Social Work

Teaching and Learning

  • The Indiana University School of Social Work was awarded a $75,000 Practicum Partnership Program grant from the New York Academy of Medicine through a program sponsored by the John Hartford Foundation. The funds will serve as an incentive to attract graduate students to the field of geriatrics and gerontology.
  • Blogs and YouTube are among the technology tools BSW students use in their courses.  In particular, students in practicum courses use these tools to reflect on their field experiences.
  • Two faculty members in the school, Dr. Kathy Lay and Dr. Sabrina Williamson, were inducted into FACET, Indiana University’s Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching.  FACET was established as an IU Presidential Initiative in 1989 to promote and sustain teaching excellence.
  • The Labor Studies Program became part of the School of Social Work and the merger is already paying dividends. For example, Dr. Lynn Duggan in the Labor Studies Program is offering an economics course, Labor and Economy, which is being taken by BSW students.
  • Seven new full-time Ph.D. students, including two new international students, were accepted into the program in Fall 2007, bringing the program to a total of 40 pre-doctoral and Ph.D. students
  • Over $15,000 in grant support was secured to support ten full-time doctoral students.
  • A record amount of IUPUI Research Investment Fund dollars ($84,000) was secured for assistantship support.
  • A new doctoral course focusing on international social development was approved.

Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity

  • The school hosted its 12th annual Spring Ph.D. Research Symposium. Dr. Michael J. Austin from the University of California, Berkeley was the keynote speaker.
  • Dr. Gail Folaron is assisting the Indiana Department of Child Services with a four-year federal grant from National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System. The study will examine the engagement of non-resident fathers with their children who are involved in the child welfare system.
  • Dr. Lorraine Blackman gave the first TRIP Lecture on the IUPUI campus. The purpose of the lecture and luncheon series is to bring people together to discuss research that could help people resolve problems they face in their daily lives.
  • The juvenile justice system’s traditional method of dealing with juvenile delinquents is beginning to undergo a transformation, a study by Professor William Barton has found. Dr. Barton’s discoveries will be published by Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
  • Dr. Irene Queiro-Tajalli is writing a chapter for an upcoming book showcasing prominent women social workers around the world. She flew to Argentina to interview Dr. Alicia Kirchner, Argentina’s Minister of Social Development, for the book, Women in Social Work who are Changing the World.
  • Dr. Patrick Sullivan, a motor-sports enthusiast, details the life of African-American racing pioneer Joie Ray in his new book, Brick by Brick, The Story of Auto Racing Pioneer Joie Ray.

Civic Engagement

  • For the second time in five years, Dean Michael Patchner has been selected to serve as chair of a state commission created to aid Indiana’s children. Since January, the dean has overseen the work of the Indiana Commission on Disproportionality in Youth Services. The commission is investigating why a disproportionate number of children of color are in child welfare, education, mental health, and juvenile justice services. The commission is to submit a report to the Governor and the Indiana General Assembly in October recommending how to improve the state’s treatment of children. 
  • The School of Social work continues to partner with social service agencies in a collaborative effort to produce the next generation of social workers. While it is part of their learning process, BSW and MSW students spend thousands of hours each year working at social service agencies. During the last academic year, BSW students completed approximately 29,000 hours, while MSW students completed about 192,000 hours as part of their practicums.
  • Dr. Lisa McGuire is an example of the commitment School of Social Work faculty members make to the Indianapolis community. Dr. McGuire has served for a number of years on the board of directors of Christamore House, an agency founded in 1905 by two Butler college students to promote the general welfare of residents in the Haughville neighborhood, a west side community near downtown Indianapolis and the IUPUI campus. After serving two terms as president of the board, McGuire was presented with the agency’s Director Award in recognition of her service.

Diversity

  • Dr. Irene Queiro-Tajalli participated as an executive team member in Internationalizing the Professional Undergraduate Curriculum as part of a collaborative project among IUPUI’s School of Education, School of Engineering and Technology, and Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
  • Dr. Khadija Khaja and Dr. Irene Queiro-Tajalli presented “Generational Diversity in Higher Education: Are We ready for the Millennials?” at the March meeting of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors.
  • Social Work faculty research involves diverse populations. For example, “Female Circumcision: Human Rights and the Marginalization of Diverse Cultural Traditions,” was presented at the Canadian Social Work National Conference in May.  Dr. Khadija Khaja, along with other faculty members, is preparing a study on the lives of Muslims, pre- and post- Sept. 11.
  • The School of Social Work partners internationally with other schools of social work, community agencies, and organizations to offer placements in such countries as South Africa, Romania, and the Dominican Republic.
  • A trip led by William Mello, Assistant Professor of Labor Studies, offers students a chance to visit Brazil and see first-hand how labor unions and other organizations there address social problems.
  • The Bachelor of Social Work Student Association, along with the Indiana University School of Social Work, and the Latino Student Association held a tribute to farm worker activist Cesar Chavez and to the issue of international civil rights.  The tributes and discussion began at the Indiana State Museum where 300 students were expected for “Cesar Chavez Day,” to learn more about Chavez and how they too could become agents of change in their communities. This event was followed by a dinner on the IUPUI campus honoring Chavez.
  • The School of Social Work participated in the IUPUI International Festival held in April.

Best Practices

  • The Child Welfare Education and Training Partnership (Title IV-E Program) continues to grow. The Partnership supports BSW students and Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) employees enrolled in the MSW Program who seek careers in child welfare. It also conducts training for DCS employees. The Partnership employs 27 people.
  • Dr. Gail Folaron is in the second year of a two-year study to evaluate a new Child Welfare Practice model being utilized by the Indiana Department of Child Services to better serve children. Dr. Folaron won a highly competitive $400,000 federal research grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to carry out the study.
  • The BSW program offers nearly all of its classroom courses online.
  • The School of Social Work was one of the schools mentioned when the New York Times set out to do a story on online learning experiences. The story notes that Professor Robert Vernon holds seminars with his students in a virtual world called Second Life. The story also appeared in the International Herald Tribune, the international edition of the Times.

External Awards and Appointments

  • In the latest rankings of MSW programs in U.S. News & World Report (March 2008) the Indiana University School of Social work tied for 26th place nationally, rising from 33rd in the previous ranking and 67th before that. Over 180 MSW programs are evaluated in the magazine’s latest rankings.
  • Dr. Carmen Luca Sugawara was awarded the Frank Turner Prize by the publishers of International Social Work for an article on “Civil Society’s Role in Promoting Local Development in Countries in Transition: A Comparative Study of the Philippines and Romania.” Jocelyn Hermoso was co-author of the article.
  •  Dr. Khadija Khaja was named the 2008 Outstanding Woman Faculty “Newcomer” Leadership Award by the IUPUI Office for Women.
  • Dr. Katharine V. Byers, the program director of the BSW program in Bloomington, was elected to the board of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors. The national association is dedicated to the promotion of excellence in baccalaureate social work education.
  • When the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), a national nonprofit organization representing graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education, needed to fill positions on its various boards and committees, it turned to faculty of the School of Social Work. This past year alone, Dr. Cathy Pike was elected to the CSWE’s National Nominating Committee; Dr. Khadija Khaja was appointed to the CSWE’s Council on External Relations; Dr. Carmen Luca Sugawara was appointed to the CSWE’s Commission on Global Social Work Education; and Dr. Frank Caucci was appointed to the group’s Council on Sexual Education and Gender Expression. Dean Patchner serves on the CSWE Council on Leadership Development.
  • The work of Dr. William Barton in assisting the Marion County Juvenile Justice System to improve its operations won him an unusual distinction. Marion Juvenile Court Judge Marilyn Moores gave him the honorary title of “Champion for Children.”
  • Day in, day out, Rachel Sipes, the IU School of Social Work’s MSW Recorder and Student Services Assistant answers the never-ending calls and inquiries from students with an attitude of “how can I help?” Her devotion to her job made her a Gerald L. Bepko Staff Council Spirit Award winner.