On Friday, April 29th the College of Social Work celebrated the graduation of 196 graduates including 57 BSWs, 137 MSWs and doctoral graduates Jessica Bagneris and Aidan Ferguson. The drop-in event was held in the College of Social Work lobby and classrooms featuring refreshments, commemorative items and photo opportunities for graduates and their guests along with faculty and staff.

Juanita Martinez found her purpose through her battle with depression, which began a journey of healing and self-discovery. More than 50% of people in their lifetime will experience a mental health challenge, according to the Center for Disease Control, and the diagnosis still carries a stigma.

Ohio State University (OSU) has appointed Dr. David A. Jenkins (PhD, 1992) as the dean of the College of Social Work. Jenkins’ appointment is effective July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2027.

The staff of the FSU Florida Institute for Family Violence Studies (IFVS) at the College of Social Work were awarded the 2022 Meyer Elkin Essay Award by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).

In his Social Policy and Programs course, adjunct professor and doctoral candidate Christopher (Chris) Collins worked with undergraduates on advocacy projects in the Tallahassee community.

“Students facilitated community-wide advocacy projects in support of local non-profits,” explained Chris. “They were tasked with identifying a piece of social policy legislation that impacted a marginalized community and to develop an advocacy campaign educating the public on the bills.”

This year, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced the appointment of Sara LaTorre Newhouse (BSW, 2010; MSW, 2011) as the state disaster recovery mental health coordinator.

Youth Guidance, an established non-profit organization founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1924, offers a school-based guidance program to support the mental health and social-emotional needs of students. Today, Youth Guidance (YG) has programs in seven different states helping young people overcome obstacles so they can focus on succeeding in school and life.

The Institute for Justice Research and Development (IJRD) has partnered with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) and Wellbeing and Equity Innovations for a three-year initiative to provide reentry support services to all incarcerated individuals in Nebraska’s criminal justice settings, preparing to return home to the community.

A study published by FSU College of Social Work faculty member Dr. John Mathias and coauthors John Doering-White, Yvonne Smith and Melissa Hardesty in the journal Social Work Research explores how the research method of ethnography can contribute to current social work research.

The Florida State University College of Social Work’s Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families and Children has teamed up with the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Pinellas County to provide social-emotional learning training to local educators.