The e-COLUMN
School of Social Work | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

January 2014

Strengthening Vulnerable Families

Celebrating New Graduates

Photo by: Memory Lane Photography

On December 15, 2013, the School of Social Work celebrated another graduating class of 56 students in a ceremony at Smith Memorial Hall.

Patricia Morey, MSW 1981, served as convocation speaker, welcoming these students into the social work profession. Patricia has been the Assistant Dean and Director of the Women's Resource Center at the University for over 20 years, where she is responsible for the Center's administration, counseling, and advocacy services. Patricia has a long history serving the community as an activist confronting social oppression and working for peace and justice, with an emphasis on violence against women and children. Click here to learn more about Patricia and the Women's Resource Center.

During the ceremony, Maria Swan was named the recipient of the Suze Orman Graduate Award. This award is presented to an MSW graduate who has excelled as a student despite family obligations and a burdensome loan debt. The award is provided by Suze Orman, BSW 1977.

Photo by: Memory Lane Photography

Maria, who is pursuing a career in school social work, thanked Ms. Orman, saying "I truly hope that I can be the advocate for all students and their families in an ever changing academic system. I promise to always fight against injustice and social inequality in an effort to provide students the quality education they deserve regardless of race, disability, socioeconomic status, family composition, gender or sexual orientation. Receiving the AWESOME Suze Orman award will help me as I set off on my new and exciting career."

Congratulations to Maria and to all graduates!

Providing A More Comfortable Environment For Children

Photo by: Heather Coit/The News-Gazette

Executive Director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Champaign (CAC), Adelaide Aime, MSW 2006, has been working hard to make the CAC cozier and friendlier with new toys and furniture for the children.

Opening in 2000, the CAC serves as a place where children who have been abused can confide in a trusted adult and can share details with a trained interviewer in a comfortable environment. When entering the facility, children are often tense and fearful. The CAC tries to make these children feel safe by filling their space with items that will help children feel comfortable and open to communication.

One item Ms. Aime would like to purchase is a reading nook with windows and walls, she says "a little protected place where a child could curl up and look at books, and feel safe at a time when they are talking about things that make them feel very unsafe."

Click here to learn more about the CAC and Ms. Aime's work.

Students Help Keep Seniors Safe

School of Social Work students, Elizabeth Kmet, Lee Luther, Amelia Akers, and Kelli McLauren have been helping Circle of Friends Adult Day Care with their mission of keeping Champaign County's seniors safe. These students were paired up with this facility through the School's Community Learning Lab.

Every year METCAD takes in numerous calls about dementia and Alzheimer patients wandering. Although common, wandering can be dangerous, and even life-threatening. Carol Mauck, MSW 1971, one of the owners of Circle of Friends Adult Day Care, has been working on a project with TRIAD/S.A.L.T. that would make "safe return bracelets" accessible to patients in Champaign County. These identification bracelets from MedicAlert and the Alzheimer's Association are engraved with an individual's important information. The bracelet then links their information with a picture in a national database making the individual easily identifiable. Efforts by students helped Circle of Friends receive two grants towards getting the project in motion by setting up qualification criteria for patients and by distributing the information among the community. The goal is to make sure every patient has a bracelet to help keep the area's senior community safe.

Click here to learn more about this project.

For more information about MedicAlert + Alzheimer's Association Safe Return, click here.

PhD Student Elected Student Member-at-Large

PhD student, Deirdre Lanesskog, was recently elected Student Member-at-Large of the Board of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR).

The Student Member-at-Large works with the President on planning the doctoral panel and student reception at the annual conference and represents student interests on the Board.

Qualifications for this position include:

Leadership
Support for and commitment to SSWR and its mission
Experience and stature as a researcher
Communication skills
And the ability to fulfill commitments as a Board member

The 2014 SSWR Annual Conference takes place January 15-19 in San Antonio, TX. Deirdre's two-year term begins February 1, 2014.

MSW Alum Named SSWR Award Recipient

Congratulations to alum Dr. Shaun Eack, MSW 2012, for receiving the 2014 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award. The award recognizes individuals who early in their careers have done innovative work and are making a notable influence in their field and in the profession. The Society recognizes that Dr. Eack's accomplishments reflect innovative scholarship, a rigorous approach to social work research, and work that exhibits an emerging influence in the field, as well as a contribution to advance the profession.

Dr. Eack is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh. The award will be presented at the 2014 SSWR Annual Conference.

Social Work on the Road

2014 SSWR Annual Conference

Will you be at the 2014 SSWR Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX January 15-19?

Please join us for the

University of Illinois School of Social Work
SSWR Reception

Thursday, January 16, 2014

8:30-10:30 pm

Chart House Restaurant

Tower of the Americas

601 Old San Antonio Road

San Antonio, TX 78205

Desserts and beverages will be served.

This event is complimentary for University of Illinois alumni and their guests.

Please RSVP to Brianna Rossbach at (217) 244-1064 or rossbach@illinois.edu.

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With the School of Social Work

Join the School of Social Work group page on LinkedIn. The goal of this group is to promote professional and social relationships among alumni, to encourage a supportive relationship between you and the School and to promote our educational mission.

We invite you to initiate and engage in discussions, ask questions, and share your thoughts.

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You can also find all of the most current School of Social Work videos on the School's new YouTube Channel. Check it out!

Social Work Posters and Cards On Sale