Author and children's rights lawyer Andrew Bridge to speak


When he was just seven years old, Andrew Bridge was torn from the arms of his loving but mentally ill mother, Hope. When Hope was institutionalized, Andrew was placed in what would be his devastating reality for the next eleven years—foster care. After surviving one of our country’s most notorious children’s facilities, Andrew was thrust into a savagely loveless foster family who refused to accept him as one of their own. Deprived of the nurturing he needed, Andrew clung to academics and the kindness of teachers.

He went on to earn a scholarship to Wesleyan, graduated from Harvard Law School, and became a Fulbright Scholar. His book "Hope’s Boy" is the brutally honest memoir of Andrew’s experience in the foster care system, his enduring love for his mother, and his determination to rise above his circumstances. Andrew has dedicated his life’s work to helping children living in poverty and in the foster care system.

The UNC School of Social Work Field Education Program and NC Child Welfare Education Collaborative are proud to welcome Andrew Bridge to the School on Monday, February 25. A reception and book signing will start at 11:45 a.m., and a lecture follows in the auditorium from 12:15-1:30 p.m. More info


School raises $21.3 million with Carolina First campaign

UNC-Chapel Hill has wrapped up its eight-year fundraising campaign, raising $2.38 billion in donations. The Carolina First campaign is the fifth-largest completed fundraising drive by a U.S. university.

As part of this campaign, the School of Social Work raised $21.3 million, 152% of its goal. These funds have enabled the School to create three new endowed professorships and 14 new scholarships.

"The Carolina First campaign has truly transformed the School of Social Work," said Mary Beth Hernandez, Associate Dean for Advancement. "Thanks to the support of alumni and friends, we are able to offer more financial support to outstanding students, fund our faculty's cutting edge research, and serve communities statewide, nationally and internationally."

Look for more information to come in the spring issue of Contact magazine.


Spring Alumni Association meeting

All UNC School of Social Work alumni are invited to attend the spring Alumni Association meeting Saturday, February 23 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in the Tate-Turner-Kuralt building. Hear news regarding the school, alumni, students and faculty. All attendees will receive one continuing education unit for a faculty presentation. Lunch is provided, so please RSVP by Monday, February 18 to Kristen Huffman at (919) 843-7285 or Kristen_Huffman@unc.edu.


Call for volunteers: Job preparation workshop for current students

The School of Social Work will sponsor a “Before, During and After the Interview” job preparation workshop for current SSW students on Monday, March 17 from 12:15-1:30 p.m. in Room 300 of the Tate-Turner-Kuralt building. We would like to have a panel of alumni present at the workshop to discuss their interviewing experiences, share tips for the interviewing process, and respond to student questions. If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please contact Sarah Naylor at (919) 962-6444 or smnaylor@email.unc.edu for more information.


Career Day and Job Fair to be held April 7

The School of Social Work hosts its annual Career Day/Job Fair on Monday, April 7 from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. We welcome potential employers to take advantage of this free opportunity to recruit well-qualified MSW and BSW graduates. For information or to register, please contact Beth Sauer at (919) 962-6443 or bhsauer@email.unc.edu.



Continuting Education Workshop scheduled

Immediately following Career Day on Monday, April 7, the School is hosting a continuing education workshop. Registration will start at 1:30 p.m. and the workshop will run from 2:00-4:00 in the Tate-Turner-Kuralt building. Tina Souders, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of our Winston-Salem Distance Education MSW Program, will present "The Ethics of Silence." This workshop is free of charge and all attendees will receive two continuing education units. Space is limited, so please RSVP by Thursday, April 3 to Kristen Huffman at (919) 843-7285 or Kristen_Huffman@unc.edu.


Alumni/Student Networking Reception

All UNC School of Social Work alumni are invited to an alumni-student networking reception immediately following the Career Day workshop on Monday, April 7 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Please join us for this unique opportunity to talk with students who are eager to hear your experiences after finishing your MSW. Please RSVP by Thursday, April 3 to Kristen Huffman at (919) 843-7285 or Kristen_Huffman@unc.edu.


Asheville area alumni invited to dinner with the Dean

All alumni are invited to join the Dean for dinner at La Paz in Asheville on Thursday, March 27 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Please RSVP by March 24 to Kristen Huffman at (919) 843-7285 or e-mail.


Clinical Lecture Series dates

February 18 - How Do We Treat Perpetrators? The Ethics of Working With Sex Offenders. Speaker: Melissa Grady, PhD, MSW, LCSW. March 17 - Using Transference and Counter-transference. Speaker: David Freeman, MD. April 21 - Steps to More Powerful Groups. Speaker: Bohdan Hrynewych, MSW, LCSW, LCAS. All lectures take place on Mondays in the School of Social Work auditorium from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.; two contact hours. Click here for more info and to register.



Call for nominations: The Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award

The UNC School of Social Work is currently accepting nominations for the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award. To qualify, the nominee must be a graduate of the School and meet some of the following criteria:

1. Demonstrate outstanding leadership and make significant contributions to the field of social work.
2. Demonstrate a deep commitment to high ethical social work standards.
3. Develop and/or implement major innovations that have improved the quality of life for members in her/his community.
4. Benefit her/his clients, the professional community and the social work profession through special contributions, advocacy and involvement in professional, civic or community organizations.
5. Be an effective advocate for social work issues.

Please submit your nominations by April 1 to Kristen Huffman via e-mail, or mail to Kristen's attention: UNC School of Social Work, Campus Box #3550, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550. Be sure to include a letter or paragraph about the person you are nominating which explains why your nominee should be considered. If you have any other questions, please call Kristen at (919) 843-7285.


Naylor takes on new role in Student Services

Congratulations to Sarah Naylor, PhD on her promotion to Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. In this newly-created position, Sarah will take a primary consultative and liaison role in the distance education programs, dual degree and certificate/licensure programs, and services for enrolled students. In addition, she will engage in research regarding advising and other aspects of social work education. "Sarah has been an integral part of our school for several years and we are fortunate that she has agreed to take on this new challenge," said Anna Scheyett, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.


Join us for an unforgettable summer trip to China

Join our faculty and students as we head to China May 14-31. For the second year in a row, the School of Social Work will offer SoWo 403, Summer Study in China, an examination of social problems, social policies and the delivery of social services in China. Through lectures, interactions with Chinese students and practitioners and visits to non-governmental, governmental, neighborhood and community grassroots organizations in Shanghai, participants will deepen their understanding of societal responses to issues such as aging, child welfare, homelessness, substance abuse, criminal justice, health and mental health.

Our itinerary will begin with five days in Beijing. Highlights of our tour in Beijing will include Tian’an Men Square, the Forbidden City, Bei Hai Park, the Great Wall and a Chinese acrobatics performance. We will then fly to Shanghai where we will begin our study of the Social Policy and Welfare System of China. Cost is approximately $2,050 (includes tuition, in-country travel, all meals, double occupancy lodging and medical insurance). In addition, we estimate the cost of airfare to and from China to be approximately $1,200. For more information and a complete itinerary and application, contact Dan Hudgins at danhudgins@unc.edu or (919) 962-5163.


Spring break trip to Mississippi planned

The Schools of Nursing, Public Health and Social Work are planning an interdisciplinary trip to Mississippi, a place still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There are faculty and students who are planning to go, but they still have a few openings and can take some "community" partners. The group will build homes, do a needs survey in Pearlington, and do some nutrition work with schools. Participants will leave Sunday March 9, and return early Saturday, March 15. The cost to you is $100, plus what you choose to buy to eat on the way down and back on a bus. For more information, please contact Joanne Caye at (919) 962-3598 or e-mail.


U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recruiting social workers for fellowship program

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announces openings for the 2008–09 academic year of its Interprofessional Fellowship Program in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Oriented Services for veterans with serious mental illness. The Fellowship Program is a state-of-the-art, clinical training program that focuses on the theory and practice of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery. Individualized, mentored clinical and research training is combined with a curriculum that emphasizes a comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation approach to service delivery, education, and implementing change in a mental health care setting. Fellows will work with veterans with serious mental illnesses and receive training on delivering a range of evidence-based practices. The Fellowship Program is offered at seven VA sites. More info


Upcoming recruitment events

February 29: The 29th Annual Minority Health Conference on “The Impact of Poverty, Culture, and Environment on Minority Health” will be held at the The William and Ida Friday Continuing Education Center, Chapel Hill. The School of Social Work will have an information booth on our program at the conference. March 7: Information session at the School of Social Work, 2:00-4:30 p.m. in room 300. March 13-16: We will be at an event in College Park, Md. If you know of students or prospective applicants in that area who may be interested in our school, please have them contact Sharon Holmes Thomas at (919) 962-4367 or sholmes@email.unc.edu to arrange an appointment.




Welcome to Travis Albritton, who joined our faculty as the Director of our Triangle Distance Education MSW Program. Travis is an alumnus of the UNC School of Social Work (MSW '03) and Duke Divinity School (M.Div. '01). He splits his time between the Chapel Hill campus and N.C. Central University in Durham, location of the Triangle Distance Education Program.


Oscar Barbarin, Preyer Distinguished Professor of Strengthening Families, has released research findings showing that preschoolers can benefit from mental health screening. The research suggests that 11 to 15 percent of children under the age of 18 have a diagnosable mental disorder and that up to a third of high-risk children may experience difficulty. Yet, only 21 percent of children nationally who might benefit from mental health screening and evaluations actually receive them. This research shows that programs can improve their effectiveness in serving at-risk children by using a simple and inexpensive mental health screening process to identify and provide early intervention services. More info

Iris Carlton-LaNey was interviewed on the NPR radio program "The State of Things" on January 21. She shared childhood memories, her personal journey to becoming an advocate for social change, and discussed her book "African-Americans Aging in the Rural South." Listen to the program




Congratulations to Joanne Caye who moved into a full time clinical faculty position and is currently teaching three courses. She was previously a faculty liaison with the NC Child Welfare Education Collaborative, and in that position taught a child welfare class and advised students in field.




Jodi Flick was named "UNC Recycler of the Year" by the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling. "Jodi's enthusiasm and concern about the environment lead her to consistently go above and beyond what is normally expected of an individual recycler," said her nominator Mellicent O'Brien Blythe.

Mark Fraser and Shenyang Guo are featured in the January/February 2008 issue of Carolina Alumni Review as an example of Carolina's push to become a more global university. The article details their work on the "Making Choices" program and its expansion into China. "Making Choices" is a behavior-modification program aimed at improving social competence—achievement, interpersonal skills and group collaboration—among 8- to 9-year-olds.

Michal Grinstein-Weiss is profiled in the inaugural issue of "Research in Focus," a newsletter published by The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of University Partnership. The article discusses her extensive research assessing the effectiveness of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), which help low-income participants save for home ownership. Download newsletter (pdf)


Matthew Howard was invited to present the results of his research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Neurosciences Center on March 4 and 5 in Bethesda, Md. His talk will be entitled, "Inhalant Abuse Among Children, Adolescents, and Adults: A North American Perspective."





Amelia Roberts spoke on "Crafting a Research Career" to the Minority Fellows Program at SSWR on January 19. She is thankful for the numerous comments from faculty and doctoral students at UNC-Chapel Hill which helped to make this talk pertinent and relevant to those planning to enter academia.






Cynthia "Syd" Wiford was included in a group that received an award from the Louisiana Office of Addictive Disorders for their service during the week following Hurricane Katrina. Wiford spent nine days in Louisiana helping the Office put together financial requests to FEMA and the federal government to re-establish their public addiction service system which was destroyed by the Katrina/Rita disaster. In November 2007, Wiford's team was invited back to Louisiana for an honorary luncheon and award ceremony, as part of a conference entitled "Honoring Those We Serve and Those Who Serve Them."





Teri Ballough, MSW '06, announces her engagement to Zef Medina. A fall wedding is planned. Teri is a school social worker at Spring Lake Middle School in Cumberland County.

Estella Gladys Bryan Howard, MSW '66, died at the Kitty Askins Hospice Center in Goldsboro on January 16. She was formerly a high school teacher and then a social worker at the Wayne County Department of Social Work. Later she became a student at the UNC School of Social Work. Her field placement at Cherry Hospital led to a position as social worker in the children's unit at Cherry Hospital, a position she held until she retired. Obituary


Laura M. Shaffner, MSW '06, accepted a position as Clinical Supervisor for Dominion Day Services, a day treatment facility in Richmond, Va.


Do you have news to share?

If you have received an award, promotion, taken a new job, gotten married, or added a new member to the family, let us know. We would love to share your news with other alumni and the School of Social Work community. Please e-mail your alumni news to sswalumni@unc.edu.

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