Leaders recognized for their mentoring role for women in social work research
Dr. Leah Cheatham, a recent alumna of the FSU College of Social Work doctoral program wrote about her mentor and major professor Dr. Karen Randolph that, “through the six years I have worked closely with Dr. Karen Randolph, I have witnessed her continual commitment to promotion and elevation of women’s scholarship and teaching in social work academia.” Dr. Randolph and mentors from other schools of social work around the country were recognized and honored for such contributions at the 2016 Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting.
The CSWE’s Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education Mentor Recognition Program honors mentors and other women who have contributed to make a difference and support the activities of the Women’s Council. This year’s mentors were recognized during the Networking Breakfast program at CSWE’s annual meeting on Saturday, November 5, 2017. This event brings together a diverse group of women and men to network and to honor feminist research.
“She has received a number of honors throughout her career,” FSU College of Social Work Dean Jim Clark said in praise of Dr. Randolph. “This latest recognition by CSWE’s Women’s Council and her nomination by Dr. Cheatham, one of our very best and brightest doctoral program graduates speaks to her effectiveness as a mentor and teacher. Dr. Randolph is a true leader in social work education and I am proud to serve with her on the FSU College of Social Work team.”
Dr. Randolph’s commitment to child welfare research has been recognized at Florida State as well as on the national level. In 2009, she was named the FSU College of Social Work’s Agnes Flaherty Stoops Professor in Child Welfare. And the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) named her as one of their 2016 class of fellows. This honor recognizes members who champion research that addresses issues in social work practice and policy and who promote a diverse, equitable society. Dr. Cheatham remarked that she looked forward to continuing in Dr. Randolph’s footsteps by amplifying women’s voices in academia through mentorship and collaboration.
During the special Networking Breakfast, former dean of the FSU College of Social Work Dr. L. Diane Bernard was also honored and recognized for her contributions. Dr. Bernard died in April 2016; she was well known for her deep commitment to gender expressions and equality. She was also a founding editor of AFFLIA: Journal of Women and Social Work, Women in Social Work Journal and served on the Women’s Commission for CSWE.
Dr. Bernard served as the dean of the FSU College of Social Work (then known as the School of Social Work) from 1973 until 1978. She played many other important leadership roles in the field of social work including: president and CEO of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), director of accreditation for CSWE, charter member of the National Association of Social Work, and director of the doctoral program at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work, and director of the doctoral program and Belle Spafford Chair of the University of Utah.
In the Network Breakfast program, Dr. Marci Lazzari, professor emerita at University of Washington observed that: “Diane Bernard throughout her life contributed greatly to feminist thought, scholarship, and practice. Her commitment to supporting each person to be his/her ‘authentic self,’ was a powerful and nurturing force for so many women, in practice, in social work education. She was both fierce and kind.”