A substantial gift from a family foundation formed by two Florida State University alumni is helping the FSU College of Social Work establish a new center dedicated to generating knowledge that leads to effective policies, services and research for the benefit of communities, families and children.
Margarette Swift might be young, but her advice comes from a place of wisdom when she says, “Never let circumstances determine who you are.” When Margarette was only eight years old, her mother died. Following this traumatic loss, she endured many years of instability in her home life.
John Alderson was born in Pana, Illinois in 1926 where his father served as a doctor and one-time mayor. He had an early love for the outdoors, sports and music. After high school, he served in the U.S. Army in Germany before attending the University of Illinois for his Master's degree in social work. He worked for several years in Evanston public schools in Illinois as a school social worker until moving in 1956 to Tallahassee to join the faculty of the FSU School of Social Work.
Over the years, I’ve become increasingly dismayed by the cost of textbooks and just how much of that burden is shouldered by students. Last year, I received an email from FSU Libraries recruiting faculty to participate in a grant opportunity for something called “alternative textbooks.” With the encouragement and support of FSU College of Social Work Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Craig Stanley, I decided to apply. All I knew was that the purpose was to create more affordable alternatives to standard textbooks.
Starting in July 2018, FSU College of Social Work faculty member Carol Campbell Edwards will begin her two-year term as president of the National Association for Social Workers Florida (NASW-FL) chapter. Currently, as President-Elect, Carol will spend 12 months working in close collaboration with the President.
This past July, I attended and presented at the 35th International Congress on Law and Mental Health. Leading experts from around the world in psychiatry, nursing, social work, psychology, law and other helping professions, convened from July 9-14th at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic to share their ideas about today’s most pressing issues at the intersection of mental health and law.
MSW alumna (2014) Sofia Olds and her husband DeShoan Olds always knew they wanted to adopt since their marriage in 2004. In 2006, they completed the Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting (MAPP) classes to prepare for adoption, but building their lives together took precedence. DeShoan served several tours in Iraq and Sofia was active duty Army while she pursued her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work at the Florida State University College of Social Work.
Successful Co-Parenting After Divorce, an online FSU multidisciplinary training/research project housed in the Institute for Family Violence Studies at the College of Social Work, has presented a new policy recommendation asserting that co-parent education for divorcing parents should be “trauma-informed.” An article describing this research, “Trauma-Informed Co-Parenting: How A Shift in Compulsory Divorce Education to Reflect New Brain Development Research Can Promote Both Parents’ and Children’s Best Interests,” was pub
This fall, the FSU College of Social Work will welcome a new addition to its faculty, Dr. John Mathias. A recent graduate of the University of Michigan with a joint doctoral degree in anthropology and social work, his research focuses on qualitative studies of community organizations, advocacy, and non-profit management.
Arriving at Florida State University as an undergraduate with an interest in film and creative writing, Danielle, or Dani, Groton thought a major in marketing and advertising was a practical use of her skills. But something was missing, and she wasn’t quite satisfied with the trajectory of such a career. A visit to the FSU Career Center introduced Dani to the possibilities social work had to offer.
