In March of 2024, research faculty Dr. Gashaye Tefera, Dr. John Mathias and the Stoops Center for Communities, Families, and Children at the College of Social Work were awarded a Florida Institute for Child Welfare grant, funding a project titled: “Vulnerability and Resilience During a Natural Disaster: Exploring the Experiences of Foster Children in Florida.”
Undergraduate student Jackzyri Torres knew on her first campus visit to Florida State University that it had for her a “homelike vibe” and could envision herself as a student there. “It’s safe to say that the community and hospitality is what drew me to FSU,” she conveyed.
Originally from Miami, Florida, she was thrilled to come to Florida State as a first-generation college student. She declared a double major in psychology and social work with a minor in Italian to combine two of her passions, helping others and travel.
The Florida Institute for Child Welfare recently hosted an experiential Faculty Demo Day, inviting FSU faculty, many from the College of Social Work, to engage with state-of-the-art educational technologies.
Trauma-informed care for youth in foster care has long fallen short of the urgent need despite overwhelming evidence of the long-term consequences of untreated trauma. A multisite randomized control trial led by Dr. Tanya Renn (FSU College of Social Work) and Dr.
Residential care settings have long been a critical component of child welfare and mental health services, and, broadly defined, encompasses group homes, residential treatment centers, statewide inpatient facilities, and emergency shelters. These settings provide 24-hour care and treatment for children with complex needs.
Children in residential care often present with high acuity or specialized needs, requiring a greater level of services due to severe behavioral, emotional, or mental health problems, developmental disabilities, and chronic medical conditions.
Dr. Yarneccia D. Dyson has been selected as the next dean of the University of Houston’s (UH) Graduate School of Social Work, where she will also hold the honor of the Maconda Brown O’Connor Endowed Dean’s Chair. She will step into the role on June 1, 2025.
In light of the recent tragedy at the FSU Student Union, the College of Social Work relocated its Spring 2025 Graduation Event to Opperman Music Hall in the College of Music’s Kuersteiner Building. The event welcomed spring 2025 graduates and their guests, celebrating 51 BSW, 141 MSW and two doctoral graduates.
Rebound & Recovery, an initiative of the Stoops Center for Communities, Families, and Children (Stoops CFC Center) at FSU College of Social Work, proudly participated in Children’s Week Florida™ 2025 to promote early childhood mental health and well-being.
Young alumni Tierra Lamore (BSW '24) testified before the House Career and Workforce Subcommittee earlier in the 2025 Florida Legislative Session in support of HB879, which would ensure that young adults who experience homelessness or who had experienced foster care be given priority for housing on college campuses.
Meet some of our current on-campus Master of Social Work students who balance the demands of their graduate coursework with work experiences on campus provided through graduate assistantships.
Their campus experiences allow them to have hands-on service roles with a broad range of entities and support teams across campus.
