Hello to our Social Work Community,

As this newsletter indicates, the School of Social Work is closing out the calendar year with incredible strength! Just look at the students attending and graduating! They are motivated and passionate about social justice! Perhaps because they have such great faculty and staff supporting them. It is so nice to see our students, staff, and faculty receiving recognition for their hard work with various awards. The newsletter brings many very joyful stories of those acknowledgments.

The newsletter also speaks of the plethora of training programs that faculty and staff have brought to us and are currently, or will be, active within the SSW. These training programs not only provide students with specialized skills – they often also provide them with a substantial stipend for their studies. My sincere thanks to all who have been working so hard to get these programs up and running.

In 2023 we also saw the start of Michigan’s only completely asynchronous remote MSW program! We experienced robust applications for this new MSW program, but also for our existing BSW program. To enhance retention and ensure our students remain engaged in the remote learning experience, we added success coaches, Amelia and Tom, to our student support team. They have really been a fantastic addition to our SSW family!

The SSW has struggled this fall with many staff transitions as the post-COVID workforce continues to evolve everywhere. As we rejoice in our colleagues’ new adventures and opportunities, it is also sad to lose them. We wish them well and welcome those who have joined us. Perhaps most significantly for my office, I’d like to introduce Candice Vogtle as my new executive assistant and Jennifer Presley as our new director of major gifts. Both began in late November and have been off to a great start! Hilary Blevins became the assistant to our Associate/Assistant Deans and began a bit earlier in November. We are ready to hit the New Year with our running shoes on!

As 2023 draws to a close, and many of us are pained by personal and political tragedies, in our own community and around the world. I would like to extend my hopes for peace to you, your families, and your communities. As social workers we strive to ensure that basic human needs are met for all – but this desire for basic human dignity extends past the jobs that pay our bills. It is the essence of who we are as humans.

Wishing you a safe and peaceful new year,

Sheryl Kubiak, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Dean, School of Social Work