Alumni & Friends

The FSU College of Social Work (CSW) celebrated its 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award and Student Scholarship recipients through a virtual event on Thursday, November 5, 2020. The event was hosted by Dean Jim Clark and faculty members who serve on the college’s Student Affairs Committee.

The event honored 90 outstanding student scholars. Scholarship awards totaling more than $97,000 were given in support of CSW students, including those studying international programs, child welfare, social policy, and veterans.

The five CSW Alumni Award recipients included:

Shevaun Harris (MSW, 2004; BA, 2002) was appointed in October 2020 by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as acting secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). The agency oversees the state’s $25 billion Medicaid program. She replaces Mary Mayhew, who left the agency to become CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, a group representing more than 200 hospitals in the state.

Robyn Metcalf, the statewide director of Voices for Florida’s Open Doors Outreach Network, has been selected as a 2020 Notable Nole by the FSU Alumni Association.

FSU College of Social Work Alumnus Dr. Daniel Dunleavy graduated this summer with his social work doctoral degree. His dissertation, titled “Appraising contemporary social work research: Meta research on statistical reporting, statistical power, and evidential value,” (Major professor: Dr. Jeffrey Lacasse) reflects his research interests in research methods and statistical inference. Dr.

In the wake of the pandemic, many college students have been left discouraged at the loss of in-person opportunities to gain real-world work experience. My experience this summer in a field-placement with Voices for Florida (Voices) demonstrated that not only are virtual field placements available, they can be an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth. In fact, virtual field placements may open you to even more opportunities, as I was recently hired by Voices as an education and training consultant!

For years after his father’s death in 1999, Ahmad Aliyy (formerly known as Skip Young) contemplated a way to honor his father, Edward Young’s legacy as a father and mentor, and his influence on Aliyy. “I once asked my father what goals he had in life, and he replied, raising a family,” Aliyy recalls.  

Online MSW Student Matthew (Matt) Walsh sees many similarities between social work and law enforcement. As a person in law enforcement, Matt serves in multiple roles where social work skills as a helping professional come into play.

In a time when many people are finding themselves isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one organization is finding space both in-person and online to offer heart-centered listening. The organization Sidewalk Talk was established in 2014 by two San Francisco-based therapists who were heartbroken by the growing loneliness, violence and inequality they observed in their community.

Florida State University celebrated its Summer 2020 graduates with a virtual celebration on July 31st at 7:30 pm. The College of Social Work along with the other colleges across campus provided virtual celebrations for their graduates.