Distinguished members of the Class of 2020 were recently honored with Convocation Awards. The award process began early this semester, well before the disruption of Covid-19. Awardees were nominated by faculty and staff and selected by a faculty/staff committee, which reviewed transcript evidence, field evaluations, and the nomination letters themselves.

The Zeta Gamma Chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work inducted 30 new student members and two honorary faculty members on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Phi Alpha was formed in 1962 and recognized as a member of the Association of College Honors Societies (ACHS) in 2019.

Continuity of care is essential for clinicians who are committed to treating a variety of conditions. With the shift to virtual classrooms, fitness apps and telehealth during the new coronavirus pandemic, clinicians have pivoted quickly to maintain standards of therapy care and avoid abandoning their patients during this high-stress time.

In her hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, senior Rachel Brennan ’20 was encouraged to join the Orange family when she heard alumni talk about their time at Syracuse University. The academic disciplines in Falk College convinced Brennan that Syracuse University was the place for her. “I remember sitting at an informational meeting about the College and thinking that I was interested in every single major offered,” she adds.

Grace Cogan G’22 is a graduate student pursuing a master of social work at Syracuse University’s David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics while also working toward certification as a Deaf interpreter. In early March, she received an unusual request from Maggie Russell, director of interpreting services for Aurora of Central New York. The organization offers services for people who are blind, visually impaired, Deaf or hearing impaired. Russell wanted Cogan to provide Deaf interpreting for daily news reports about the novel coronavirus from Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh G’05. The reports to the community are televised live each day from the OnCenter in downtown Syracuse.

As people all over the world deal with the coronavirus pandemic, many wonder how to care for aging parents. Adults aged 60 or older, especially those with severe chronic medical conditions, are at higher risk for more serious coronavirus illness and death.

Three generations of Bregman women live separately in the Syracuse community. Yet, they each wake up every morning looking forward to their work ahead and go to bed each night knowing they have made a difference in their community. Ona Cohn Bregman ’58, her daughter Randi Bregman ’90 and granddaughter Sonja Gottbrecht ’10 will tell you it’s because they have each found their calling in the profession of social work

In a world where embracing differences and understanding diversity is more important than ever before, Professor Xiafei Wang wants students to embrace others’ differences and take a stance on social justice. But her first goal for students is to gain a deeper understanding of their individual self and presumptions they hold so they can have an open conversation.

Falk College Scholars from the Class of 2020 represent undergraduate students in the College who display academic excellence, exceptional campus and community engagement, independent research and creative work, evidence of intellectual growth and/or innovation in their disciplinary field, and personal integrity. “Congratulations to our students named Falk College Scholars. Their outstanding accomp…

By Emma Henzes ’20 Dan and Mary Lou Rubenstein In commemoration of National Professional Social Work Month during March, the School of Social Work in Falk College awarded its annual Dan and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Awards to Darlene Medley from Families for Lead Freedom Now and Maarten Jacobs, MSW from the Allyn Family Foundation. Darlene Medley, Families for Lead Freedom Now Following t…