Faculty & Research

Faculty member’s book receives honorable mention from SSWR

The Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), a leading academic and research organization in the field of social welfare announced the winners of the 2015 award for the “Best Scholarly Book in Social Work Published in the last three years.” FSU College of Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Tomi Gomory’s book Mad Science: Coercion, Diagnosis, and Drugs received one of the two honorable mention awards.

Child welfare system looks to Institute to help “Steer the course”

After months of reports about problems in Florida’s child-welfare system, lawmakers this year approved a sweeping reform bill that included establishing an institute to guide state leaders, in part, by evaluating the success of their policies.

Now, as the Florida Institute for Child Welfare at Florida State University prepares its first report to Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature, people responsible for improving the lot of the state’s children hope the institute will provide important perspective.

CSW in New Orleans for 2015 SSWR conference

The Florida State University College of Social Work was well represented at the 2015 Society for Social Work and Research annual conference in January in New Orleans, Louisiana. The College hosted a reception at the Galvez Restaurant on Friday, January 16th for alumni and friends in the French Quarter and had a booth in the conference exhibit hall. Some of the highlights of the SSWR conference for the College included the recognition of Drs. Tomi Gomory and Jeffrey Lacasse along with Ph.D. candidate Jane McPherson.

Report: More work needed to fix child protection system

A new report from the Florida Institute for Child Welfare — created last year as part of a wide-ranging reform law — calls for state leaders to go well beyond their previous efforts to fix the state’s troubled child-protection system.

The 50-page report, submitted Friday to Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, focused on “the need for a statewide, system-wide child welfare strategic plan” that pulls together the disparate parts of Florida’s response to the abuse and neglect of children.

2015 Spring Convocation celebrates the newest crop of social workers

The FSU College of Social Work held its annual Spring Convocation on May 1, 2015 for its Class of 2015 graduates at the Oglesby Union Ballroom on the FSU main campus. A record number of people, more than 700, were in attendance to celebrate the newest group of BSW, MSW and Ph.D. social work graduates. Dean Nick Mazza presided as Master of Ceremonies for his last convocation, before retiring in the fall. Convocation’s Keynote Speaker was alumna, Dr.