CSW General

Growing up as a child in Natchez, Mississippi, Albert (AJ) Bacon was encouraged by church and family to reach out to others. Throughout his childhood, he also enjoyed the reward of teamwork as he played sports. When his brother joined the Marine Corps, and later the Army Reserves, AJ decided to take these interests of serving and collaboration to a higher purpose. To this end, AJ was particularly drawn to the U.S. Air Force as he was inspired by their motto, "Aim High," as well their mission and career opportunities.

Three social work students, Olivia Hitchcock, Sofie Adele Muench and Brandon Rowland are among nine FSU students selected in disciplines across campus to be a part of the 2020 cohort of the Florida Area Health and Education Center (AHEC) Scholars Program.

The Successful Co-Parenting After Divorce Initiative, created by the Institute of Family Violence Studies (IFVS), housed at the FSU College of Social Work, was recognized as one of Florida TaxWatch’s 2020 Productivity Award recipients.

January 2021 the Florida Institute for Child Welfare released the second season of its podcast focused on “Re-Imagining Child Welfare Through Technology and Innovation.” In this latest season of the podcast, listeners can learn about how technology, creativity and collaboration is changing and innovating child welfare practice.

At the end of the Fall 2020 semester, Florida State University inducted 39 students into the prestigious Garnet and Gold Scholars Society. The society recognizes undergraduate students who excel within and beyond the classroom in at least three of five areas: international experience, internship, leadership, research and service.

The Florida State University Institute for Justice Research and Development (IJRD) has launched a new online training series for non-profit administrators and NGO leaders.  How to Build Funding, Evaluation and an Evidence Base for Non-Profits was created by five members of Florida State University faculty and staff to help strengthen and scale non-profits while demystifying research. 

Dr. Amy L. Ai, a professor at the FSU College of Social Work, was inducted in late 2020 into the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW). The academy is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in social work and social welfare through high-impact work that advances social sciences and societal good.

Dr. David Springer will step into the role as interim dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) while UT conducts a national search for a new dean. More than two decades as a professor and academic leader at UT Austin have prepared him for this new leadership role. He is a three-time graduate of Florida State University, including a bachelor’s degree in psychology (1990) and two degrees from the College of Social Work (MSW, 1992; PhD, 1997).

 The Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) and Florida State University’s Institute for Justice Research and Development (IJRD), alongside Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor) and Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson, Jr., today announced a collaborative new training program, “Resiliency Behind the Badge,” aimed at identifying and addressing post-traumatic stress in law enforcement officers across the state. 

The Student Resilience Project (SRP), originally created at Florida State University, has launched a custom version of the project at Northern Arizona University (NAU), located in Flagstaff, Arizona.