Carol Campbell Edwards, a proud FSU College of Social Work graduate (MSW, 1985; BSW, 1984) and faculty member, was appointed as the new director of the BSW Program and Professional Development office at the college after the retirement of faculty member Pam Graham MacDill. Carol stepped into her roles starting in January 2020.

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.

Margaret Atwood wrote in The Penelopiad, “Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall; it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing, in the end, can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember, you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” Therefore, it is appropriate that Pamela W.

Katrina Boone, director of Field Education at the FSU College of Social Work (FSUCSW), takes her higher education role in social work seriously. While her main focus is promoting field education as social work’s signature pedagogy, when opportunities arose to join committees to further shape social work education, she was eager to participate.

Two Florida State University faculty members received a $16,000 grant from the Mental Research Institute to launch their project, “Family Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Telehealth Response.” Dr. Michele Parker of the FSU College of Human Sciences and Dr.

Karen Keroack was a long-time faculty member in the FSU College of Social Work. She served as an instructor and area coordinator of the MSW program offered in Gainesville, Florida, which is now part of the online MSW program. Karen established and coordinated the Gainesville program for 28 years, providing for the education of a multitude of social workers in the Gainesville area.

On July 1, 2017, Florida Statute 409.996 (22) was amended to require the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to develop a statewide accountability system for residential group homes based on measurable quality standards. Funded by the Florida Institute for Child Welfare and DCF, a research team led by FSU College of Social Work faculty member Dr.

Prevent Child Abuse America was recently awarded a three-year grant for more than $1.05 million by the Center for Disease Control. The project examines the prevention effects of key public policy strategies, such as paid family leave and child care provisions, on the rate of child abuse and neglect and intimate partner violence (IPV). 

Distinguished Research Professor Bruce Thyer was recently awarded a 2020 Educational Leadership Award by the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE). The organization, comprised of social work doctoral program directors worldwide who represent member universities, promotes excellence in social work doctoral education.