes that can be found in the eight books she has co-authored or co-edited.
In recognition of her many achievements during her two decades in academia, the College of Social Work
Phyllis Pettit Nassi receives ACCR Award
presented Dr. Vakalahi with the Dean’s Medal in March 2024. The honor is the most significant awarded to a person whose exceptional service has proven to be of consequence to the College of Social Work.
Alumna Phyllis Pettit Nassi (MSW ’06) was named one of two recipients of the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Distinguished Public Service Award for Exceptional Leadership in Cancer Advocacy. Ms. Pettit Nassi is the associate director of research and science, special populations at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. She is being recognized for her longstanding commitment as a patient advocate for American Indian Tribes across the Mountain West and beyond, and for an unwavering commitment to improving health literacy and clinical trial enrollment among American Indian populations. Her work has profoundly impacted tribal, rural, and frontier communities and improved quality of life and access to cancer care.
Ms. Pettit Nassi, an enrolled member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and member of the Cherokee Nation, has been a member of the AACR since 2010. She served as a member of the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report Advisory Committee in 2022 and cochair of the Program Committee for the 12th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorites and the Medically Underserved in 2019, where she was also a panelist for the session “Addressing Advocacy at the Bench: Implementing Change.” She has been active in the AACR Minorities in Cancer Research and Women in Cancer Research constituency groups for many years.
The content of this story comes directly from the AACR press release regarding this honor.
Dr. Halaevalu Vakalahi accepted the Dean’s Medal from Dean Philip Osteen in March of 2024.
MSW alumna Phyllis Pettit Nassi
Fully-online MSW is a (Virtual) Reality!
In the fall of 2021, it wasn’t exactly unique for students to attend class via small digital box rather than the traditional classroom and desk setup. What was novel for one particular group of students in the College of Social Work was the program they were a part of—the first cohort to participate in the U’s fully-online MSW course of study.
In May of 2023, 48 of these students walked the stage, graduate degrees in hand. Director of Online Programs Cynthia Sanders explained that offering this learning method is significant for several reasons. “It allows access to a high-quality MSW program for students who are not located in the Salt Lake Valley, or who prefer an online asynchronous option. It allows us to recruit students in all parts of Utah to expand the number of mental health social workers across the state. Given the large shortage of mental health providers in Utah, this is important.”
While some fear that online programs are less robust than their on-the-ground counterparts, Dr. Sanders hasn’t found
Researching Effective Reduction of Gun Crime
More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record. More than 50% of deaths by suicide and 79% of U.S. murders involved a firearm—59% of those with a handgun. Mirroring the national trend, gun crime rates in Utah have also risen in recent years.
In response to these rising rates, and with the goal of informing better policy decisions, the Utah Sentencing Commission—a state-level commission involving partners as varied as the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Safety, Domestic Violence Coalition, Department of Corrections, House of
that to be the case. “We developed each online MSW class through a rigorous process. This included making each class comparable to the grounded version, with many of the same assignments, but tailored to meet course objectives through an online delivery. The program is high quality, rigorous, and we have been very thoughtful about alignment
of content to social work competencies, as required by CSWE,” the accrediting body of schools of social work.
As the program grows, Dr. Sanders remains confident in its trajectory. “Our main focus is to offer and maintain a highquality program that trains more MSWs for the state of Utah and reduces the shortage in access to mental health care.”
Representatives, and more—asked the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) to study what interventions research has shown to be effective in reducing gun crime. Lead researcher on the project and UCJC Associate Director Christian Sarver explained, “Too often the gut response to crime is to increase punishment. But research shows that doesn’t work.”
So what does work? UCJC found that, in general, interventions that focus on prevention are the most effective in reducing gun crime. Community interventions—interventions that address community causes and correlates to gun crime—work better than deterrence and incapacitation-based interventions. When
deterrence and incapacitation-based interventions are used, certainty of punishment, rather than severity of punishment, is a higher indicator of intervention success. Additionally, using realtime data analysis to target high-crime locations, times, and individuals, and using incapacitation during periods of acute risk, are effective.
After the research was presented to multiple stakeholder groups, the state convened a Violent Crimes Working Group to explore legislative options for reducing violent crime. Those included increasing alignment between state and federal law and creating processes for relinquishing firearms in domestic violence cases.
Congratulations to the University of Utah’s first graduates of the online MSW Program!
NEW FACULTY
Throughout her 20 years of practice as a child and family therapist, Bacall Hincks, assistant professor (clinical), specialized in working with children and families involved in kinship and foster care, and taught multiple courses as an associate instructor for the College of Social Work. Prof. Hincks earned both her MSW and her bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Utah and is a licensed clinical social worker.
Assistant Professor Danielle Littman uses place-based, artsbased, and community-engaged research methods to understand (and reimagine) supportive settings (including “third places”) and care practices for young people at the margins. Before earning her PhD from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, she earned her master’s from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
Misty McIntyre Goodsell, assistant professor (lecturer), is a licensed clinical social worker who specialized in working with adolescents and adults struggling with co-occurring substance use disorders and trauma, while also teaching and serving as a field instructor for the College of Social Work. She earned her MSW from the University of Utah, and her bachelor’s in child development and family studies from Purdue University.
As an LCSW, Assistant Professor Lindsey Palmer provided mental health services to adolescents involved with the child protection and juvenile justice systems. Now, her research focuses on understanding the nature, extent, and impact of child protective service involvement on the safety and well-being of vulnerable children. Dr. Palmer earned both her PhD and MSW from the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Assistant Professor Ariel Richer earned her PhD from the Columbia University School of Social Work, where her research focused on Black, Indigenous, and queer communities who use drugs and have been affected by the criminal-legal system. She engages in community-driven research to co-create culturally-tailored interventions and services to address the substance use, intimate partner violence, and HIV and STI risk (SAVA) syndemic.
With 16 years of clinical practice and nine years of teaching experience, Assistant Professor (Lecturer) Veronica Timbers’ research is focused on clinical practice with transgender and gender expansive clients in rural areas. She earned her PhD from the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, and has a Master of Divinity degree, which she uses to support the ethical integration of religion and spirituality in clinical practice and policy change.
Social Work and Education Partner to Address K-12 Mental Health Needs
Nationwide, professionals and caretakers alike are aware that there are gaps in supporting the mental health needs of school-age children. This national trend is matched at local levels. Utah has roughly a quarter of the mental health professionals needed for the population, a shortage that’s even more pronounced in educational systems, explained Philip Osteen, dean of the College of Social Work.
It’s in response to this need that multiple initiatives on the University of Utah campus have started. The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative (USMHC) and the University of Utah Technology in Training, Education, and Consultation (U-TTEC) Lab in the Department of Educational Psychology were created to help augment schools’ existing systems of support for mental health service provision. These ventures focus on applying current evidence-based practice for a variety of pediatric needs, including school mental health.
Most recently in this vein, funding was awarded to a new interdisciplinary project: Implementing a Culturally Responsive and Collaborative Interdisciplinary School Mental Health Training Program to Support Spanish Speaking Communities. Run by Dee Endowed Professor of School Psychology Keith Radley, his colleague School Psychology
Associate Professor Aaron Fischer, and Dean Osteen, the two-year graduate-level program will offer additional mental health and focused cultural literacy training to mental health providers committed to serving some of Utah’s most vulnerable students. Though mental health supports are lacking in Utah educational spaces across the board, the shortage is particularly dire for marginalized and underserved communities where language and culture can serve as additional barriers.
Dr. Fischer explained, “We know the shortage of Spanish-speaking mental health providers, especially those with interdisciplinary training, impacts access to services, provides a context for ongoing stigma, and does not reflect our local Utah demographic. We wanted to address these issues in a time when it is most needed.” He continued, “It’s important to empower our communities to help support one another, especially around youth mental health. A strong society is one that builds resilient youth.”
Dr. Osteen added, “The issues of accessibility we see in society are mirrored here, and it’s because of those issues that we’re focusing our efforts on training early education specialists. There’s a growing body of research across disciplines that recognizes the impact of early education on the entire life span.”
The pilot program will begin on a small scale. Each cohort will consist of a total of three to four students specializing in K-12 education in the Colleges of Social Work and Education. Though students will need to have Spanish language fluency before joining the program, developing cultural competency will be a foundational component of the program’s curriculum. Over the course of the two years in their respective programs, cohort members will meet practitioners with a range of experience and expertise in an effort to expand the students’ knowledge base.
The program highlights the value of cross-disciplinary practice and coordination. “Interdisciplinary practice encourages intellectual humility, emphasizing the idea that no one individual or profession holds all the secrets to supporting students,” said Dr. Radley. “The goal of the program is to train providers committed to creating a continuum of supports for young students, and embracing a vision of school psychology that goes beyond the historical role of assessment within special education, instead focusing on the delivery of supports within the environments where
students find themselves—classrooms, schools, communities.” He noted, “I truly appreciate the ecological perspective of social work that seeks to understand the myriad of environmental and contextual factors on student outcomes.”
Dr. Osteen echoed, “This program trains future professionals to understand the context of the micro to macro systems of care that students and families have access to, but it also trains those professionals to specialize within those systems. When you work in partnership, you can cover the entire spectrum of need.”
Interdisciplinary practice encourages intellectual humility, emphasizing the idea that no one individual or profession holds all the secrets to supporting students.“
Dr. Philip Osteen, Dr. Keith Radley, and Dr. Aaron Fischer
New Leadership Roles in the College of Social Work
Associate Professor Jeremiah Jaggers became the new director of the PhD Program in July 2023. He earned his MSW from Western Kentucky University and his PhD from the University of Alabama, before joining the College of Social Work at the University of Utah in 2018. He has experience teaching at all levels of social work education, and feels that the opportunity to shape social work research and education, even in a small way, is a privilege. As program director, Dr. Jaggers is most looking forward to shepherding the PhD Program into the future. He believes that building a solid framework through rigorous education and strong mentorship will advance social work practice to make a significant impact for years to come.
Tonie-Michelle Hanáázba’, assistant professor (clinical), was named the director of BSW Field Education in May 2023. She has substantial experience in the field of substance use disorders, mental health, and trauma-informed care, and is passionate about social justice issues and working with Indigenous populations. In her new role, Prof. Hanáázbaa’ is looking forward to mentoring capable, ethical, and social-justice minded social work practitioners. She appreciates that today’s students will be tomorrow’s colleagues and is excited for the future of the profession.
Stephanie Bank, assistant professor (lecturer), is enthusiastic about her new role as interim director of the BSW Program. Her clinical areas of focus include trauma, depression, anxiety, grief, and relationship issues. She is also EMDR trained and has a registered therapy dog, Sally, to assist in her work. The skills she developed working as an LCSW for the past two decades and teaching for the past eight years merged harmoniously for this position. One of her goals as interim director is to build a bridge between the pre- and postCOVID world by balancing the flexibility of being remote, while also coming together in person. In this role, Prof. Bank hopes to help build a strong sense of community between staff, faculty, and students.
Dr. Martell Teasley Embraces a New Role at the U of U
Dr. Martell Teasley, the College of Social Work Dean from 2017-2022, accepted a position as associate provost for strategic academic initiatives at the University of Utah. Dr. Teasley enjoyed a wellearned sabbatical from FebruaryDecember 2023, returning in the new administrative role on January 1, 2024. “This move highlights what an effective leader Dr. Teasley is on our campus,” said CSW Dean Philip Osteen. “Without a doubt, we know the University and our College will benefit from Dr. Teasley’s broad experience and unique outlook as a social worker, former nurse, and veteran. He is incredibly well-respected across campus and on the national academic stage.”
In his time as dean, Dr. Teasley implemented steps to improve the quality and rigor of the social work curriculum, expand
program options, advance research output, and recruit and retain more faculty and students from all backgrounds to further enrich the learning environment on campus and care options within the local community. In 2021, University President Taylor Randall tapped Dr. Teasley to be the associate provost and special assistant to the senior vice president for academic affairs; from there, he was promoted to interim senior vice president for academic affairs (2022-2023). Throughout his time at the U, Dr. Teasley simultaneously served two terms as president of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work, and he continues to co-lead the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism.
As associate provost, Dr. Teasley will provide leadership and support across the University to explore innovative ways to better align academic units in the promotion and advancement of academic excellence. In announcing Dr. Teasley’s appointment, University Provost Mitzi M. Montoya said, “As we look at the trajectory of the U toward becoming a top 10 public institution, we recognize our greatest potential for growth will come from our academic units functioning in harmony toward our common goal.” Dr. Teasley will play an essential role in organizing voices across the campus community in examining the future of the University to promote continued academic program development, efficiency, and excellence.
NOTE: This article includes excerpts from the 10/17/23 article by Amy Choate-Nielsen (Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs) published in “At the U.”
Five More Years for Dean Osteen
In February 2024, College of Social Work Dean Philip Osteen was reappointed for a five-year term to run July 1, 2024June 30, 2029. University Provost Mitzi Montoya announced the welcome news to faculty and staff following a formal review of Dean Osteen that included anonymous surveys of faculty, staff, students, external stakeholders, the Council of Academic Deans, and Dr. Montoya’s Academic Leadership Team.
“It is clear from all these sources that Dean Osteen excels in many areas as Dean of the College of Social Work,” wrote Dr. Montoya in her email message. She highlighted the dean’s concrete accomplishments during his 18 months in the role, which included elevating the research portfolio of the College and developing educational programs in the context of Utah’s need for more social workers.
Better Together –Social Work, Education, and Community Partners Focus on Early Childhood Development
SEVERAL TIMES A MONTH SINCE SEPTEMBER 2022, FOUR SPECIALISTS WITH AN ARRAY OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE HAVE GATHERED—MOSTLY AROUND A VIRTUAL TABLE—TO DISCUSS A CRITICAL QUESTION: HOW DO WE BETTER PREPARE TOMORROW’S PROFESSIONALS TO BEST MEET THE NEEDS OF THE CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES THEY’LL SERVE?
Dr. Tiffany Baffour, Dr. Alysse Loomis, Dr. Sondra Stegenga, and Dr. Susan Johnston
With over nine decades of combined experience, they bring an expansive wealth of workforce knowledge to the goal of centering health for children and families in their professional spheres. It’s a difficult task—but one they meet with passion and proficiency as individuals and as a team.
Lead investigator Sondra Stegenga is an assistant professor in the College of Education. Formerly an occupational therapist and educational administrator, Dr. Stegenga now specializes in implementation science and organizational change frameworks as they apply to early childhood systems, and conducts research on issues and interventions related to mental health and early social emotional development. Though Tiffany Baffour’s career began in foster and kinship care services, the associate professor in the College of Social Work now concentrates her efforts on developing, implementing, and evaluating student programs, practices, and services. After years spent as an early childhood trauma clinician, College of Social Work Assistant Professor Alysse Loomis now explores the impact of early childhood trauma and the ways it contributes to educational and health disparities. Susan Johnston, a professor in the College of Education, is a speech language pathologist-turned-professor who researches augmentative and alternative communication and early language intervention.
Each of these scholar-practitioners is committed to work that improves professional practice and community outcomes. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, these professors have created an interdisciplinary program to serve master’s students in social work and special education. The purpose of project IPEP—The Interdisciplinary Preparation of Early Childhood Professionals for Promotion, Prevention, and Intervention of Mental Health—is to promote skills in interdisciplinary collaboration in early childhood systems. Their first cohort of students began classes in August 2023. Additionally, this group has been working with an advisory board of community-based practitioners, providers, and policy makers to fine tune the program’s curriculum. “We wanted a curriculum that was grounded in the needs of the community,” said Dr. Johnston.
“It can be very easy for research to get stuck in the ivory tower,” said Dr. Baffour. “The community partners we’ve talked to are very supportive of the work we’re doing.”
Each student participant registers for combined cross-disciplinary courses, in addition to taking discipline-specific courses in both programs. Each cohort will have shared practicum placements; will participate in an interprofessional lecture series focused on implementation, policy, and anti-racist principles related to early childhood intervention and trauma treatment and prevention; and will attend academic and professional conferences in both social work and special education. In recognition of the time commitment this training and cross-training takes, each student receives a generous stipend.
All this specialized education and additional training will prepare students to meet particular early childhood competencies in uniquely interdisciplinary ways. More than exposure, this program immerses students in multiple educational and professional disciplines—something each of these professors has recognized the importance of for themselves. Dr. Loomis explained, “Professionals in the field work in interdisciplinary ways. We have to. We’re building that into our curriculum so students are able to do that work with more confidence early in their careers.”
“In the past, I’ve had students come to me multiple times, with varying degrees of worry, to say, ‘They don’t think like us,’ when working with students in other fields,” said Dr. Baffour. “In this program, we want to celebrate those differences. As I’ve worked with professionals from other disciplines, I’ve gained a different perspective—they’ve thought of things I don’t think of as a social worker. I hope for a parallel process for our students.”
Dr. Johnston emphasized how critical this method of interprofessional work is for positive client outcomes. “Supporting social and emotional learning requires cross-disciplinary expertise. We need the social worker, the occupational therapist, the teacher, etc. to support all the needs of the child we’re working with. We simply cannot meet the needs of kids alone or in silos. We must work together.”
For all of the grant investigators, this work is grounded in creating the best possible outcomes for future generations. “When cross-disciplinary providers learn their roles and how best to work together, we can support the whole child, optimizing how the work happens,” echoed Dr. Stegenga. “Ultimately, we’re better together.”
Ultimately, we’re better together.”
STUDENT STORIES
Mobilizing a Trauma-Informed Nature Center
MSW Students
Kirstin Peterson, Bree Galvin, and MaryJo Dalton
Reading negative comments about homeless community members in the Nextdoor app last fall proved to be a defining moment for MSW students Bree Galvin, MaryJo Dalton, and Kirstin Peterson. They were looking for a community impact project for Associate Professor Sarah Canham’s social justice seminar, and with those comments, their path was decided. They selected the Jordan River Nature Center, which is adjacent to a homeless resource center, as a community partner for their project. As the Nature Center team sought opportunities for the men staying at the homeless resource center to be in nature, the social work team identified an opportunity to support the development of a trauma-informed training, as well as engagement strategies for the Center’s staff. “With their skills and educational background, the social work team was well-equipped to examine the needs of the community as they initiated their efforts to be trauma-informed when engaging with their neighbors,” explained Dr. Canham. “While the students could have parachuted into this project with their pre-existing knowledge and told the Nature Center staff everything they know about trauma-informed engagement, they took an approach that first started by understanding Nature Center staff’s baseline knowledge. That is, they developed a survey based on existing research and trauma-informed work to understand what staff already knew, what they wanted to know, and what they were concerned with. This assessment of the staff’s knowledge and comfort was an integral piece to supporting the staff training.” Eager to support continued improvement, the social work team also suggested ongoing preand post-training surveys to assess knowledge gained and staff members’ comfort level with trauma-informed engagement moving forward. Dr. Canham added, “This project highlights how much good social workers can do in unexpected environments.”
Doctoral Student Awarded Marriner S. Eccles Graduate Fellowship
In March 2023, PhD student Kyle Rehn was awarded the prestigious Marriner S. Eccles Graduate Fellowship. This fellowship, awarded by the University of Utah Graduate School, supports full-time graduate students pursuing research in a variety of fields that center the relationships among politics, public policy, and the economy.
Mr. Rehn used this fellowship to support his dissertation research on the Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tools (SPDATs) and their impact on returns to homelessness. These tools, he explained, play a crucial role in determining housing assistance for people experiencing homelessness, but have faced criticism for their limited validity and reliability—particularly among BIPOC communities—in identifying those most at-risk and in need of housing vouchers. Mr. Rehn’s primary objective is to address the potential inefficiencies in allocating housing resources through a rigorous analysis of the SPDATs and their impact on returns to homelessness. Additionally, his research will explore the influence of external factors, such as policy changes and economic conditions, on homelessness vulnerability—providing a more comprehensive understanding of the root causes of returns to homelessness. By critiquing the SPDATs and investigating the impacts of external influences, his research aims to offer a more holistic perspective on determining homeless vulnerability and improving the effective allocation of scarce housing resources for those who need it most.
“This fellowship will serve as a significant catalyst, empowering me to pursue this vital research and make a lasting impact in the field of homelessness and promoting social justice,” said Mr. Rehn.
PhD Program Director Jeremiah Jaggers agreed, saying, “Mr. Rehn’s tenacity and determination are reflected in his hard work and commitment to social justice. As a researcher, he has already developed a specialized skill set that he can use to advance our knowledge about homelessness. His work has the potential to make a significant, positive impact.”
Kudos!
NASW Social Work Pioneer Awards
Alumnus Eddie F. Brown (MSW ’72, PhD ‘75) was recognized as a 2023 NASW Social Work Pioneer inductee by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation. “NASW Pioneers are social workers who have explored new territories and built outposts for human services on many frontiers,” writes the organization. Dr. Brown, an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Indian Tribe, served in numerous state, federal, and tribal administrative appointments, including as chief of the Division of Social Services in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and as the first social worker to serve as assistant secretary of Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He also helped develop infrastructure and supported students through leadership roles at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, and the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University. “He paved the way for many first-generation American Indian college students to succeed academically and enter the social work profession,” wrote Hilary Weaver, president of the Indigenous and Tribal Social Work Educators Association, in her nomination of Dr. Brown for the recognition.
Also a 2023 NASW Social Work Pioneer inductee, alumna Shirley E. Cox (DSW ’86) is described as “a visionary leader, researcher, teacher, mentor, and advocate at the local, state, national, and international levels for nearly 60 years” on the NASW Foundation website. Dr. Cox was celebrated as a pioneer for her work in preserving and expanding NASW through difficult times in the 1970s and in advocating for and securing licensure laws across the United States. The organization wrote, “In 1969, within two years after graduating with her MSW from Howard University, Dr. Cox was elected to the NASW National Board as the representative for the Intermountain Region.” In this role, she cast the deciding vote to save NASW from bankruptcy and dissolution, and later “helped NASW slim down financially, by closing its Manhattan headquarters and moving to Washington, D.C.” Dr. Cox was described as a strong advocate for state licensure for social workers during her four years on the board, “lobbying and working with state leaders to formulate, propose, and move bills through the legislative process until all but two states had obtained licensure or certification of some type for social workers.”
Assistant Professor (Clinical) Sumiko Anderson received a 2023 Maya Angelou Award of Innovation from the University of Utah Black Cultural Center for her service throughout the community, including delivering meals to seniors, educating faith communities about suicide prevention and mental health, and developing community relationships in practicum placement sites.
Yvette Romero Coronado, assistant professor (clinical), was selected for the Provost’s 2023 Banner Project for her work in ancestral trauma and healing. The Banner Project highlights University of Utah researchers who are studying and developing solutions to issues that extend beyond campus and into local communities.
Sumiko Anderson
Yvette Romero Coronado
The Lady, The Leader, The Legend
Lou Ann B. Jorgensen
LOU ANN BIRKBECK
JORGENSEN (MAY 14, 1931-JANUARY 21, 2023) LIVED THROUGH TIMES THAT SAW AMAZING CHANGES IN WOMEN’S LIVES ACROSS THIS COUNTRY. HER PERSONAL JOURNEY REFLECTS THE TRANSFORMATIONS MANY WOMEN OF HER GENERATION EXPERIENCED. COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS HONOR HER HERE BY REMEMBERING HER LONG AND RICH LIFE.
The future Dr. Lou Ann B. Jorgensen grew up in Park City, UT, where her father ran the silver mines before building the first ski lifts in the area. She was an outstanding student, regularly lauded in The Park Record for scholastic honors, including as salutatorian of her 1949 high school graduating class. She entered Westminster University (then Westminster College) as a freshman, where she met her future husband, Howard Jorgensen. The two ultimately completed their undergraduate degrees together at the University of Utah—Mr. Jorgensen in Communication and Dr. Jorgensen in Home Economics with a focus on Fashion Merchandising. Additionally, Dr. Jorgensen was one of the first three students at the U to earn a Certificate in Industrial Journalism, a then-new program combining journalism training with another major.
Throughout the 1950s, as she excelled in academics, Dr. Jorgensen was also celebrated on the high-society pages of The Salt Lake Telegram and The Salt Lake Tribune. The articles of old tell the story of an era few recall, as they extoll the “titian-haired beauty” who was Fire Week Queen in 1950, and describe the “bride-elect’s” dress details at a luncheon announcing the upcoming nuptials of the “two popular members of the young social set.”
look for women [from outside Utah], we get them here, [then] we don’t have the money and we can’t provide assistance.” This concern surfaced in her beloved social work program as well, and likely inspired her Lou Ann B. Jorgensen Doctoral Endowed Scholarship criteria prioritizing support for out-ofstate students. Dr. Jorgensen recognized that different perspectives were needed to expand horizons on the campus and in the social work profession. She did all she could to encourage those voices with new and different ideas to come to Utah.
There was also a lot of love in all of this—professional and personal. Dr. Jorgensen was passionate about her career. But she knew Mr. Jorgensen championed her pursuit of two graduate degrees (MSW ‘72; PhD ‘79) as a non-traditional student while they were parenting three young, rascally boys (per the grown sons’ own reports). Women rarely did—or could—take these leaps.
To further consider that Dr. Jorgensen rose to the University’s highest academic levels—earning her 1979 PhD in social work— demonstrates her strength of character, determination, intelligence, adaptability, and the supportive love of her family.
Dr. Jorgensen was always bright and hard-working. She was a leader as Junior League President in 1969, and later as associate dean at the College of Social Work (then the Graduate School of Social Work) in the 1980s. She was an early advocate for more women in campus leadership at the U—a stance that surely rocked the boat of the eight male vice presidents when she commented on that inequality in a 1988 story in The Daily Utah Chronicle. In that same article, she noted, “At the U, we
Throughout and following their illustrious careers, the Jorgensens remained a campus power couple. They were leaders in the Alumni Association, Homecoming Marshalls in 2007, and generous donors to the U—particularly the College of Social Work, the Natural History Museum of Utah, and Athletics. Dr. Jorgensen launched her eponymous CSW doctoral endowed scholarship in 2011; since her passing on January 21, 2023—a year to the day after her husband passed away—her family has generously grown Dr. Jorgensen’s scholarship endowment. Additionally, in keeping with the couple’s decades of partnership in every adventure, the family initiated a scholarship in Mr. Jorgensen’s memory in 2023—the Howard Jorgensen Endowed Scholarship supports undergraduates majoring in strategic communication.
The University will forever appreciate Lou Ann and Howard Jorgensen’s shared legacy of support for the campus during their lives, as well as the student scholarships that will encourage learning in perpetuity.
College of Social Work faculty Dr. Lou Ann Jorgensen and Dr. Au-Deane Cowley
We all learned a lot as we edited and wrote components for the book.“
New on Bookshelves
“Global Research Ethics: Case Studies from International Research Contexts”
(Routledge, 2023)
Edited by Caren J. Frost, Lisa H. Gren, L. Scott Benson, and Margaret Carlson
“The idea for this book came up about five years ago when colleagues and I were discussing how institutions manage research integrity and ethics just a bit differently,” recalled University of Utah Research Professor Caren Frost, who also serves as the institution’s associate vice president for research integrity and compliance. “Since case studies are a good way to stimulate discussion about topics in research activities, we decided to write a book using a case study approach along with analyses of the case studies.”
Each of the book’s 24 case studies is accompanied by analytical commentary from at least two different regulatory and cultural perspectives, which are provided by scholars and practitioners representing more than two dozen countries around the globe.
“We enjoyed the topics that our contributors wrote about, as well as how other contributors analyzed the case studies,” said Dr. Frost. “In some instances, there was a legacy of research ethics for a country; in other instances, there is a beginning discussion about how to manage integrity in research. It is these juxtapositions that made working on the book interesting—we all learned a lot as we edited and wrote components for the book.”
Written for classroom use by undergraduate and graduate students in health and social science disciplines, the book is intended to engage researchers and students in conversations about research ethics and how to best handle issues that arise. “We hope that in using the case studies and reviewing the case analyses, readers can see there may not be one way to handle research ethics activities but a few different methods to do so,” said Dr. Frost.
“Social Work and the Grand Challenges to Eliminate Racism: Concepts, Theory, and Evidence Based Approaches” (Oxford University Press, 2023)
Edited by Martell L. Teasley, Michael S. Spencer, and Melissa Bartholomew
In the first book published on the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism, historical perspectives, evidenceand practice-based research, and case studies guide readers through the modern state of race and racism, and toward a framework anti-racism in social work practice. Using an advocacy perspective, the book “calls upon all social workers to develop a policy agenda for eliminating racism and white supremacy at the institutional and organizational level where structural racism is rampant, evident, and causes the most damage among marginalized groups.”
The book’s extensive list of contributing authors includes many of the framers of the original 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work, as well as innovative scholars and administrators serving on the frontlines of social work education and practice. “I enjoyed working with the over 80 authors, particularly in discussing their specific approaches to drafting a chapter for the book,” said Martell Teasley, the University of Utah’s associate provost for strategic academic initiatives.
The book’s 21 chapters comprise four distinct parts, which intersect with many of the other Grand Challenges for Social Work. Part I examines “History, Racism, and Social Work Education.” Part II explores “Racism and Individual and Family Well-Being.” Part III discusses “Eliminating Racism Through Strengthening the Social Fabric.” And Part IV outlines “Progressive Approaches to Eliminating Institutional, Social Policy, and Economic Racism.”
“My hope,” said Dr. Teasley, “is that this book becomes a tipping point for the profession on the urgency of dealing with longstanding problems based on racism, both inside the profession and within our broader society.”
Buying Bootstraps: How an Innovative Funding and Evaluation Model is Helping Get People Back on Their Feet
Over the last six years, the University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) has been the evaluator for two Salt Lake County programs that used innovative financing to conduct rigorous social service interventions.
Typically, when a social service is approved for government funding, the funding looks something like this: tax revenue > Salt Lake County > community social service providers. With this project, the funding instead originated from privately owned banking institutions. If the programs were shown to be successful, based on scientific evaluation, banks would receive a payment back from the County, plus interest. With this model, private banks and government agencies become partners in addressing social issues—banks providing the funding, with a separate entity overseeing programs to ensure both agencies and evaluators were in compliance with rigorous research guidelines.
Locally, UCJC worked with Salt Lake County to identify performance metrics and create an evaluation plan that would show meaningful changes in crime and homelessness in the county. Two organizations were selected to implement interventions to achieve those metrics.
First, The Road Home developed a rapid rehousing project, designed to help people who were persistently homeless. Usually, when housing programs are able to offer funding to clients, the support comes with some with very strict parameters. Through innovative financing, the program was able to offer flexible support to help clients with the specific barriers they had to maintaining
housing and employment while in the program—whether that was money to pay rent or to buy a pair of work boots needed for the first day on a job.
Melissa Cox, division director of support housing at The Road Home, explained that this grant’s adaptability was invaluable in helping clients. “There is no quick solution to homelessness. Helping people takes time. But being able to help people with their personal, specific barriers went a long way to getting people the resources they needed.”
The second project was through Salt Lake County behavioral health service provider First Step House. The organization has long used a variety of evidence-based methods to help clients overcome substance use disorders (SUDs), but they wanted to better address criminogenic needs for clients who were involved in the criminal justice system and were at high risk of recidivism. Based on previous research, they created an assessment-driven program to identify and target interventions that address all criminogenic factors that contribute to recidivism, not just SUDs.
First Step House Executive Director Shawn McMillen explained, “By expanding treatment to address all risk factors that contribute to recidivism, we’re seeing improvements and treatment gains across the continuum. Further, and importantly, these treatment gains seem to be durable.” He indicated that this program has demonstrated that well-designed, evidence-based services have continued impact over time.
McMillen
Step House), Melissa Cox (The Road Home), and Dr. Kort Prince (UCJC).
Dr. Christian Sarver (UCJC), Shawn
(First
Everything about my life has been patterns. I was an ice skater and figure skating has patterns, auditing has patterns, and social work diagnosis has patterns..”
John Hardy Stewart The IDEA Man Who Makes Dreams Reality
JIDEA
ohn Hardy Stewart loves patterns. Indeed, his passion for patterns connects his wide array of degrees in education, engineering, chiropractic medicine, and—saving the best for last—social work
Mr. Stewart’s journey to social work had a circuitous path. After graduating from East High School in 1967 and the University of Utah’s College of Education in 1971, he took off for California only to learn he needed a fifth year of training to teach in that state.
Facing a tough economy and no family support, the new grad read meters for a while to make ends meet—a tenacity and work ethic he credits to summers he and his brothers spent working on a farm throughout their youth. The lessons learned in dealing with “hardship, weather, water wars, and animals breaking through fences” helped him persevere during his early days and made him a natural problem solver. He ultimately taught 6th grade for four years, but then heard the increasingly loud call of a new field—computer
science. He earned a second degree, was promptly hired by IBM, but found he wasn’t ready to commit to the young computer industry. Instead, he pursued a doctorate in chiropractic medicine—finishing that degree as the computer industry was on the upswing, which harkened his return to school for a master’s in computer science. He quickly landed a job repairing medical equipment and soon was hired as a quality and reliability engineer by Western Digital—a career that established him as a global expert in Q & R standards and ignited his passion for world travel.
Mr. Stewart eventually felt “burnt out” in engineering. He reassessed career options and decided to follow his mother into social work—thereby shifting to work with human systems instead of electronic systems, but keeping a strong connection to patterns. “Everything about my life has been patterns. I was an ice skater and figure skating has patterns, auditing has patterns, and social work diagnosis has patterns.”
All his work also required a curiosity to fix things. Not that Mr. Stewart thought he was changing people, he noted, recalling a joke: “How many mental health workers does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has to want to change.” Joking aside, he appreciated that being a social worker provided an opportunity to help people discover what’s lost or not yet found in themselves. “I used evidence-based practice—CBT, prolonged exposures. Even though these treatments are pre-scripted, they are adaptable—so clients can use them as they need, and they can make the change.”
grateful that Emeritus Professor Larry Smith saw promise in him. Dr. Smith referenced Mr. Stewart’s care of a brother with a coma-inducing shrapnel injury from Vietnam that ultimately cost the Stewart brother his life. “[Dr. Smith] told me, ‘You’ll be a good one,” recalled Mr. Stewart. His first social work job post-graduation was working at the jail, where he learned about psychiatric meds. “Working with people with serious and persistent mental illness was an irreplaceable experience that everyone should have,” he said. In 2010, as Mr. Stewart was getting ready to retire, the VA called and asked him “just to help out for a bit.” He’s still working with vets with PTSD.
Last year, Mr. Stewart decided to fill another gap by providing student support through annual honors and a legacy gift for two endowed scholarships—one to the CSW and a second to Mines and Earth Sciences (now in the College of Science) for studies in green energy. “I don’t have any children, my nieces and nephews are well taken care of, so giving back to my own profession feels rewarding,” he explained. Mr. Stewart opted for annual and legacy gifts so that he could meet some beneficiaries now and have a bigger impact later. In both cases, he’s glad “to help marginalized students follow their dreams.”
[G]iving back to my own profession feels rewarding.”
Mr. Stewart’s own change to social work required that he clear a few hurdles. As a non-traditional student, he worked hard to get accepted and remains
As Mr. Stewart reflects on his own dreams, he says of his nearly-17 years of social work practice in Salt Lake: “I think I’ve given Utah the best I can.” But he’s not done yet! In pondering his final retirement, he remains interested in patterns—his next step could be connecting social work and his Salt Lake County Animal Services volunteer work socializing cats and kittens. “One day I might work with grieving cat parents…” That pattern tracks.
Alumnus and donor John Hardy Stewart with 2023 scholarship recipient Augusto Lopez
Donor Honor Roll
WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE GENEROSITY OF DONORS WHO GAVE JULY 1, 2022 – JUNE 30, 2023.
FOUNDATIONS & CORPORATIONS
$25,000 or more
The Callon Family Trust
George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation
$10,000-$24,999
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation
Joseph and Kathleen Sorenson Legacy Foundation
Mary Alice & Bennett Brown Foundation Inc.
$1,000-$9,999
B.W. Bastian Foundation
TKJ Charities, Inc.
INDIVIDUALS
$25,000 or more
Tanya and Richard Andrew
Colin W. Brown
Drew Browning and Judy W. Brady*
Dan and Gisella Chace
Roger M. and Mary F. Lowe
Christine Pugmire Skidmore and Lee S.* Skidmore
Julia M. and Dennis A. Watkins
$10,000-$24,999
John R. and Cheryl Thackeray
Keith M.* and Susan R. Warshaw
$2,500-$9,999
Stephanie and Timothy Harpst
Norma J. Harris
Elise and Paul* Hutchings
Kathy and Gary Luke
Katherine M. Mason
Joan and John Moellmer
Kenneth and Kelle Okazaki
D’Arcy Dixon Pignanelli and
Frank R. Pignanelli
David and Anna Thackeray
Milton H. and Sandra W. Thackeray
Elizabeth Tsai
John Williams and Robin Arnold Williams*
Janet Spafford Wilson and Del Wilson
$1,000-$2,499
Amanda and Lawrence Barusch
Jane Bebb and Ernest Bebb, Jr.* LeNore and Jon* Bouwhuis
Christopher K. Davis
Jon and Judie Davis
E. Daniel and Margie Edwards
Ruth and Thomas* Gallagher
Lisa E.M. and Deno G. Himonas
Cheryl Kelstrom
David B. and Lisa Goldstein Kieda
Helane B. and David E. Leta
Hank and Gail J. Liese
Margene Luke
C. Kai Medina-Martinez
Kenzo Okazaki
Philip Osteen
Charles Pohl
Donald L. and Sylvia Schmid
Gerald and Sandra Smith
William and Janine* Smith
John Hardy Stewart
Martell L. and Bonita Teasley
John Fleming and Susan L. Thomas
$250-$999
Tammer and Gina Attallah
Michael Bird
Aubrey and James Bullough
Lindy Christensen
Debra S. Daniels
Caren J. Frost
Emmie and Arnold Gardner
Patricia and J. Boyer* Jarvis
Marian Knudson and Kenrick
Bontoft
Walter and Susan Notter
Shannon Price
Judith Rosenthal
Kellie Vander Veur
Don G. and Megan P. Wardell
$100-$249
Meghan and Brandon Andersen
Floyd and Alice Anderson
Gail Baccheschi
Glenn Bailey
Marghi and Gene Barton
Emily and Steven Bleyl
John and Amanda Bogart
Jae Brainard
Howard and Deanne Bruner
Diane Buck
Jason and Danielle Castillo
George Chang
Geraldine and Gordon Daines
Janet and Howard Davidson
Sandra and William Descary
Marylis and Robert Filipovich
Joan Firmage and John Firmage, Jr.*
Lou Jean Flint
Erika Fontana
Douglas and Cynthia Gale
Lindsay Gezinski
Kay Greene and J. Thomas Greene, Jr.*
Christina Gringeri and Armando
Solorzano
Anthony Guzman
Janet Hansen and Lucile Jensen
Garth and Carmen Harrison
Robyn Heckman
Rebecca Huppi
Amanda and Christopher Lawing
Mary and Barry Lehto
Susan and Donald Lewon
William Long
Alysse Loomis
Brad Lundahl
Rebecca and Scott Mabe
Helen Mertz
Meeyoung Min
Cecil Munson
Jennifer Nozawa
Anne Palmer
Spencer and Brooke Pohlman
Richard and Jan Pugh
Tamara Robinette
Shirley C. and Thomas J. Rossa
Jeanne Rothermich
Darlene and Michael Schultz
Craig and Marianne Skousen
W. David Smith and Jerilyn
McIntyre
Nancy Snow
Judith and Gerrit Steenblik
Frank and Carol Stenger
Tomokazu and Tetsuko Suzuki
Paul and Ranee Thorpe
Georgia Dooley Wagniere
Jody Williams
Joanne Yaffe
$1-$99
Alison and John Ackerman
David and Trinidad Arguello
Stephanie Bank
Tamber Snarr-Beesley and Jordan Beesley
Troy and Ame Bennett
Bethany Bingham
Shirley Bridges
David and Loraine Bunker
Sarah Canham
Deborah Carr
Timothy Clark
Victoria Contreras
Kari Cunningham
Turquoise Devereaux
Sharon Drabeck
Talon Dutson
Donald and Loretta Enders
Deborah English
James and Rebecca Fairbanks
Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson and Steve Ferguson
Jennifer Gervais
Ellie Goldberg and Clinton Perschon
Charlene Gonzalez
Stephen Hoffman
Melissa Holder
Allyson Hooper
Freeman Humphrey
Leroy Johnson
Sarah Kastelic
Sterling Knox
Richard Landward and Amber Roderick-Landward
Stayner and Suzanne Landward
Kelly Lear
Joshua Lee
Rhiannon McDaniel
Chad and Brook McDonald
Mary McKell
David McKell
Alexander Morgan
Heather Moulton
Kylr Musich
Traci and Matt Myers
Charlotte Mysse
J. Dena Ned
Sonya Martinez Ortiz and Ernesto Ortiz
Stephanie Dawson Pack and Reginald Pack
Dorothy Palmer and Joseph Palmer*
Douglas and Joan Palmer
Morriss and Donna Partee
Charles and Mari Parsons
Else Peterson
Gary Poulsen
Bruce Reeves
Robert and Lynette Rich
Michael and Shauna Robbins
Ray and Patricia Ross
Emily Salisbury
Cynthia Sanders
Christian Sarver and Stephen Smith
James Schwartz
Jessica and Gardner Seawright
Joanna Bettmann-Schaefer and Peter Schaefer
Craig and Marianne Skousen
Rebecca and Eric Smith
Phyllis Speciale
Amy Stewart
Tony and Kathleen Strelich
Richard Sullivan
Michael and Krissie Summerhays
Patrick Tan and Mary Nelson
Jessica Thompson
Lynette Unger
Charles and Madeleine* Vorwaller
Noah Walker
Diane Weeks
Lynn Whitman
Richard and Cheryl Willey
Erin and Ben Worwood
Thomas and Margie Wright
Juanita Young
*Deceased
Our goal is to express our gratitude to each of our investors with accuracy. Despite our best efforts, however, errors sometimes occur. In that event, please notify our Development Office by calling (801) 587-8387 or email geoff.doiron@utah.edu.
Message to Our Donors
And last, but far from least … our most loyal collaborators
If you’ve read—or even quickly perused—early articles in this magazine, you’ve likely noticed the theme of interdisciplinary work and collaborations threaded through the pages of this edition. I see our donor honor roll as the ultimate collaboration and a true tribute to the value of partnering with others. Listed on these two pages are the people and organizations who have pooled their contributions to invest in the College of Social Work—our outstanding students, growing programs, and first-rate research. In social work, there’s a wonderful emphasis on the “social” of our philanthropists—we accomplish much more together for this College than any of us could on our own. And we should be incredibly proud of our communal efforts, which annually help us graduate 300-plus students, provide over 250,000 hours of community service through practicum placements, and create change everywhere it’s needed in our world. Thank you.
—Lisa Himonas, Assistant Dean for Development
395 South 1500 East, Room 101
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0260
New Podcast on Big IDEAS in Social Work
LAST FALL, THE U’S COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK LAUNCHED ITS NEW PODCAST, BIG IDEAS IN SOCIAL WORK.
Podcast host Dean Philip Osteen explained, “We are using this podcast to engage in big ideas in social work by bringing together local, state, and national voices, representing an array of perspectives to explore the challenges and opportunities of contemporary social work practice, education, and advocacy.”
The podcast’s first guest was Associate Provost (and former CSW Dean) Martell Teasley, co-editor of the new book Social Work and the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism.
Future episodes are slated to include:
• Halaevalu F. O. Vakalahi, president and CEO of the Council on Social Work Education
• Emily Salisbury, director of the Utah Criminal Justice Center
• Allan Cole, dean of the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work
• Jodi Jacobson Frey, associate dean for research at the University of Maryland School of Social Work
Find Big IDEAS in Social Work wherever you get your podcasts, or at socialwork.utah.edu/bigideas.
