Alumni & Friends

On the last day of the summer 2019 semester, the FSU College of Social Work hosted its summer graduation reception, honoring the of 23 BSW students, 93 MSW students, and one doctoral graduate (Erin King) graduation this semester.

Undergraduate social work student Faith Dekanter addressed attendees as the highlighted student speaker and graduate. From Jacksonville, Florida, Faith completed her degree in social work in three years along with a minor in child development.

Barbara Williams White (1943-2019) passed away on July 19, 2019. She was born February 26, 1943, in Macon, Georgia and was raised in Jacksonville, Florida. White completed her undergraduate studies at Florida A&M University in music education (BS, ’64). She went on to complete bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in social work at Florida State University (BSW, ’74; MSW, ’75; Ph.D., ’86).

Florida State University has launched a new online curriculum for Professional Certification in Trauma and Resilience.

As a macro-minded undergraduate social work student, Cassidy Lewis was on a lookout for opportunities to hone her skills at Florida State in 2018. With the guidance of BSW Program Director Pam MacDill, Cassidy connected with Ken Baldauf at the FSU Innovation Hub and learned about the opportunity with Design for America.

Relay races on Landis Green and jam sessions in the William Johnston Building are just a couple of the experiences dozens of middle school students from Tallahassee and the surrounding area participated in during a weeklong camp at Florida State University.

For the eighth year in a row, the FSU College of Social Work hosted its annual Arts and Athletics Summer Camp for two weeks in June.

Dr. Terriyln Rivers-Cannon was named the 2019 National School Social Worker of the Year by the School Social Workers Association of America (SSWAA) for her contributions to the profession of school social work. She is not only the first school social worker from Georgia, but is the first African American and African-American woman to receive this national recognition.

At the end of the spring 2019 semester, the prestigious Garnet and Gold Scholars Society inducted one of its largest groups of new scholars. Since 2010, Garnet and Gold Scholars has encouraged student involvement and recognized undergraduate students who excel in the classroom and beyond in three of five areas: international experience, internship, leadership, research, and service.

FSU recently launched an enhanced mentoring platform to host our University-wide mentoring program, the ProfessioNole Mentors Program. ProfessioNole Mentors offers students the chance to reach out to professionals throughout the community, country, and world and learn more about their field’s industry demands, career expectations, job outlook, and employment opportunities.

The annual FSU Leadership Awards Night event on April 9, 2019 honored individuals and group students across campus who engage in leadership learning.

Among these recipients were undergraduate social work student Kathryn Casello, who received the President’s Undergraduate Humanitarian of the Year Award, given to a student with a tremendous commitment to leadership and service. Read more about her Humanitarian Award here.

On the morning of May 3, 2019, the FSU College of Social Work celebrated its Spring Class of 2019 graduates at the annual spring graduation reception in the Oglesby Union Ballrooms. The event welcomed 49 BSW and 58 MSW graduates and their guests for a special ceremony, which included Keynote Speaker Jeff Binkley and Student Speaker Kathryn Casello. Dean Jim Clark presided over the affair, calling forth program directors to announce winners of the College’s annual awards including: