Faculty Highlight: Carol Edwards, Committed to Students and Social Justice

Helping others was instilled in College of Social Work faculty member Carol Campbell Edwards from an early age. Her mother was a career social worker and her father was a well-respective teacher. Building on this family legacy of service, Edwards earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree (1984) and Master of Social Work degree (1985) from Florida State University while sharing her energy and school spirit as an FSU cheerleader.

For almost two decades, Edwards channeled her energy into helping countless families in Florida in the field of child welfare, foster care and adoption. She served for more than a decade as the Director of Professional Development and Training and Community Development Director for Big Bend Community Based Care. Edwards has also been a licensed clinical social worker for more than thirty years and a consultant in clinical social work, school social work and youth development. She gained a reputation for her abilities as a trainer that led her back to FSU.

Edwards began teaching at the FSU College of Social Work as an adjunct instructor in 2005. “After that first day, I was hooked,” she recalled. “The students were very motivated and had a burning desire to learn.” She joined the faculty in 2016 as a teaching professor and coordinator of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend program, which facilitates student interest in child welfare after graduation. In 2018, she was appointed BSW Program Director and Director of Professional Development, taking over for her friend and colleague Pamela Graham MacDill.

In 2018, Edwards also became president-elect for the National Association for Social Workers Florida Chapter and served as president and continued to lead as a past president. In spring 2020, she and fellow social work faculty member and graduate Katrina Boone led a webinar series for social work students and practitioners isolated and disconnected due to the pandemic. The webinars gave aspiring and professional social workers in Florida the ability to connect on social work topics and with colleagues from around the globe.

Throughout her time at FSU, Edwards’ school spirit and passion for students and social justice have led her to tirelessly create and innovate ways to make a campus community at FSU better connect with students and help them harness their passion in social work. Her endless enthusiasm for making connections transfers into her teaching, including courses such as Diversity and Social Justice and her role as faculty advisor for FSU’s Power of We, an organization building shared spaces and bridging civic divides on campus.

“Our students impress and inspire me by their ability to think critically, engage compassionately, and advocate unselfishly,” she reflected. “They give me hope that the divisiveness we are experiencing as a society will change. Each student brings with them the total of all their experiences and we want them to feel deeply valued and respected in our program.”

Edwards is repeatedly recognized by her students and colleagues, the university, and the social work profession for her commitment, warmth, and dedication, receiving numerous teaching and service awards. She is on the FSU Undergraduate Policy Committee and was recently appointed to the FSU Foundation Board Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force.

With her talent for building relationships, forging connections and engaging the community, Edwards instills a sense of appreciation and perpetual momentum towards bridges between various communities, including the university, social work professional organizations, community organizations and the diverse communities at large in the Big Bend region of Florida.

Edwards is perpetually learning and striving for growth even in her spare time. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy studies through the FSU College of Education. This year, she was selected to be a part of the 39th class of the Leadership Tallahassee program, a group of committed local leaders to community service. She also volunteers at Pineview and Hartsfield Elementary Schools supports local foster families, is a youth mentor and is a proud Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. member.