Faculty & Research

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named four Florida State University faculty members as 2025 NAI Senior Members.

NAI Senior Members are active faculty, scientists and administrators with success in patents, licensing and commercialization and have produced technologies that have had real impact on the welfare of society. Senior Members collectively hold more than 5,700 U.S. patents and represent over 100 NAI Member Institutions worldwide.

Child welfare professionals and Florida State University College of Social Work students often face challenges in developing the necessary skills for effective observation and interviewing in real-world settings.

This year Dr. Shalay Jackson, an associate teaching professor at the College of Social Work, was named the new chair of the Association for Community Organizing and Social Action (ACOSA). Elected by ACOSA’s board, she will hold the position for two years through December 2026.

The College of Social Work recently named Dr. Lisa Schelbe its Jeanene M. Janes Professor in Child Welfare. The professorship is awarded to a faculty member whose scholarly and educational demonstrate dedication and focus on child welfare issues.

Keithen Mathis, MSW associate dean for Culture and Community Engagement and teaching professor at the College of Social Work, was awarded the 2025 FSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Distinguished Service Award. Awards were presented on Tuesday, January 14th, at the MLK Awards and Golden Torch Lecture Series, presenting Ziwe Fumudoh, a Nigerian American author and comedian, during FSU’s 37th annual MLK Week.

FSU College of Social Work (FSU CSW) participated in the 2025 Society for Social Work and Research Conference in Seattle, Washington. From January 15-19, faculty and doctoral students and affiliates from the Florida Institute for Child Welfare presented more than 40 presentations and sessions at the conference (listed below with FSU CSW participants).

After 33 years of dedicated service, longtime FSU College of Social Work faculty member Professor Neil Abell will retire at the end of the fall 2024 semester. He has served the college not only as a dedicated faculty member but also as a leader. He has been director of the college’s International Programs since 2011 when he took over for fellow faculty member Pat Lager.

A recent study in the journal Healthcare led by Assistant Professor Dr. Gashaye Tefera and colleagues from the University of Missouri, University of Minnesota and Notre Dame of Maryland University shared insight into the experiences of African immigrant women when accessing primary healthcare in the United States.

Dr. Shalay Jackson was awarded the 2024 Educator of the Year for the Big Bend region of the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.