Volume 11, Issue 5 | June 2015
FEATURE

Wendy Smith, clinical associate professor and associate dean of curriculum planning and assessment at the USC School of Social Work, recently visited Cuba on an educational mission organized by Rep. Karen Bass, MSW '15, to learn about the country's child welfare and juvenile justice systems, as well as its culture, people and arts scene. Smith discusses some of the insights she gained while in the communist country, including a near-100 percent literacy rate, a total lack of homelessness, and a strong sense of community that makes foster care a much different practice than in the United States. See and hear about what she saw and learned in her own words and photos. Read more


NEWS
The California Social Welfare Archives recognized the impact of three social welfare leaders: Frances Caple, MSW '71, PhD '82, who developed one of the largest U.S. programs for credentialing school social workers; Judge Michael Nash, who transformed the L.A. County juvenile court system; and Y. Bill Watanabe, who changed the face of social services in the Asian-American community. Read more
SOCIAL IMPACT

A fast pitch competition isn't usually associated with a school of social work. While business schools regularly employ the technique as an exercise in how to raise money for entrepreneurial pursuits, a fast pitch event at schools dealing in the social sciences is virtually unheard of. Educators at the USC School of Social Work are changing that -- one pitch at a time. Read more

RESEARCH
A new report from the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families and the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare serves as a pointed call to action for government organizations, non-governmental agencies and philanthropic entities to collaborate in ending homelessness among female veterans. Read more
OPINION
"While locking up youth who get off track can provide some short-term structure and stability, it doesn't resolve long-term issues," Professor Jacquelyn McCroskey wrote in a Huffington Post op-ed. "Youth are resilient and can learn if the adults around them show the way...We know what to do to interrupt the cycle - we just need the will to move it forward." Read more

IN THE MEDIA


GIVING



RISING STARS



SPOTLIGHT