Social Work News
Congratulations Class of 2015!
Falk College will celebrate the Class of 2015 and its accomplishments on Saturday, May 9 at 4:00 p.m., Manley Field House. Falk College’s Class of 2015 includes 312 undergraduates, 142 master’s candidates and 27 students earning Certificates of Advanced Study. Four Ph.D. students will receive their hoods symbolizing the highest level of degree achievement. A baccalaureate degree in public health will be awarded posthumously to Sabrina Cammock.
Falk College Marshals
Sam Rodgers, Nutrition
Aziza Mustefa, Public Health
Undergraduate Department Marshals
Francheska Bravo, Child & Family Studies
Mary Briggman, Nutrition
Will Fancher, Nutrition Science
Lisa Cianciotta, Public Health
Leah Elsbeck, Social Work
Scott Kevy, Sport Management
Graduate Department Marshals
Rachel Linsner, Child & Family Studies
Codina Haselmayer, Marriage & Family Therapy
Anna Riverso, Nutrition Science
Nicole Schwartz, Public Health
Ethan Lewis, Social Work
Justin Brown, Sport Management
Falk College Settles into New Home
Within hours of the opening of a student lounge—one of several community spaces—in the new Falk Complex earlier this semester, students were making it their own.
“The students went in there and they started moving around the furniture, making areas for collaboration,” recalls Falk College Dean Diane Lyden Murphy. “Every time you go down there the furniture is placed in different ways as they need them.”
They’ve been making it their home.
Students, along with faculty and staff, are settling in to the new site of the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics in the Falk Complex at MacNaughton and White halls, which formerly housed the College of Law.
Public health and nutrition major Aziza Mustefa ’15 appreciates how the new complex is bringing together students from the various disciplines.
“I love the Falk Complex! It brings unity among all the majors in the college, and creates a community,” she says. “The student lounges allow students to congregate and build meaningful relationships throughout our college career. It’s convenient and easily accessible to our classes, professors and Falk Student Services.”
All together for the first time
This is the first time all the college’s disciplines will be in one location—“so it is the big coming home,” Dean Murphy says. The central administration offices had previously been housed at 119 Euclid Ave., so that had been the centralized location for many gatherings, while the various departments had sites across campus.
The transition to move the various departments and administrative offices began over Winter Break and continues into the fall as the renovations wrap up.
The new centralized location allows faculty members to have more impromptu “watercooler conversations,” visits in the hallways and additional opportunities for inspired collaboration.
“Faculty members have come together over the years to do interdisciplinary work, especially through the work of the College Research Center, but this does make it more convenient and maybe more spontaneous,” Dean Murphy says. “I’ve heard the faculty saying—and I feel the same way—it’s just nice to run into colleagues in the halls, and not have to go outside or drive.”
The new community spaces in the Falk Complex have expanded those opportunities for faculty in the various disciplines to be engaged with each other.
Three years of planning
It’s those types of ideas that went into more than three years of planning for the convergence of Falk College’s five academic departments and its administrative offices.
Surveys were done with students, faculty and staff to help understand what the needs were and what could be included within the budget. Plans were developed through the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction, project architect Ashley McGraw and design partner Gilbert Displays.
“We studied the building and then we figured out the spaces with the various department chairs,” Dean Murphy says.
Each academic unit has an office with the department chair, graduate and undergraduate studies directors, and administrative assistants. Faculty members are assigned nearby offices.
In January, the move included the Office of the Dean, admissions, advancement, the college’s information technology office, the Department of Child and Family Studies, Public Health and the School of Social Work. In March, the Office of Student Services was set up.
The first move in January involved transferring the spaces for 94 people, with 5,169 boxes transferred in a day and a half by the movers, according to Dianne Seeley, Falk College’s senior administrator of operations, space and facilities, who has been part of the renovation process and has overseen the moving. Four hundred computers were also set up by informational technology staff members in five days.
Making the move
This month, the Department of Sport Management and the College Research Center will be moved into their new spaces. Throughout the summer and into the fall, the food studies and nutrition programs, will make the move, which includes reconstruction of the fifth floor for the commercial and experiential kitchens.
The Nutrition Science and Dietetics Program will also have a new nutrition assessment lab, where they will examine the nutrients in food. The lab will be finished this summer.
Additionally, the commercial kitchens and teaching kitchens, along with a multipurpose teaching café/classroom, will be moving in and built up through late August and finished in early fall. The kitchens will offer a state-of-the-art learning facility with technology and kitchen equipment. The kitchen and café/classroom will support the academic programs of nutrition and food studies.
For the Department of Sport Management, a new lab will teach the technology of sports and events operations. There will also be a ticketing classroom with associated technology to learn about ticketing for large sports facilities. This will also include a business arrangement with the Carrier Dome to allow students to be hired and assist in ticketing.
Along with the various departments, the Falk Complex has three computer labs and a Mac lab, which is new for the college. Other renovations have included technology upgrades to many classrooms, along with new carpeting, paint and signage.
“We now have a showpiece, an extraordinary learning environment serving all our academic degrees. Everybody feels lifted coming in the front door,” Murphy says.
A grand opening of the new Falk Complex is planned for September.
“I am excited for future students to come and enjoy the Falk Complex. Dr. Murphy has exciting plans for the college, like the cafe on the second floor. She wants the best for Falk students,” Mustefa says. “Although I am graduating, I am excited that Falk continues to grow every year.”
Aziza Mustefa College Marshal Reflection
Good afternoon and congratulations to the Falk College Class of 2015. I want you all to know how honored I am to be standing here. Thank you to my family, my classmates, my friends, and the esteemed faculty and administration for joining us on this joyous day.
I can’t begin my speech without remembering our classmate Sabrina Cammock. Sabrina was one of my dearest friends, a stellar track runner, a brilliant student, and a woman who used her gifts for the greater good. Even though she is not with us today, she is in our hearts and I hope we can keep Sabrina’s memory alive.
Today we celebrate the triumph of completing our college education. Graduating from the David B Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics means that we will be using our education to give back to our communities. In a couple of days, we all are returning to our communities or joining new ones. As Falk graduates, I encourage you all to act on the vision of David and Rhonda Falk. To quote Mr. Falk,
“Global concerns for critical societal issues like childhood obesity, substance abuse, elder care, and malnutrition are at an all-time high. We need dedicated professionals who are committed and willing to give of their time and of themselves. The Falk College’s unique combination that pairs social responsibility and service with experiential learning means students will be well trained to address society’s most pressing issues, finding themselves both where the jobs are—and where they are most needed.”
Now we are the dedicated professionals moving into society to make a difference because, throughout our college careers, social responsibility and community service have been instilled in us. And, we have the tools and knowledge to make a difference. We all embody Scholarship in Action because we know that one person can change lives, neighborhoods and the world.
As we close this chapter in our lives, a new one begins. Before you leave here today, I want you all to recall your fondest memories and experiences at SU. Remember those who were there for you, remember the support from Falk College, and remember how special you are. We all have this bond that unites us.
I encourage you all to dare to dream big, and most importantly don’t shy away from using your gifts. You and I have the power to create positive change in the world and we will.
A Social Work Perspective: What’s Correct in Corrections?
The School of Social Work in Falk College, an approved provider of continuing education for LMSWs and LCSWs in New York State, will offer “A Social Work Perspective: What’s Correct in Corrections?” on Thursday, June 18, 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
Currently there are 7 million people involved in the correctional system in the US. Corrections encompasses the punishment, treatment, and supervision of persons who have been convicted of crimes, which commonly include imprisonment, parole and probation. However, the system affects more than the convicted individual, it affects families, neighborhoods, communities and our nation as a whole. Included will be an examination of the cross section of mental health and addiction and the confounding role each plays in policy and practice. This course critically examines the influence, effects and outcomes of our current system correctional system and how we in human services can address the implications of this system before, during and after.
Brief overview of the history and evolution of the structure and purpose of corrections;
Explore the policies and economics of corrections and consequences for individuals from diverse groups;
Highlight present-day controversies related to corrections from a systems perspective;
Recognize the ethical principles that guide social work practice in criminal justice settings;
Explore aspects of prison reform and community corrections.
Currently, registration for this program, which is four Continuing Education Contact Hours, is full, but for more information about this and other continuing education workshops, contact: Bette Thoreck, ebthorec@syr.edu, 315-443-5567.
View course flier
Adapting social work, public health interventions to war-related environments in Ukraine
Strategies to overcome stress and trauma, and transition support programs for the well-being of veterans and military families in Ukraine were two of many areas discussed during Falk College’s March 31 Research Colloquium sponsored by the College Research Center. Yuliya Chorna, a Fulbright Scholar and 2009 MSW graduate of the School of Social Work, and her colleague, Iuliia Pylypas, met with a standing room-only audience that included students, faculty, and staff.
Chorna and Pylypas are the executive director and program developer, respectively, of the International HIV/AIDS and TB Institute in Kyiv, Ukraine, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) focused on public health and health promotion. Both have extensive administrative and policy experience in governmental and NGO settings in Ukraine. Given circumstances in Ukraine, the organization’s current emphasis is on the development of psycho-social support and public health services for soldiers at risk for post-traumatic stress disorders and for internally displaced persons.
“Soldiers coming from the field are at risk for post-traumatic stress disorders. The same is true for internally displaced persons and the broader community. At this time, there is no sufficient training on these issues in social and military services as the circumstances we are in are very new,” notes Chorna.
Professor of social work, Eric Kingson, organized the event with the associate dean of research and professor of social work, Deborah Monahan, and her staff in the College Research Center, including assistant director, Katie Keough and graduate assistant Ayse Duygu Cakirsoy-Aslan. Dr. Kingson and fellow professor of social work, Dr. Alejandro Garcia, who were Chorna’s instructors while she was a student in the MSW program, attended the Research Colloquium as did her former academic advisor, Dr. Nancy Mudrick, Dr. Monahan, and other faculty and students from Falk College.
In addition to sharing their experiences and best practices and exploring possibilities of collaborations with Falk and other SU faculty, the guest speakers had a strong interest in learning more about community-based models addressing needs of veterans, collaborations between military and community organizations in providing services for veterans, and public policy regulating these issues.
Packing in a lot during their two-day visit, their time in Syracuse began with meetings with James Schmeling, co-founder, managing director, programs and Nick Armstrong, senior director for research and policy, both from Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, who provided an overview of the Institute’s approach to service, its creative community-based service models and approach to disseminating best practices. This was followed by site visits to learn about other innovative services as possible models in Ukraine hosted by the Social Work Department of the Syracuse VA Medical Center and Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango, N.Y. The next day, after meeting with Drs. Ambika Krishnakumar, associate professor, Department of Child and Family Studies, and Lutchmie Narine, associate professor, Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition, they also had chance to talk with Social Work professor of practice Tracey Marchese, a nationally-recognized and certified trauma expert. Their SU visit concluded with a meeting Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken, co-director of the Transnational NGO Initiative (TNGO Initiative) at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Margaret (Peg) Hermann , Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs and Director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, and Olga Boichak, a MPA student who will be returning home to Ukraine after May graduation.
As part of the visit to the United States, Chorna presented the paper, “Emergency public health and social support intervention package for internally displaced persons in Kyiv, Ukraine,” at Yale University’s March 28-29 Vision Conference.
View photos of the event (photos courtesy of Professor of Social Work Alejandro Garcia)
Watch the presentation video
Falk College honors faculty for excellence in teaching, research, service
Faculty members from Falk College’s Department of Child and Family Studies and School of Social Work will be honored for excellence in teaching, research and service with 2015 Falk College Faculty of the Year Awards. The honorees, who are nominated by their peers for outstanding performance and contributions to students, the Falk College, Syracuse University and beyond, will be recognized during the Falk College’s Convocation for the Class of 2015 on May 9, with awards presented in April. The name of each recipient, the award received, and excerpts from the letters of nomination are noted below.
Dr. Keith A. Alford, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Excellence in Service
Professor Alford has a consistently strong record of service to Syracuse University, its School of Social Work and Falk College, as well as the social work profession and community. He has served on numerous departmental and university committees, including the Bachelor of Professional Studies Curriculum Committee, the Faculty Oversight Committee of Athletics, the Senior Vice President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion, and the Operational Excellence Steering and Executive Committees. He is a community advocate with leadership service to organizations that include board membership with the Onondaga County Public Library and AccessCNY (formerly Enable/TLS), which provides support for children and adults with disabilities. He facilitates the Community-Wide Dialogues on Race sponsored by InterFaith Works of Central New York and sits on the board of directors. He is also involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters School-based mentoring. In recognition of his on-going community service and advocacy, he received the 2015 Harriet Tubman Spirit Award from the Bethany Baptist Church. In Social Work Degree Guide’s listing of its “30 Most Influential Social Workers Alive Today” Professor Alford was listed in the top ten of this compilation that includes educators, activists, authors, and public servants.
Dr. Eric R. Kingson, Professor, School of Social Work
Excellence in Research
Along with co-author Nancy Altman earlier this year, Professor Kingson released the book, “Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn’t Going Broke and How Expanding It Will Help Us All.” Altman and Kingson founded Social Security Works in 2010, a Washington, DC-based organization focused on safeguarding the economic security of families and individuals by maintaining and improving Social Security’s insurance against wages lost in retirement, disability or death. A co-chair of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition made up of more than 300 national and state organizations representing over 50 million Americans, Kingson was a staff advisor to the 1982 National Commission on Social Security Reform and was a founding board member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. His award nominators noted, “Professor Kingson’s accomplishment is worthy of recognition not only because of the scholarship represented by the book, but because of its impact on our national policy. Through the book and active public speaking about it, Professor Kingson seeks to educate the public, making a substantive contribution to the important policy decisions that lie ahead.”
Dr. Rachel Razza, Assistant Professor, Department of Child & Family Studies
Excellence in Teaching
Professor Razza’s courses emphasize activity and engagement as a way to convey important concepts. She has been increasingly interested in the use of contemplative pedagogy in higher education as a mechanism to enhance student learning and wellbeing by stimulating first-person inquiry. She received the Innovative Summer Program Development Fund to support the creation of a new course, Mindfulness in Children and Youth. The course exposes students to the emerging field of contemplative practices and serves as the cornerstone for CFS’s latest undergraduate minor, Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies. Thanks to Rachel’s leadership, the minor is a key component of the ongoing initiative to develop a campus-wide Center for Contemplative Studies.
Professor Razza’s teaching extends beyond the classroom to support the scholarly activities of her students, and she has been successful in mentoring a substantial number of student conference presentations and journal publications. She has been elected to serve as a member of the prestigious Society for Research in Child Development’s Teaching Committee. Professor Razza was also a recipient of the 2014 Teaching Recognition Award from the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorship Program.
View photos of the awards ceremony (courtesy of Professor Alejandro Garcia)
Students, faculty explore history of social work in New York City
The Alan B. Mirken NYC Social Work Immersion Trip took place April 1-3. The annual “Roots of American Social Work” immersion program included students and faculty in Falk College’s School of Social Work. The group visited numerous sites of social work significance, including Mount Sinai Hospital, Goddard Riverside Community Center(which began as one of the first Settlement Houses in NYC),The LGBTQ Center, and the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum, which helps students to learn how U.S. social welfare developed. This unique and innovative three-day educational opportunity brings students face-to-face with sites of significance to the history of social work, giving them a close-up view of contemporary practice.
Social work students inducted into Phi Alpha Honor Society
On April 10, the School of Social Work held its Phi Alpha Honor Society, Zeta Gamma Chapter, induction ceremony at Hendricks Chapel. Thirteen undergraduate and 11 graduate social work students joined Phi Alpha this academic year. Dr. Karen Kirkhart, professor of social work, was the keynote speaker. Breanna Turner, Phi Alpha, Zeta Gamma Chapter president led the ceremonies. Awards were presented by Bette Brown Thoreck, director, Baccalaureate social work program. The concept of a National Social Work Honor Society came from a group of undergraduates at Michigan State University. In November, 1960, a National honor Society Committee was formed and in 1961 the society came into being. The Syracuse University Zeta Gamma Chapter was founded in 1996 as part of the School of Social work’s 40th Year Anniversary Celebration.
This year’s inductees comprised the eighteenth group of students to be elected as members of Zeta Gamma Chapter. The charge and purposes of the Phi Alpha Honor Society are:
To recognize and encourage scholastic achievement among the students who are majoring in social work.
To improve and further the goals and objectives of social work by encouraging objectivity and awareness of current developments and practices in the various fields of social work.
To improve and further the goals and objectives of social work by stimulating research in preparation for a career in social work.
Inductees Include:
Undergraduates
Graduates
Courtney Dupre
Bryan Asher
Jillian Elbaum
Anna Bender
Brian Gee
Richard Chapman
Leah King
Monica Concors
Daniel Lang
Katherine Goldberg
Tykia Leary
Alexandra Jardin
Jessica Levy
Katie Kietzmann
Meghan O’Mara
Ashley King
Jessica Reuveni
Audrey Lawrence
Natalie Shae
Sophia Palmer
Susan Smith
Tess Walsh
Charlotte Visser
Elizabeth Williams
View ceremony photo gallery (courtesy of Professor Alejandro Garcia)
Public meeting on housing experiences of LGBTQ youth in Central New York to be held May 4
Recent research conducted by two Syracuse University faculty members, working collaboratively with community agencies, indicates the most important issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) youth in the Central New York (CNY) community are bullying, family acceptance, self-acceptance, and having to leave home. Additionally, the two issues believed to most likely put LGBTQ youth at risk of homelessness are parental physical or emotional abuse and being forced to leave home because of LGBTQ identity. The study’s complete findings will be shared at a public meeting on the housing experiences of LGBTQ youth from the CNY community on Monday, May 4, 3:30 p.m. The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Peck Hall, 601 East Genesee Street. Free parking is available.
The research project entitled, “Housing and LGBTQ Youth: A Mixed-Methods Community Needs Assessment,” is led by Falk College principal investigators Deb Coolhart, PhD, LMFT, Assistant Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy and Maria Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, Hartford Doctoral Fellow in Geriatric Social Work, Assistant Research Professor, Aging Studies Institute. In addition to understanding the experiences of CNY runaway and homeless LGBTQ youth, the investigators assessed the understanding of homeless LGBTQ youth among local service providers, and identified existing services, gaps and barriers affecting runaway and homeless LGBTQ youth. Interviews indicate many youth often have negative experiences in the shelter system and sometimes engage in dangerous activities to avoid using them. Surveyed LGBTQ youth and service providers feel there is a need for LGBTQ-specific shelters or safe and stable housing beyond shelters.
During the summer of 2013, the Syracuse/Onondaga County Youth Bureau contacted the Falk College Research Center about homelessness among LGBTQ youth. To date, available research on homeless LGBTQ youth has been done in large cities, providing little information about the unique experiences and needs of homeless LGBTQ youth elsewhere. The project received seed grant funding from Falk College and includes collaboration with ACR Health Youth Services and the Q Center, the Syracuse/Onondaga County Youth Bureau, and the Salvation Army.
Findings from this study will result in several published manuscripts and provide data to Q Home agencies for applications to fund services for homeless LGBTQ youth. For more information about the event and the research project, contact Deb Coolhart, dcoole@syr.edu or Maria T. Brown, mbrown08@syr.edu.
RSVP to attend
Falk College honored with 2015 Chancellor’s Awards for Public Engagement & Scholarship
Students and their faculty-staff advisors in Falk College were recognized with three 2015 Chancellor’s Awards for Public Engagement and Scholarship during a ceremony April 22. The Chancellor’s Awards for Public Engagement and Scholarship are given each year to Syracuse University students and groups who exemplify the highest ideal of sustained, quality engagement with citizens in our community. Falk College honorees include:
Student Organization—Sport Management Club
Innovation in Academic Engagement—FST 402: Feeding the City
Legacy Award for Academic Engagement—SWK 435, 445, 671, 672, 771, 772/BSSW seniors, MSW graduate students
Read more about the award’s ceremony
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