E-Contact Newsletter: January 2009
December graduation held
On Sat., Dec. 13 the School of Social Work held its second annual December graduation in the Tate-Turner-Kuralt building auditorium. Of the 21 graduates, 10 were from our Winston-Salem distance education advanced standing program and five were MSW/MPH (public health) dual degree students. Faculty member Mat Despard gave the commencement address.
Congraulations to the class of 2008: Sarah Larson Baker, Sally Elizabeth Bennett, Teresa C. Bryant, Virginia Elizabeth Covington, Julia Kinley Dail, Liesl B. Einerson, Ronnie Donnell Glover, Bonnie Marie Jones, Troy Abbott Lantz, Courtney A. Merchant, Elizabeth Marie Miller, Emily Rose Pelino, Alice Sneed Poteat, Carey Lyn Serafin, Veronica Sunderland-Perez, Kimberly A. Talbot, Jennifer L. Thompson, Matthew L. Tuttle, Jane Catherine Wells, Carolyn McCarter Wood, and Lisa Annette Woolrich.
Film to be screened at the School on Feb. 3
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Greensboro uprising at Dudley High School and North Carolina A&T, a student-led revolt that helped shape the state’s civil rights movement and further advance the pursuit of equality for African Americans across the country. This historic event is unflinchingly told in “Walls That Bleed,” an independently-produced documentary that will be screened at the UNC School of Social Work on Feb. 3.
The film, produced and directed by Michael Anthony, a 2004 A&T graduate, premiered in October in Greensboro, and is being brought to the School of Social Work as part of campus-wide events in February celebrating and honoring diversity. A discussion of the film, race relations and social justice issues will follow the documentary presentation.
“Walls That Bleed” details three days in May 1969 when a student body walk-out at Dudley led to a confrontation with Greensboro police and then escalated into a clash between A&T students and some 650 National Guard soldiers, many of them armed. Willie Grimes, a 20-year-old college sophomore, died in the unrest after getting caught in the crossfire between students and police. His death remains unsolved.
A reception for “Walls That Bleed,” will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 in the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building at 325 Pittsboro Street, with the film showing at 6 p.m. and panel discussion immediately following. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to Cookie Newsom at newsom@email.unc.edu.
This event is sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, the Diversity Education Team, the School of Social Work, the Black Faculty Staff Caucus, and the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. More info
School plans summer study trip to China
This year's School of Social Work Summer Study Abroad in China is scheduled for May 28–June 18.
The program provides a chance to examine social problems, policies, and programs in China; visit community organizations, service providers, governmental and non-governmental organizations; and learn about Chinese history and culture through field trips to Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Xian.
This course is open to graduate, upper division undergraduates, practitioners, educators, and administrators in social work or related fields. Participants' family members may also apply. Additional details are linked on this page.
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Web site launches
Nancy Dickinson, executive director of the Jordan Institute for Families, announces the launch of the Web site for the newly funded National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. The site was designed by Rea Gibson and programmed by Cheryl Elia, Jordan Institute staff members.
The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute aims to cultivate leadership at multiple levels within child welfare agencies across the country to implement sustainable systems change, institutionalize effective workforce practices, and improve outcomes for children and families. Eight universities and the National Indian Welfare Association are collaborating in this effort. Dickinson is the project director.
Clinical Lecture Series
Jan. 26 - Depression and suicide in children and adolescents. Speaker: Jodi Flick, MSW, LCSW. Feb. 23 - From the clinic to the real world: Empowering clients beyond the therapeutic session. Speaker: Zach Rosenthal, PhD. Mar. 23 - Ethics in practice: Terminating therapeutic work with clients. Speaker: Tina Souders, MSW, LCSW, JD. Apr. 20 - Engagement Interviewing: Increasing engagement and retention of clients in mental health services. Speaker: Betsy Bledsoe, PhD, MSW, LCSW Details & register
School to host reception in New Orleans
You are invited to attend the UNC School of Social Work reception on Jan. 16 from 7:45-9:00 p.m. in the Galerie 1 Reception Hall at the New Orleans Marriott. This coincides with the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference. Contact Kristen Huffman for additional info.
Save the date
Winston-Salem luncheon with the Dean
Wed., Feb. 11, 12:00-1:30
Big Shotz Tavern, 109 South Stratford Rd., Winston-Salem
Registration information will be in the mail soon. For more information, contact Kristen Huffman.
Ethics workshop in conjunction with Career Day
Mon., Apr. 6
Workshop will be in the afternoon, but time has not been set. Event is in the planning stages and more information will be available soon.
Last call for alumni mentors
Students will be matched with alumni mentors no later than Feb. 1. If you are interested in being a mentor to a current student, please send Kristen Huffman your areas of interest and contact information. If you have already submitted your information there is no need to resend.
Know someone who is interested in our MSW program?
Application deadline: All materials must be received by Jan. 16.
Information sessions: Each month the School holds information sessions to give potential applicants a chance to meet some of the faculty, staff and students and to ask questions about the program. The curriculum, field placements, financial aid, and admissions requirements are among the topics discussed. The next session will be held on Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. Our dean, Jack Richman, will be the faculty presenter. Please contact Jane Gump to register.
Michal Grinstein-Weiss was a featured speaker at a Washington, D.C. discussion on "Responsible Homeownership" that was televised nationwide on C-SPAN.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairman Sheila Bair talked about how to make responsible home ownership work in the future. She argued for a systematic and streamlined approach to loan modifications that would help reduce loan defaults and foreclosure.
Then Grinstein-Weiss, and two other representatives of the Center for Community Capital at The University of North Carolina, presented research on methods for making responsible home ownership work among lower-income families by linking borrowers with safe and appropriate mortgage products. The presenters were joined in a panel discussion, and the panelists responded to questions from members of the audience. Video (Flash format)
Anna Scheyett was given the Village Pride Award by radio station WCHL for her UNC study on psychiatric advance directives. Listen (mp3 audio file)
Kim Strom-Gottfried, Smith P. Theimann Distinguished Professor for Ethics and Professional Practice, was quoted in a recent Fox News story about a student who is suing the Rhode Island College School of Social Work. The student claims he was discriminated against because of his conservative views.
Ivy Dey-Johnson, MSW '06, accepted a new position as post-adoption clinical social worker with Children's Home Society of North Carolina. She is based in the agency's new Winston-Salem office and provides post-adoption services to families in Davie, Surry, Yadkin and Stokes counties. She also joined the board of I Am Now, Inc., a transitional living home for teens located in High Point. These teens have aged out of the foster care system and/or are homeless and have nowhere else to turn for support.
Tracy Hamilton, MSW '03, and her husband Demario welcomed their son Donovan Josiah Hamilton on Dec. 28. Donovan weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 22" long.
Thomas B. Horne, MSW '63, died Dec. 17 at Rex Hospital in Raleigh after a critical illness. He is survived by two children and one grandson. He retired from the N. C. Div. of Facilities Services about 16 years ago.
Katie Rossini, MSW '02, presented a workshop entitled "Implementing Equitable Practices in the Classroom" at the National Staff Development Council's 40th Annual Conference. She also finished her masters of science in education with a concentration in school administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University.
Debbie Willis, MSW '95, died on Dec. 31. She is survived by her husband, Daniel B. Willis, Jr.; her daughter, Dana W. Whitehead and son-in-law, Elbert; her son, Daniel B. Willis, III (Brantley) and daughter-in-law, Lori. Willis was in private practice in Garner. Services were held Jan. 2. Obit
Alumni links
Editor's note: For the spring issue of Contact magazine, we're working on a special feature about military and veterans social work. If you have an involvement in this topic, please contact
Editor: Michelle Rogers, Director of Communications
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