UNIVERSITY OF DENVER GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK SPRING 12
National ranking jumps 10 points!
Page 1
contents
scene @ gssw
From the Dean
features
4 Where in the World is GSSW?
In today’s global society,
an increasing
number of social workers are choosing to live and learn
in cultures very different from their own. In fact, many
believe there is no better way to truly understand the
impact of global forces on the vulnerable populations
they serve, both at home and abroad.
34 Alumni Awards
sections
1 scene @gssw
24 GSSW News
26 Student News
29 Four Corners
31 Bridge Project
32 Development
34 Alumni News
35 Class Notes
gssw magazine
Volume 4, Number 1
GSSW Magazine is published twice each
year, in spring and fall, by the Graduate
School of Social Work, University of Denver,
2148 S. High St., Denver, CO 80208-7100.
The University of Denver is an Equal
Opportunity Institution.
Dean
James Herbert Williams
Editor
Deborah Jones, Director of
Communications and Marketing
Design and Layout
Art Only, Inc.
Photography
Wayne Armstrong
Anne Enderby
David Rossi
Proofreading
Catherine Newton
©2012 by the Graduate School of Social Work
at the University of Denver.
Admission: 303.871.2841
Alumni and Development: 303.871.7599
Communications: 303.871.3114
www.du.edu/socialwork
Nearly 400 students, faculty
and staff packed the main hall
at the Sturm College of Law
on January 17 for a lecture by
nationally renowned civil rights
attorney, Morris Dees. The
event, jointly sponsored by the
law school and GSSW, provided
a historical context for today’s
legal battles over human rights
issues like immigration.
At GSSW, the past decade has brought significant
growth in the number of students choosing to pursue
social work practice in a global community, as well as
in the number and variety of international experiences
we offer them. As social work educators, we’re rapidly
expanding our focus beyond our local communities to
the global community of which we are all a part.
22 Faculty News
30 Butler Institute
GSSW Co - sponsors
Morris Dees Lecture
In this issue of GSSW Magazine, our cover story
features first-person accounts by our faculty, MSW students and alumni who
have taught, studied, worked or conducted research internationally. We also
invite you to meet our international PhD students who bring unique personal
and cultural perspectives to their research and teaching at GSSW.
A few months ago, we distributed the second issue of GSSW’s e-newsletter to
keep our readers updated about recent and upcoming events. To ensure that
future newsletters reach you, please click here to provide your current email
address.
Meanwhile, we welcome your interest in our school and encourage you to stay
in touch with us during the coming months.
Dees described how, at the time of the American Revolution, attorney
John Adams represented not only those seeking to avoid British taxes, but
also British soldiers sent to counter the revolution. In doing so, Adams
demonstrated his belief that the law exists to serve all people. That same
belief inspired those who later became legal champions for the rights of Irish
and Chinese immigrants, and later of African Americans.
Sincerely,
Dees co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama,
birthplace of the modern civil rights movement. Dees went on to successfully
sue branches of hate groups, such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Ku Klux
Klan, into bankruptcy and out of existence. He also sued to integrate the
YMCA and other recreational facilities in Montgomery, battled for the rights
of Vietnamese shrimpers in Texas and fought successful legal battles on
behalf of prisoners’ rights and the rights of women.
James Herbert Williams, PhD, MSW
Dean and Milton Morris Endowed Chair
This and all past issues of our magazine are online. Click here and then click
on “GSSW Magazine.” You can also scan this barcode to read GSSW Magazine
on your smartphone or tablet computer.
The struggle for justice, Dees cautioned, is far from over. He encouraged
students and others in the audience to fight for the rights of Hispanic
immigrants and low-income workers. “Whether you’re in law, in business, in
social work,” he said, “it’s always about a simple thing called justice.”
To watch a video of this event, click here.
GSSW Board of Visitors
Gary Yourtz, Chair
Libby Bortz, MSW, LCSW
Jana Edwards, MSW, LCSW, BCD
Troy A. Eid, JD
David L. Gies, MS, MPA
Grover “Cleve” Gilmore, PhD, MA
Alberto Godenzi, PhD, MBA
Ben Lewis, MBA
Evi Makovsky, MA, MSW, JD
Margaret Roath, MSW, LCSW
Youlon Savage, MSW
Clara Villarosa, MSW
Phil Winn, DPS
Alec Wynne
Jae McQueen, MSW
(GSSW Alumni Association President)
GSSW congratulates Board of Visitors member Troy Eid, JD, who was named “Lawyer of the
Year” by the Colorado Bar Association in December 2011.
University
GSSW Soars in new
U.S. News Rankings
The Graduate School of Social Work at the University of
Denver, already considered one of the best in the nation,
rose another 10 points in new rankings just released by
U.S. News & World Report. The oldest school of social
work in the Rocky Mountain region, GSSW is ranked
number 26 among the nation’s best Master of Social Work
(MSW) programs, placing it in the top 11 percent of all
nationally accredited programs.
The school has risen an unprecedented 24 points during
the magazine’s last three ranking periods. GSSW is the
top-ranked social work school in the Rocky Mountain West
and currently offers the only accredited MSW program in
the Denver metropolitan area.
“GSSW’s new ranking reflects widespread recognition of
our faculty’s scholarship and the achievements of our
alumni,” says Dean and Milton Morris Endowed Chair
James Herbert Williams. “Our colleagues across the
country are noticing our accomplishments, and we are
just getting started.”
U.S. News bases its rankings solely on the results of peer
assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators
and faculty at accredited social work degree programs
or schools. Only fully accredited MSW programs in good
standing during the survey period are ranked. Those
schools with the highest average scores on the survey are
included in the list published by the magazine.
of Denver
to Host First Presidential Debate
The University of Denver will host the first of three 2012 U. S. Presidential debates on Wednesday, October 3,
2012. It is the only debate currently scheduled in the western United States and marks the first time DU has
hosted such an event. The debate will be held in Magness Arena at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports &
Wellness. Please note that tickets are not available to the public, but there will be a limited number of tickets
available by lottery for DU students only. Click here for more information.
scene @ gssw spring 12 1
Scholars Highlight
2012 Dean’s
Lecture Series
scene @ gssw
GSSW Convenes World Café
As GSSW continues
the process of revisioning its MSW curriculum, faculty members and alumni are using a
unique conversational method to consider some of the project’s key issues and questions. A
World Café, convened on two days early this spring, provided a framework for discussions
about new social work trends, innovative curriculum ideas and ways to enrich GSSW students’
learning experiences.
Walters
The World Café concept was developed by The World Café Community Foundation, a U. S.based non-profit organization whose mission is “to transform the world for the benefit of
all life through convening and supporting collaborative conversation world-wide.” Using
seven design principles and a flexible dialogue method, a World Café seeks collaborative
perspectives on critical questions through conversational leadership, a process that creates
“architectures for engagement” across all levels of a system.
Associate Professor Jean East (at left) and Alumni Association President Jae McQueen cofacilitated the two GSSW World Café discussions, in which 55 faculty and alumni participated.
Ssewamala
Register Now for the CPD Summer Series!
The Graduate School of Social Work is pleased to
introduce its new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Summer Series. Workshops will be held
during June and July at Craig Hall, 2148 S. High Street,
on the DU campus. The series is geared toward
human service professionals seeking to strengthen
and enhance their professional knowledge and
repertoire of skills. Professional Development Hours
in approved Professional Development Activities
(required for Colorado licensure) are available, as
well as Continuing Education Units.
For more information, including cost and registration,
click here.
2 spring 12 scene @ gssw
Title
Date
Time
Facilitating Experiential Therapy Groups
6/14/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Assessment and Treatment of Depression in Older Adults
6/15/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Domestic Human Trafficking Information for Youth Service Providers
6/21/2012
8 a.m. – noon
Social Work as Spiritual Practice
6/21/2012
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
A Skill-Based Introduction to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
6/22/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Effective Practice with High-Risk Youth
6/28/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Practice of Empathy
6/29/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Working with Military Families
7/12/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Neurobiology and Social Work
7/13/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Impact of Memory Impairment in Hospice and Palliative Care
7/19/2012
8 a.m. – noon
Management Basics for Human Services
7/20/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Trauma-Informed Care
7/26/2012
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Ethical Decision-Making in Social Work Practice: 7/27/2012
A Moral Citizenship Framework
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Fall Event Focused
on Animals and Kids
Author Jon Marie Broz (L) read her children’s book
aloud to young fans, while Dr. Aubrey Fine (R) gave
a lecture. They’re joined here by Clinical Professor
Philip Tedeschi, LCSW, Clinical Director of GSSW’s
Institute for Human-Animal Connection.
Events that include animals or children tend to be popular, so it’s little
wonder that a family-friendly GSSW program focused on both dogs and
kids drew a substantial crowd last fall. Held on October 15, the evening
included a lecture by Dr. Aubrey Fine, author of the Handbook on AnimalAssisted Therapy and a parent/child relations expert who specializes in
treating children with ADHD, learning disabilities and developmental
The 2012 Dean’s Lecture Series began on March 5 with
a lecture by Karina L. Walters, MSW, PhD, William P.
and Ruth Gerberding Endowed Professor and Associate
Professor at the University of Washington School of
Social Work. Walters’ talk was entitled “Bodies Don’t
Just Tell Stories, They Tell Histories: Embodiment of
Historical Trauma and Microaggression Distress.”
An enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
and a recent recipient of the Fulbright Award, Walters
focuses her research on historical, social and cultural
determinants of physical and mental health among
American Indians and Alaska Natives. She serves as
principal investigator on several groundbreaking studies
funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The second lecture in the series was presented on April
10 by Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD, Global Thought Fellow
and Associate Professor of Social Work and International
Affairs at the Columbia University School of Social Work.
His talk was entitled “Impact of Economic Empowerment
Programs on Health and Educational Outcomes of
Orphaned and Vulnerable Children: Lessons from SubSaharan Africa.”
A Senior Research Fellow with New America Foundation,
Ssewamala served with the Red Cross in Uganda, where
he helped design poverty alleviation and community
development programs. His research on Africa, funded
by a consortium of organizations, examines assetownership development, financial management and
creating life options through economic empowerment
and innovative financial inclusion models. Ssewamala
also is researching economic empowerment interventions in urban America’s poor African immigrant
communities.
scene @ gssw
Friendly Visitors Rock the
SSWR Annual Conference!
A total of 18 GSSW faculty, visiting scholars, Butler Institute for Families
researchers, PhD and MSW students were among the presenters and copresenters at the 16th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and
Research (SSWR), held in Washington, DC, in January. This year’s conference
also showcased our faculty’s musical talents, as the Friendly Visitors band
stole the show at the Friday evening President’s Reception.
Pictured L-R are GSSW Professor Jeff Jenson (the group’s organizer),
Amanda Smith, Steve Kapp (University of Kansas), Justin Smith, GSSW
Associate Professor Michele Hanna, Dan Herman (Hunter College) and
Herman’s wife, Beth Falk. Click here to watch a video of the performance.
Workshop
Explores GIS
& Spatial Analysis
Bridget Freisthler, PhD, associate professor at UCLA School of
Public Affairs, presented a workshop at GSSW on February 8.
The day-long workshop was entitled “Using GIS (Geographical
Information Systems) and Spatial Analysis in Social Sciences Research.”
Freisthler uses GIS and spatial analysis to examine the spatial ecology of
social problems, particularly child maltreatment and the development of
environmental interventions. Her research has been funded by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, and the National Institute of Mental Health.
disorders. Fine’s lecture was entitled “The Therapeutic Role that
Animals Play in the Lives of Children.”
Meanwhile, children had the opportunity to meet trained service
dogs, complete an art project and hear author Jon Marie Broz (MSW
’07), AASW, LCSW read her book, Bosco, the dog who was (once)
afraid of the dark.
The event also included beverages, hors d’oeuvres, dessert and a
book-signing. Proceeds benefitted GSSW’s Institute for HumanAnimal Connection.
scene @ gssw spring 12 3
Mexico
Intercultural Competence
and Social Work
by Clinical Assistant Professor Stephen von Merz, MSW ’03, LCSW-CO
As Coordinator of GSSW’s Social Work with Latinos/as Certificate,
I’ve had the pleasure of accompanying four groups of MSW
students to Mexico over the past three years. The trip is a key
component of the MSW course, “Global Relations and Poverty in
Mexico,” which I teach in Spanish as one of the requirements for
students earning the Latino Certificate. The course is also taught
in English by Associate Professor Lynn Parker for non-Certificate
MSW students.
The demand for social workers who are linguistically and culturally
equipped to work with Latinos and Latinas remains high, and I
believe there is no better way to learn these skills than by being
immersed in a Spanish-speaking setting. Because Mexicans are the
fastest-growing immigrant group in the United States, it is critical
for students to gain knowledge about Mexican culture at the same
time they hear, practice and conceptualize the Spanish language
in its natural environment. When they return home, the students
bring with them concepts of global and transnational justice, and
what the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
calls a “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and
fundamental freedoms.”
Offered twice each year, the Mexico course provides a mixture of
experiential and academic education based on the communitylearning model of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. Friere’s
educational philosophy holds that oppressed individuals must
play a role in their own liberation, and that, if true liberation is to
occur, the oppressors must also be willing to rethink their way of
life and to examine their own role in the oppression. Within that
framework, the GSSW course covers aspects of Mexican culture,
community development, historical patterns of oppression,
spirituality and liberation theology, global economics and policy,
as well as the role of indigenous movements.
Our two-week journey to Mexico begins with several thoughtprovoking lectures by academic scholars and community leaders.
Faculty from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
(National Autonomous University of Mexico) provide an overview
of recent political and economic reforms, and of the ways other
countries’ policies impact Mexico and its people. Members of
the women’s health community, like community social worker
Carmen Granados, address topics such as breast cancer, familial
violence and women’s rights. Granados also provides students
with firsthand information about her work with the physically
4 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
and emotionally wounded residents of the Mexican state of
Chiapas and on the border in Ciudad Juarez, one of the world’s
most dangerous cities.
During their time in Mexico, our students engage in critical
dialogue and service with indigenous groups, natural and spiritual
healers, local social service professionals and faculty members
from neighboring universities. We also explore numerous
prevention and intervention strategies being used to treat the
innocent children, youth and families who have been impacted
by the increased violence along the border—strategies that
include community organizing efforts, the use of spiritual leaders
to address physical and mental health concerns, and the use of
natural healers who create floral remedies to treat a variety of
ailments and diseases. Our days are packed full of activities meant
to prepare students for the rigorous occupations they will hold
when working with one of the largest Spanish-speaking groups in
the United States.
I’m proud of the commitment our students make to becoming
effective and culturally responsive social workers by building
relationships with people from different cultures. My hope is that
all people who work with marginalized immigrant groups discover
the value and richness inherent in getting to know people who
are different from themselves. Cultural differences among nations
often create misunderstandings and fear, but it’s how we respond
to those differences that sets the social work profession apart. I’m
convinced that there really can be “justice for all” if we learn to value
the things that make us both unique and diverse as global citizens.
Making Connections in Mexico
by Aaron Green, concentration year MSW student
Last August, I was one of the students who traveled to the Mexican
State of Puebla as part of “Global Relations and Poverty in Mexico,” a
required course in the Social Work with Latinos/as Certificate.
One of our lectures focused on how foreign policies and international
corporations affect Mexican policies and, in turn, the lives of the
Mexican people. We also began to reflect on how these policies
affect the lives of the clients we work with in the States.
One of the most impactful themes of the trip was making
connections between the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) and the daily lives of the Mexican people. I observed
that NAFTA created economic hardships on two fronts: First, it
introduced foreign competition into Mexico so Mexican farmers
and small businesses could no longer compete economically with
large international corporations. Second, it created thousands of
factories in Mexico where the workers make almost nothing and
work in very dangerous conditions.
These economic realities have resulted in mass migration. We
spoke with indigenous mothers, orphans and elderly people
who described how America’s economic policies necessitated
that they and their families migrate from their rural Mexican
homeland either into urban areas or across the border into the
United States.
While the economic situation
we observed in Mexico is
discouraging, we also had
several experiences that gave
me hope. We spent a day with a
social service agency that works
with “street children,” providing
services such as residential
treatment and individual, group
and family therapy. I had the
opportunity to join two therapists on a
home-based therapy session, and it was one
of the most interesting hours of the trip.
Although this family faced oppression
in every aspect of their lives, the session
helped empower the family members,
and they reported positive reactions to the
intervention. Even though I observed just
one session with just one of the millions
of oppressed families in Mexico, I was
encouraged that the therapists could partner
with the family to make a positive change in
their lives, and this gave me hope.
GSSW students visit the
Yohualichan pyramid near
Cuetzalan.
At a Puebla market, Aaron Green and other GSSW students
shop for food to be donated to the Casa Hogar orphanage
and children’s shelter.
Perhaps the most important element of the trip was gaining
a clearer understanding of the systems the affect my clients
here in Denver and identifying ways of providing culturally
competent social services to marginalized populations in the U. S.
Before visiting Puebla, I believed that many Mexicans were poor,
and this was devastating. But I did not realize how some foreign
policies have a direct impact on global poverty. Now I feel better
prepared as a social worker to critically analyze how systems of
oppression affect my clients, and to identify ways to effectively
challenge these systems.
Cuetzalan rooftops
where in the world is GSSW? spring 12 5
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
Costa Rica | Honduras
The Social Work with Latinos/as Certificate:
An Exceptional Learning Opportunity
by Frank Jadwin, MSW ’11
Outpatient Child and Family Therapist, Aurora Mental Health Center
Social work has a proud history of offering services to populations placed at risk by
economic, political and social factors beyond their control. In general, the Latino
demographic in the United States fits this profile. While the Social Work with Latinos/as
Certificate was just one factor that influenced my decision to attend
GSSW, it subsequently became an indispensable piece of my MSW
education and a defining feature in my identity as a social worker.
As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer when I came to DU, I already
had an adequate fluency in Spanish and a fair understanding of the
diversity and complexity of Latin American culture. But I soon realized
that becoming a culturally competent social worker for a group as
heterogeneous as what is categorized as Latino requires much more
than an adequate fluency in the Spanish language.
Katie Susman (MSW ‘11)
wields a pickaxe while
helping to dig water system
trenches in the Honduran
community of El Canton,
where holistic model
programming is being
implemented.
“Latino” and “Latina” are broad, umbrella terms representing a
diverse group of national origins, unique ethnicities and cultures,
and even different languages. While there are several characteristics
not uncommon to find among the Latino demographic—e.g., the
importance of family, respect for authority, collectivism, fatalism and
spiritual beliefs in partnership with the Catholic Church—even these
attributes exist on a spectrum, and no person’s or group’s experience
is identical to another’s. These distinctions are made even more
complex by factors like the number of generations a family has been
in the U. S., citizenship status and level of acculturation.
Although other classes at GSSW provided a forum to discuss cultural competency,
nothing quite compared to the depth and breadth of the multicultural and multilingual
learning I experienced while earning the Latino Certificate. The Certificate allowed me
to build upon my previous experience in working with populations with historical ties
to Latin America, helped me develop my clinical vocabulary in my second language,
and taught me how to tailor interventions to be more effective for my clients and
more respectful of their unique backgrounds.
Frank Jadwin
(MSW ‘11) gives a
presentation at the
2012 International
Symposium of
Nurses in Mental
Health in Costa Rica.
6 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
In my current position as an outpatient child and family therapist, I often realize the
degree to which the Latino Certificate has made me a better clinician and colleague,
and allowed me greater successes in community engagement. It has also opened
the door to unique professional experiences, like the week three co-workers and I
spent in Costa Rica recently, as part of an international exchange. We presented at
the International Symposium of Nurses in Mental Health, received intensive tutorials
on the status of mental health in Costa Rica, toured several facilities and mingled
with mental health professionals from 11 countries throughout the Americas and
the Caribbean. These types of opportunities not only demonstrate the value of
educational programs like the Latino Certificate, but are essential
in building networks to refine mental health practices in an age of
globalization.
As the number of Latinos in the U. S. continues to grow, there will
be an ever-increasing need for social work education to provide
culturally sensitive training to students. In fact, I believe our
profession’s current lack of preparedness for meeting the needs of
this population is alarming. Because providing effective, culturally
competent services is a complex task that requires ongoing
education and lifelong commitment, I highly recommend that any
aspiring social worker take advantage of the exceptional learning
opportunity offered by GSSW’s Latino Certificate.
Empowering Communities
Through International Social Work
by Katie Susman, MSW ’11, MA
Global Brigades Honduras Program Manager/ Research and
Evaluation Program Lead
When I graduated from the University of Denver’s dual masters
degree program in Social Work and International Studies last June,
I was confident in my desire to travel the less-beaten track to serve
others through international social work. Although I realized this
field was untraditional and not the most financially lucrative, my
passion for global social justice was unrelenting. Thus, green and
eager to translate my theoretical knowledge into action, I found
myself on a plane headed to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in July 2011
as the Research and Evaluation Program Lead for Global Brigades,
an international NGO (non-governmental organization).
Global Brigades is the largest student-led sustainable development
organization in the world. In rural communities in Honduras,
Panama and Ghana, we work in nine different areas including
medical, dental, water, public health, microfinance, business,
architecture, law and environment. These programs empower
communities to improve their quality of life through sustainable
development initiatives. Global Brigades also provides opportunities for cultural exchange and collaborative learning, and it
raises student and community awareness of the ways a holistic
model of development addresses both community and individual
strong Code of Ethics. I hoped to sustain these values in a future
career in international social development. I felt strongly that
international social development could best be achieved through
cross-disciplinary action.
As a community track student at GSSW, I was intrigued by the
relationship between international development and social work
in Latin America, particularly how community development could
impact individual empowerment and quality of life. My studies
sparked a strong interest in capacity building, research and
evaluation, and program development. In my GSSW practicum,
I conducted qualitative research and gained interviewing skills
with migrant farm workers and survivors of human trafficking.
My courses on social work with Latinos further strengthened my
intent to work in community development in Latin America.
We social workers constantly hear buzz words like “holistic” and
“empower.” As students we were encouraged to think critically
and analytically regarding non-profit organizations, leadership and
transparency. We reflected on topics of privilege and oppression
at great length. In the past seven months, I have translated these
concepts into action in a growing international non-profit, while
facilitating my professional growth as a social worker.
As the director of the Global Brigades Research and Evaluation
Program, I have the opportunity to conduct baseline household
surveys, lead research initiatives, support students in research and
create relationships with communities and institutions. Ironically,
statistics used to scare me. I scoffed that “social workers don’t
need to know how to manipulate numbers; we work with people!”
Now I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for data, numbers
that illustrate impact and data analysis that is one of the most
effective ways to prove that your organization is “doing good.”
Recently I was given the opportunity to serve as the Honduras
Program Manager for Global Brigades. This new role encompasses
program and staff development, inter-country operations, marketing,
management, reporting and facilitation of the organization’s holistic
model. I am constantly referring back to my time at GSSW, thankful
for the well-rounded curriculum and field experiences that prepared
me to work in the international social work field.
needs.
While international social work is fraught with challenges, it
provides me with an amazing opportunity to test my professional
mettle and personal fortitude in serving as a social worker abroad.
How did I come to choose this particular career path? As a prior
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) student, I was fascinated by the
discipline’s dedication to empowerment, cultural sensitivity and
A bilingual dual degree graduate, Susman earned her MA from
DU’s Korbel School of International Studies at the same time she
earned her MSW.
where in the world is GSSW? spring 12 7
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fresh Figs and a
New World View
by Clinical Associate Professor
Ann Petrila, MSW, MPA
Director of Field Education
and Director of Project
Bosnia and Herzegovina
When a friend in Bosnia gave me
a fresh fig, I wasn’t sure what it
was. Was I supposed to peel it or cook it or just bite into this fruit
that I had never seen before? Something wonderful wrapped in an
unfamiliar package—it is not only figs that fit this description in
Bosnia and Herzegovina (known as Bosnia or BiH). This is a country
with a confusing name, an even more perplexing government
structure, natural beauty, strong and humble people, and a history
both rich and horrifying.
Serendipity took me to BiH the first time in 2007, when I provided
supervision and agency development for GSSW students interning
with Project Bosnia, DU’s oldest international service learning
program. What I assumed would be a one-time visit was the start
of opportunities that I never thought possible. In 2011, I was
named Director of Project Bosnia and also taught GSSW’s first
MSW course on social work in Bosnia.
On that first trip to Sarajevo, I had no idea what to expect. What
would a capital city in Eastern Europe look like? I discovered a
welcoming, secular city where churches and mosques sit side-byside, where the ancient call to prayer rings out five times a day
and where peace-keeping forces are noticeable everywhere. Most
striking was the beauty of the city and countryside, although
noticeably blemished by the ravages of war.
I quickly learned about Bosnian hospitality, about the importance
of meeting over Bosnian coffee, and about the resilience of people
who were targeted for genocide and lived under siege for three
years in the1990s. The Bosnian sense of humor delighted me from
the very beginning.
Since that first trip in 2007, I have facilitated a formal affiliation
agreement between GSSW and the University of Sarajevo School
of Social Work that has led to a partnership with my Bosnian
colleague and friend, Professor Sanela Sadic. As a visiting lecturer
at the University of Sarajevo, I taught classes to Bosnian social
work students. In turn, Sanela traveled to the U. S. when she was
8 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
awarded a Kendall Fellowship through the Council on Social Work
Education. Our shared projects continue to grow.
the most evocative images—the keepers of moments frozen in
time that tell only part of a story.
For the first time in 2011, GSSW students had the opportunity
to take an MSW course I developed entitled “The Social Work
Response in Post-War Bosnia.” The students learned about Bosnian
history, culture, religion and politics, then spent two weeks in
Bosnia where, paired with Bosnian social work students, they
visited historically significant sites and social work agencies. The
students also attended lectures by University of Sarajevo faculty.
I see a life-size chess figure, its paint peeling from years of
weathering, waiting to be played by chess players strategizing
their next move. Beneath that, a sea of
aged pocket watches, no longer ticking like
they used to, but stopped at some moment
in time that was likely meaningful for
someone else. And the face of a Bosnian
woman, Rahima, her beautiful headscarf,
perfectly rendered wrinkles, a purposeful
gaze surveying the Bosnian mountainside or
perhaps the strangers visiting her village.
Our group stayed in old town Sarajevo—Baščaršija—and, by the
end of the trip, students could even pronounce it! I watched our
students fall in love with the beauty and people of BiH, even as
they struggled with the reality that genocide took place here in the
1990s while the world looked on. I saw our students realize how
much they had in common with their new Bosnian friends, while
also understanding that the Bosnians had experienced things
Americans can’t begin to imagine. Through their interactions with
the resilient Bosnian people, our students began to shift their
world view and challenge some of their long-held beliefs in ways
that happen only through international experiences like these.
In addition to teaching the MSW class, I also take Project Bosnia
students from across the University of Denver campus to Sarajevo
each summer. For eight weeks, these students immerse themselves
in Bosnian culture by completing internships in organizations
focused on reconciliation, peace and the healing of people still
scarred by the war. These students arrive in BiH expecting to be
productive “American-style,” but they soon realize the rewards
of working in a country where relationships are developed and
maintained over coffee.
My hope is to introduce many more students to Bosnia, once as
mysterious to me as that fresh fig, now a place I’ve come to know
and love. When people ask me why I go there, I can’t help but
think, why wouldn’t you go to Bosnia?
Through the Glass: A Reflection on
Project Bosnia and Herzegovina
by Kristi Roybal, concentration year MSW student
It’s been more than six months since I returned to the United
States from my Project Bosnia experience. But as I write this in
the space I call home, images of Bosnia surround me. Every time
I walk in the door or read with a cup of coffee, I see three of
Images have always been a powerful
influence in my life, obliging me to reflect
upon the power I carry as a photographer, the biases
and perspective I bring to composition, the ethics
and meaning of “seeing.” But it’s also an important
metaphor in my life as a student, a social worker, a
traveler, a participant in the humdrum of everyday
life. I will always look through the metaphorical
glass—through the bus windows, through the complex
layers of knowledge gained from life, books and an
unrestrained imagination, through the lens of my own
existence. While I’ll never fully understand the whole
story that belongs to some other person or place, I
find deep meaning in the fragments of knowledge I
allow myself to perceive and reflect upon. I find deep
meaning in the awareness that my “seeing” is caught
up in the very existence of someone or
something else.
Hundreds of traditional
Moslem grave markers on
a Sarajevo hillside provide
a stark reminder of the
ethnic cleansing campaign
that occurred during the
1992–1995 Bosnian War.
As I reflect upon the Bosnian chess
players, the broken down pocket
watches and a woman’s gaze locked
in my time, I see the inevitability of
only understanding myself through
attempting to understand everyone and
everything else around me. Regardless
of how long I’ve been back or gone, the
subtleties of daily experiences—those
from my time in Bosnia and those I will
freshly live tomorrow—all converge to
shape how I see in the world.
Photo credit this page: Kristi Roybal
where in the world is GSSW? spring 12 9
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
Northern Ireland | China
Associate Professor Eugene Walls and Jacquelyn
Eisenberg (MSW ‘08) at a “peace wall” that divides
Belfast neighborhoods. A tribute to republican hero
Bobby Sands appears on the republican side of the
wall (top), while the loyalist side of the wall includes
this portrait of England’s King William III.
Seeking Common Ground Director of Programs Jacquelyn Eisenberg
(MSW ’08) and SCG Executive Director Erin Breeze join Associate
Professors Nicole Nicotera and Eugene Walls as they tour a Habitat for
Humanity site in Belfast.
10 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
Social Work Practice in Deeply
Divided Societies
Northern Ireland.” Accompanying us on the trip were
by Associate Professor Nicole Nicotera, PhD, and
Erin Breeze and Director of Programs Jacque Eisenberg
two professional colleagues from the Denver-based nonprofit, Seeking Common Ground: Executive Director
Associate Professor Eugene Walls, PhD
(MSW ‘08).
The legacy of British colonialism in Northern Ireland
Students who participate in the MSW course we are
makes an excellent case study from which to deepen our
developing will examine the history and background of
understanding of issues of difference in our own society.
The Troubles in order to better understand the current
Getting outside of American culture and its pervasive racism,
situation, along with social work’s role in addressing
sexism, classism and other divides, enables us to more
issues between deeply divided communities. In addition
clearly see how policy, structural violence, political rhetoric
to meeting with social service providers, researchers,
and even art can become tools that reinforce and
educators and human rights practitioners, students will
maintain power, oppression and privilege. Over
meet men and women who have been involved in the
time, and across generations, stratification often
conflict, including former IRA and loyalist paramilitary
becomes legitimized and justified, and comes to be
personnel, many of whom have served time in prison for
seen as almost “natural.”
their role in the conflict.
The solutions for maintaining “the peace” between
The course will begin in Dublin, Ireland, examining the
loyalists (Protestants) and republicans
situation from the Irish point of view, continue on to Derry
The Irish emigrate, and—being Irish—so did I. My job-hopping
(Catholics) in Northern Ireland will
where the infamous Bloody Sunday incident occurred, and end
started when I came to the States for graduate work and shortly
likely seem shocking to students. There
in Belfast, the center of some of the most intractable violence
afterwards became dean at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
are “peace walls” in interface zones that
of The Troubles. In contrast to the conflict and divisions that
Far too cold there, I switched to the warmer Chinese University of
are closed at 6:00 p.m. to avoid violence.
have characterized The Troubles, contemporary practitioners,
Hong Kong. But feeling homesick for America, I landed back here.
There are segregated schools where
educators, researchers and other individuals have embraced
children from the loyalist community
a focus on peace and reconciliation. There are many lessons
grow up without ever interacting with
we will learn from the methodologies they have used, and
children from the republican community. And there
are currently using, to heal from decades of violence and
are segregated neighborhoods where residents will
conflict.
walk miles to avoid shopping in stores that are
closer but owned and run by the Other.
Along the way, we will be asking ourselves a number of
While American media has often simplified “The
and reconciliation work? What interventions at the macro and
Troubles” in Northern Ireland as a struggle between
micro levels have been tried within a society whose divisions
Catholics and Protestants, this deeply rooted conflict is not
have existed for generations? What has worked, and what
about differences in religious beliefs or practices, but rather
has not? And, finally, what does this work tell us about the
about differences between those who view themselves as
divisions in our own country and the role we can play as social
connected to the United Kingdom (loyal to the crown or
workers in repairing those divisions?
loyalists) and those who view themselves as connected to
questions: What roles have social workers played in peace
the Republic of Ireland (republicans).
Our hope is that students who participate in this international
Last December, a University of Denver Internationalization
responsibility as global citizens, broaden their understanding
Grant allowed us to travel to Ireland to develop the in-
of the role social work can play in peace and reconciliation
country portion of a future GSSW course, “Social Work’s
efforts, and learn important skills—both micro and macro—
Response to Macro-Level Political Violence: The Case of
that can be used in their future practice models.
experience will gain a deeper commitment to their
Dean Emeritus Jack Jones visits “old Beijing” in 2000.
Learning from the Globe
by Dean Emeritus and Research Scholar Jack Jones, PhD
My fascination with international social development, however, really
began in Asia. While in Hong Kong, I had an opportunity to assist in
training courses conducted by various United Nations bodies. Among
the most impressive U.N. agencies was the United Nations Centre
for Regional Development (UNCRD) based in Nagoya, Japan—with a
regional office in Nairobi, Kenya.
In the days of telegrams, mine went astray and under the impression
I’d been invited for an interview at DU, I flew to Denver only to be
asked when I phoned the chair of the Dean’s Search Committee
from the airport, “Jack Who?” But the outcome wasn’t bad, the
job-hopping turned out nicely, and GSSW hired me—possibly out
of embarrassment. Maybe the United Nations connection helped
a little. At any rate, I was soon able to use that link to advantage.
Thanks to a change in the American-Chinese political climate, my
visit to China in 1987 began GSSW’s relationship with Beijing’s
China Youth University, and led to a series of faculty and student
exchanges. Other research and training projects have followed.
When my days as dean were done, I moved to DU’s Conflict Resolution
Institute as a research professor and then, at Dean Williams’ kind
where in the world is GSSW? spring 1211
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
Botswana | Kenya
At the University
of Botswana in
Gaborone, Dean
James Herbert
Williams (center)
meets with (L-R)
Professor Rodreck
Mupedziswa,
Director of the
Department of
Social Work, and Dr.
Asfaw Kumssa from
the United Nations
Centre for Regional
Development.
invitation, back to GSSW. New research and training projects have
been launched, more advanced and challenging than any of GSSW’s
earlier ones. The first of these, a research and training project on
conflict and human security in Northern Kenya with Dean Williams
as the Principal Investigator, began in 2010. This one-of-a-kind
endeavor includes three partners: GSSW, the UNCRD Africa Office and the
University of Nairobi for field research. United Nations cooperation with
universities and other institutions is frequent enough, but one where a
university dean heads a U.N. research project is truly rare.
Palgrave Macmillan published our research findings last year in the book,
Conflict and Human Security in Africa: Kenya in Perspective. The data revealed
that the current causes and patterns of conflict in Northern Kenya are complex
and intertwined with ethnicity, environmental degradation, competition for
scarce resources and the influx of illicit arms from neighboring countries.
Cultural practices such as cattle rustling, along with poor governance and
political incitement, add to Kenya’s problems. Severe poverty is a major cause
of insecurity in the region. In fact, scholars believe that reducing poverty
by doubling income would reduce conflict by half. This is because people
who have lost their livestock to either cattle rustling or drought have few
alternatives. Lack of a stable economy and employment opportunities, as well
as easy access to guns, have led the country’s youth to engage in criminal
activity such as cattle rustling. That is why creating alternative and sustainable
livelihoods is so important.
Now that the Kenya project is coming to a close, what comes next?
Part of the answer lies in continuing the work of livelihood capacity-building,
started in Northern Kenya, but applicable to the entire country and beyond.
Opportunities are opening for other U.N.-GSSW projects in Africa. For example,
a research project has begun in Botswana, again with Dean Williams as the Principal
Investigator. Dr. Asfaw Kumssa (Coordinator of the UNCRD Africa Office) and I are
co-P.I.s. As with the previous project, the team includes a national university—the
University of Botswana, which Dean Williams visited this March.
Promoting Sustainability Through
Capacity-Building
by Clinical Professor Philip Tedeschi, MSSW, LCSW-CO
Clinical Director, Institute for Human-Animal Connection
The World Commission on Environment and Development
(WCED) defines sustainable development as that which “meets
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.”
Clinical Professor Philip Tedeschi stands at the
entrance to Kenya’s Watha Cultural Centre.
GSSW students in
Kenya remove wire
snares that trap
endangered
animals for the
bushmeat trade.
Kenyan crafters use the
wire to make and sell
“snare art,” creating a more
environmentally sustainable
way to generate income.
The social work concept of “person-inenvironment” does not lose any of its potency
when it is applied to the critical conservation
issues people face. On the contrary, at this critical
juncture in our collective efforts to advocate for
biodiversity protection, we must recognize that
empowerment of local communities occurs from
the bottom up. This means that our empowerment efforts must emphasize the practical
realities of communities where people work, grow
food, eat and drink, and go to school.
A community’s capacity to advocate for itself
and for environmental health is an important
measure of social justice, and the empowerment of local people
is at the heart of GSSW’s immersion service learning courses and
internships. These experiences help students develop the social
work skills and cultural competencies they need to assess and
facilitate solutions to problems within communities that are very
different from their own.
In the MSW course “Social Work in Kenya: Context, Empowerment
and Sustainability,” we collaborate with the African Network
for Animal Welfare to apply concepts of ecological economics,
sustainable wildlife management models and cost-benefit valuation to understanding the roles of local people, tribal structure,
government and private/public partnerships intended to create
GSSW is now deeply involved in the international arena, serving countries in the
developing world and committed to international social development. So here’s to our
shared global future!
12 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
For the past four years, GSSW has been translating this concept
into action through MSW courses emphasizing global practice.
Conservation-focused courses and internships are now offered
annually, in Kenya and elsewhere, allowing students to study
the intricate relationship between healthy environments for
people and for animals. This concept, which the
United Nations calls “One Health,” emphasizes
biodiversity and eco-system services as emerging
measures of community health and resilience.
Brick-making in Kenya
improved sustainable models. Unless sustainable alternatives
are provided to these areas, human-animal conflict arises as
impoverished people poach animals for income or to meet basic
needs.
In addition to removing snares used to trap endangered animals,
GSSW students work with communities to promote conservation
and animal welfare. For example, they helped introduce
community-building solutions like high-compression brick-making
machines that offer people a sustainable livelihood. Students also
have become friends, advisors and customers of a cultural center
established within Kenya’s Watha community to generate income
from ecotourism. Here, local members demonstrate and preserve a
wide range of cultural practices, native dances and basket-weaving
skills that provide environmentally friendly sources of income.
Social work and the supporting academic infrastructure can
support these communities’ efforts by establishing best practices
and evidence-based approaches that influence the way scientists,
researchers, policy-makers and businesses think about, and interact
with, our environment. The most powerful point of intervention
in the environmental movement is occurring with people on a
local level, a level well-suited for social worker participation.
The Watha:
A Displaced
Culture in Kenya
by Cori Noordyk, concentration
year MSW student
While driving through Tsavo East
National Park, one of the oldest
and largest parks in Kenya,
Kazungu suddenly stopped the
Land Cruiser and looked out the
window. He swept his arm across
the horizon in a grand and proud
gesture. “This is where the Watha
used to live,” he said.
MSW student
Cori Noordyk
in Kenya
I stood up through the opening
in the roof and saw the burgeoning river winding through an
expanse of plush green meadow. “Kazungu, it is beautiful,” I said.
“Yes, yes,” was his solemn response.
The Watha now live on a small square of land on the outskirts of
Tsavo East National Park. They were once a tribe who lived off the
where in the world is GSSW? spring 1213
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
Kenya
land, eating the fresh foods provided to
them naturally by their environment.
Now they grow corn in poor soil, pay for
their water and keep chickens in coops.
In less than 100 years, their entire way
of life has been completely changed. A
large portion of their cultural identity
was connected with the land and the
animals that surrounded them.
There are many parallels between the
way the American government and the
Kenyan government have treated the
people native to their countries. As a
result, the Watha and Native Americans
have a great deal in common. Because
they have experienced historical
trauma and displacement, many
native Kenyan people today live in
poverty and out of harmony with
their environment.
The Watha are experiencing more
than just displacement from their
original homelands. They are also
seeing the degradation of elephants
and rhinos, with which they used to
live in harmony. Poaching has risen
within the last 60 years, reaching
an all-time high in 2011. For the Watha, the killing of an elephant
or rhino always had deep cultural meaning; the animal’s life was
respected, and every portion of its body was used. Now the Watha
see these sacred animals left to rot with only a fraction of their
bodies taken away. Some community members have themselves
resorted to poaching other herd animals, like impala or water
buffalo, because their crops are not generating sufficient income.
Traveling to Africa and working side-by-side with the Watha
helped me gain perspective on the deep connection between
the environment and social work. Conservation of our planet is
imperative for the success of humans as a species—who happen
to make up much of our client base. As social workers, I believe
that if we are committed to conservation in the same way we are
committed to our clients, we will see a drastic improvement in
both our social and environmental surroundings.
Click here to read student and faculty blogs from Kenya.
14 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
An Africa That Never Was
by Jane Boone, MSW ’11
Director of Pawsitive Connection, a Freedom Service Dogs program
Africa holds a place in my mind that is one part fantasy, one part
history and one part reality. My journey into our modern day Heart
of Darkness began with a book. No, not that book, but rather a
series of fiction that swept Africa’s lands and rich history. I was
drawn into these narratives and images of desolate sand dunes,
rich dense jungles, and people who spoke languages that sounded
like nothing I had ever heard. I was captured by a history that was
fabulous in its brutality—and an Africa was born in my mind that
held within its borders the last place on earth that was untouched,
unsullied, un-Americanized.
The real Africa is not the Africa of my dreams. It is a land that offers
so many dichotomous images that it can be almost impossible to
wrap my head around this “real” Africa. The Africa that I came to
know through two trips to this incredible continent was an Africa
where I could pet lions and drink Coke; where I drove in cars down
roads lined with baboons; where the people sang and danced ancient
rituals wearing Nike t-shirts. This is the real Africa, and it is a place
that is not without flaws. This discovery created a new Africa for
me. Out of the shattered pieces of my idealized perspective came a
new understanding and a greater appreciation.
I traveled to Kenya in the winter of 2010 with a group from the
Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. We
came to study conservation social work, but in my heart was the
knowledge that I was traveling thousands of miles to live and
breathe Africa, and for me Africa is indistinguishable from its
animals; they are one and the same. What I found was a country
that was bitterly pitted against the one thing that defines it in
my mind. Kenya—the lion king, the great migration, the animals
—was waging a war. People plagued by animals who are plagued
by people. This idea was at first baffling. How could elephants in
your backyard possibly be a bad thing? How could these people not
see the beauty that surrounded them?
During our trip we traveled to a rural village at the foot of Mt.
Kasigau to visit the Rukanga people. It was this place—these
people—that define the contradictions that I struggle to unify in
my mind. I was the first to step off the bus as we pulled up to the
community center. The view of Mt. Kasigau was exquisite—one
of the most beautiful places I had ever been. It seemed that the
moment my feet touched the ground, I found myself in the arms
of a very enthusiastic, singing, black woman. I was swept up in a
series of hugs, kisses, tears and exclamations, most of which I could
not understand. It was a greeting that I will never forget, and I felt as though I had
found a mythical people in an untouched place.
We spent about four days with the Rukanga people, and not all of it was as
magical as that first moment. Our last meal—one that had been prepared for us
at what I can only imagine was great expense—was a celebration, a goodbye, a
thank you for our work there. We were seated in a semi-circle watching as the
women put the finishing touches on the meal, and a stray dog wandered into
the circle, drawn by the smell of the food. A man, a member of my mythical
imaginings, took a stick and hit the dog, chasing him away. Tears welled up in
my eyes—a hysterical desire to run to the dog and protect it taking shape in
my thoughts. I forced myself to remain seated, to bow my head and control my
tears, to laugh along with my peers. But this moment created a rift—how to
knit together the image of that first welcome, that beautiful moment, with this
single act of cruelty? To me, that place, those people and that experience, have
come to define Africa: a continent of great beauty,
filled with beautiful people and rife with cruelties.
Jane Boone (MSW ’11) shares the
joy of mud with a new friend.
Although that moment lives on in my mind as a type
of reality check when I get too nostalgic about an
Africa that exists only in fiction, it does not change
my deep love for Kenya. In fact, what I took away
from that trip was so much more than the sum of its
parts. No moment or single experience can describe
what I took with me when I left.
When I think back on our 14 days traveling both
across the land, and sometimes back through time,
I remember the bristling feeling of the elephants we
played with and how their drooping eyes seemed
to look straight through me. I remember walking
through the bush sharing ideas and exchanging
Boone learns the intricacies of using sisal to weave
baskets, an eco-friendly means of generating income
thoughts with the ANAW (Africa Network for
because sisal can easily be replanted.
Animal Welfare) staff. I can remember the feeling
of being surrounded by the sounds of the night and
how it made me snuggle further down into my blanket. I remember being in
the homes of the families we visited, and seeing beauty in the simplicity of
their lifestyle while at the same time being thankful for all the conveniences
I have at my fingertips. I remember walking through the slum—the smell, the
claustrophobia, the faces of the children staring at us.
Boone practices a traditional dance at the
Watha Cultural Centre.
Although my perception of Africa has changed to something more real and less
idealistic, I find that my love of Africa and my desire to return are not lessened.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I have taken from my experience is that, even if the
reality of Africa is messy and complicated and difficult to process, it is no less
beautiful for being real.
This article originally appeared in the ANAW 2011 Journal of Animal Welfare,
Vol. 4, and has been reprinted with the organization’s permission.
where in the world is GSSW? spring 12 15
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
China
GSSW in Sichuan Province,
China: Conservation Social
Work in Action
service-learning projects and field work in the urban areas
here that we would spend the next six weeks studying and
of Chengdu (a city of 14-million people) and remote areas
educating others on these environmental issues.
by Research Scholar-in-Residence and
and social challenges facing China and, in turn, the world.
of rural Sichuan Province. These experiences will allow the
students to gain firsthand knowledge of the environmental
Adjunct Professor Sarah M. Bexell, PhD
Today, no country operates in a bubble, especially when it
Institute for Human-Animal Connection
I have worked for the past 12 years in Chengdu, the
globally: air, water and soil pollution, emerging infectious
capitol of China’s Sichuan Province, with the Chengdu
diseases, food security, dwindling natural resources and
Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Throughout
much more. As the fight for global health reaches a tipping
this time, my colleagues and I have forged strong
point, I can barely contain my excitement about the critical
relationships with professors
partnerships that are developing between conservationists
at Sichuan University, Sichuan
and social workers.
Adjunct Professor Sarah
Bexell (center)
with concentration
year MSW students
Kelsey Holmes
and Samantha
“Sam” Rabins
16 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
comes to environmental concerns that impact human health
Normal University and many
international and domestic nongovernmental
organizations.
The conservation community has been working for decades
to turn the tide toward a healthier human presence in the
Our aim is to better understand
world, but thus far has been working in vain. We desperately
the
Waking up on our first day in Chengdu, Sam and I eagerly
gazed out of our balcony window at the unfamiliar view
below. It seemed as if all of the city’s 14-million people
had gathered on the streets below! Mopeds, bicycles and
walkers filled the sidewalks, while buses, trucks and taxis
filled the streets. To our left was an elementary school filled
with children; to our right, hotels and shops seemed to be
popping up daily. Straight ahead, where we expected the
mountains to be, there was nothing but smog—a logical
result, considering all of the activity in this busy city.
Although Chengdu is buzzing with people, it is also home
to the Panda Research Base, a beautiful green escape from
city life. Here the air seemed fresher, the sun brighter and
the trees bigger. Sam and I were fortunate to be given the
opportunity to work at the Base daily, with wonderful staff,
the
need partners in the social sciences, and especially in
natural environment and how
social work, community organizing and international social
it impacts wildlife health and
development, to help us better engage with all citizens to
education hut was directly across from the enclosure for the
human health.
protect Earth, our life support system.
one-year-old pandas, and we found their cuteness completely
In 2010 and 2011, I had the
The social work community is committed to human health
honor of taking GSSW students
and well-being, but without a healthy planet, it cannot fulfill
to China for six-week summer
its mission. I have great hope that, together, we can ensure
To our surprise, the most common question we were asked
internships. Now we are pre-
a future for humanity by protecting our planet and the
was not, “Why are pandas so darn cute?” but rather “What
paring for another exciting
amazing others with whom we share our land and waters.
are two social work students from the United States doing on
human
strain
on
educating English-speaking visitors about giant pandas
and their close relationship to conservation issues. Our
intoxicating: their cub-to-cub play dates, constant eating of
bamboo and talent for sleeping high up in a tree.
summer of work and learning
a Panda Base in China?” Our answer was always the same:
in Sichuan, and next year we’ll be offering a new MSW
conservation. By conserving our environment, we explained,
service-learning course in addition to the internship.
Entitled
“Connecting
Social
and
Environmental
Sciences: Biodiversity Health and Ecological Systems in
Southwest China,” the new course will focus on the
rapidly growing field of conservation social work.
Conserving Our Environment
One Panda at a Time
by Kelsey Holmes, concentration year MSW student
After four airports, two flight delays, one briefly lost piece
we can directly increase positive mental health in humans.
Think about it: Aren’t you happier on a beautiful day when
you can walk down the street or hike up a mountain while
breathing clean air? Yet climate change, overpopulation,
pollution, and fragmentation and loss of wildlife habitats
are having devastating effects on our planet. By educating
China exhibits some of the world’s most severe
of luggage and just seconds to adjust to Chinese toilets, my
biodiversity
human
MSW classmate Samantha Rabins and I finally arrived at
health and social stability already prevalent. Both
Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province. Earlier in the year,
the internship and the new course are designed to
Sam and I separately applied for an internship that focused
introduce students to the social, economic, cultural,
on vital conservation issues and their direct influence on
Learning about these important issues in an environment
health, environmental and conservation issues of
human mental health. Our shared interests led us to Dr.
like Chengdu was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both
urban and rural China. The students will have the
Sarah Bexell, Director of Conservation Education at the
Sam and me. Our knowledge will help us improve our world
opportunity to integrate hands-on research with
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It was
so the next generation can enjoy it as much as we do.
declines,
with
impacts
on
ourselves, and understanding the importance of “living
lightly,” we can help reduce these negative impacts and try to
rehabilitate the world.
where in the world is GSSW? spring 1217
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
China | Japan | Chilé
Research and Teaching in China
Conducted in collaboration with Dr. Li Yan Ping at the China Youth
University in Beijing, this study is a continuation of a collaborative
relationship with GSSW that began in 1994.
During my nine years at GSSW, I have worked on two distinct, but interrelated,
projects in China. The first is a collaborative study of everyday resilience among
Chinese youth, similar to research I previously conducted in Japan, Korea, Senegal
and the United States. I also created and led an MSW course focused on social work
in China. Both projects continue a research and academic collaboration between
GSSW and Beijing’s China Youth University that began more than 18 years ago.
The sample consisted of 1,292 youth attending post-secondary schools
in the Beijing area. The schools differed in prestige and academic focus;
along with two vocational schools, there were two-year colleges, fouryear colleges and four-year universities. We evaluated the risk factors
that contributed to outcomes of delinquency, internalizing behavior,
substance abuse and sexual acting out, as well as protective factors
that increased the likelihood of resiliency.
by Associate Professor Julie Laser, PhD
Associate Professor Julie Laser at the
Summer Palace in Beijing
Ann Howie
(standing in
doorway at
rear) with
health care
workers in
Santiago,
Chilé.
Everyday Resilience in Youth Projects
My Everyday Resilience in Youth (ERY) projects investigate the concept of
resilience, by culture and gender, by researching the factors that protect or
promote healthy development for youth, as well as the risk factors that are
particularly deleterious to youth. To best understand these protective and risk
factors for youth from each country, it is imperative that those
who know youth best are partners in the research process.
Therefore, my ERY projects are conducted in collaboration with
youth experts in each host country.
Researchers from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia
and New Zealand have found a great deal of commonality in
terms of protective factors and risk factors for youth. Yet, until
recently, virtually nothing has been known about resilience from
a “non-western” perspective.
I have created the two base survey instruments that the ERY
projects use. The Laser Ecological Protective Factors for YouthRevised (LEPFY-R) is designed to assess potential protective
factors and has 151 items, with responses provided on a fivepoint Likert scale. Questions include internal, family, peer,
neighborhood and school protective factors that a youth may
possess or have in her or his environment. The 114-item Life
Events Survey of Youth-Revised (LESY-R) measures potential risk
factors in the youth’s development, family, peer, neighborhood,
school and media influences. Responses also are given on a five-point Likert scale.
Both instruments are modified by knowledgeable people in the countries where the
research is being conducted. The instruments, with culturally appropriate modifications,
have been used by over 3,500 respondents in Ghana, Japan, China, Korea, Senegal and
the United States. Both instruments have good reliability and validity. As part of the data
analysis, male and female sub-samples are evaluated.
Over time, having a base survey instrument that remains constant enables me to study
resilience across cultures, by region and by gender. Modifying the instruments slightly
in each culture allows me to better understand resilience in each specific country. This
combination allows me to better understand both universal risk and protective factors
and those that are most pertinent to a particular culture, region and gender.
Howie (right) at Japan’s
Miyagi Prefecture South Nursery
18 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
Everyday Resilience in Chinese Youth
An investigation of youth resiliency in China has never been undertaken and is a
fascinating new exploration into the mechanisms of protective and risk factors.
Social Work from a Chinese Perspective
Social work strives to understand the person in the environment.
Similarly, as environments vary, so does social work practice.
“Social Work from a Chinese Perspective,” the MSW course I
developed and taught for the first time in 2006, provided students
with an opportunity to learn in the classroom about China’s social,
cultural, historical, political and economic characteristics, then
see firsthand how these characteristics have made Chinese social
work distinctive.
In Beijing, students attended lectures given by faculty at China
Youth University (CYU), participated in discussions with social
work students, visited social work organizations and important
cultural landmarks, and took part in a nightly synthesis of their
new knowledge and experiences.
After five years of teaching this course, I conducted a survey to
determine its long-term outcomes. The survey focused on my
former students’ knowledge about China, as well as how the
course has influenced their personal growth, world outlook and
development as social workers.
The survey results were very encouraging. Eighty-five percent
of the former students believed the course helped them better
understand others, and 80 percent said they gained better insight
into themselves. All of those surveyed believed the course
increased their international awareness, nearly 90 percent said
it changed their world-view, and more than 60 percent said it
changed the way they understand their own nationality, as well
as their level of responsibility as Americans and world citizens.
Ninety-two percent of the students believed the course helped
them become better social workers, and nearly three-quarters
said their approach to social work was different because of their
participation in the China program.
As these survey results clearly illustrate, well-organized international
experiences can greatly enhance social work education, deepen
and sustain students’ commitment to social justice, and have an
enduring effect on their future social work practice.
Taking Animal-Assisted
Interventions to Japan and Chilé
by Professional Development Adjunct Professor Ann R. Howie,
LICSW, ACSW
Principal, Human-Animal Solutions, LLC
As an instructor in GSSW’s online Continuing Professional
Development Certificate, “Animals and Human Health,” I’ve taught
a wide variety of human service professionals how to incorporate
animal-assisted interventions into their practice. Over the past
six years, our more than 150 Certificate students have come from
across the country and around the world. During the past year, I
also had the pleasure of speaking on this topic before audiences
in Japan and Chilé.
At the end of August, I made four presentations at the Japan
Association of Pet Dog Trainers (JAPDT) annual conference: Making
Accommodations for People with Disabilities, Using Therapy Dog
Classes to Prepare Animal-Assisted Interactions (AAI) Handlers,
Handling Skills to Enhance AAI, and Motivational Training
Methods. This was the first year JAPDT included training about
therapy dogs, and I was the only foreign speaker. I also lectured
on key AAI skills at the Kitasato University School of Veterinary
Medicine, and on manifestations of grief at a meeting of the
Veterinary Medical Association of Miyagi Prefecture. In addition, I
participated in strategic meetings with Japanese leaders in the AAI
and veterinary professions.
Out of respect for the efforts of the Japanese people to recover
from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, I donated part
of my lecture fee to replace damaged furniture and equipment
at Miyagi Prefecture’s South Nursery. The child-care center and
nursery school moved into a senior center after the tsunami
destroyed their building.
In January, I taught a three-day professional development course
at Universidad Santo Tomas in Santiago, Chilé. The course was
designed to train human healthcare professionals how to write
AAI treatment plans and work with volunteers who provide
AAI for their clients. As an advocate for therapy animal welfare
and well-being, I also provided training on how to recognize
behavioral signs of therapy animal stress, as well as strategies to
mediate such stress during AAI. The course was sponsored by the
veterinary school at Universidad Santo Tomas and by Corporacion
dos Amigos, a local group of volunteers that provides professionallevel AAI to various facilities in Santiago.
Find more information about “Animals and Human Health” and
GSSW’s other Continuing Professional Development options by
clicking here.
where in the world is GSSW? spring 1219
Where in theWorld is GSSW?
China | Israel | South Africa | South Korea
Doctoral Program Draws Students
from Around the Globe
First-year PhD student Lin Jiang completed her Bachelor’s degree
at the Fudan University, one of China’s top three universities,
then earned her MSW degree from the Chinese University of Hong
International students have been an integral part of GSSW’s
doctoral program for many years, and several cohorts in the
late 1990s were composed almost entirely of students from
outside the U. S. Although the 9/11 terrorist attacks sharply
reduced the number of international students applying to the
University of Denver for several years, that number has since
risen steadily. GSSW’s current PhD students include citizens of
China, Israel, South Africa and South Korea.
Lin Jiang
Jie Feng
Kong. Prior to entering GSSW’s doctoral program, she worked as
a registered social worker in Hong Kong and provided premarital
counseling as a part-time bridal consultant in mainland China.
Jiang’s doctoral research focuses on gerontology, comparing online
activities and computer-based communication among Chinese
older adults with that of their American counterparts. In addition
to examining social support and communication among seniors,
she’s also studying their civic engagement and online searches for
health information.
Third-year PhD student Jie Feng focuses her research on
multicultural-community practice, particularly women’s issues
and empowerment, as well as international program development
and management and social work administration. She earned
her Bachelor of Social Work degree at China Women’s University,
followed by an MSW from the University of Manitoba.
“Although I was inspired by my study experience in Canada, I
began to doubt that my passion for working with Chinese rural
women was sufficient to truly help my oppressed sisters,” Feng
explains. “Fortunately, I am now working with Dr. Jean East,
whose expertise in empowerment theory and community practice
has helped clarify a path toward achieving my goals.”
Feng’s professional experience includes two years as a trainer
and supervisor at China Women’s Federation in Inner Mongolia,
Sichuan and Shandong. With several scholarly publications and
presentations to her credit, Feng is a recipient of GSSW’s Enid O.
Cox Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, as well as DU’s Doctoral Fellowship for
Inclusive Excellence and Graduate Studies Doctoral Fellowship.
“I hope my future expertise in international women’s
development will benefit oppressed women throughout the
world through participatory research, in both the academic arena
and the field,” she says.
20 spring 12 where in the world is GSSW?
Jiang says she chose GSSW because of its excellent reputation,
diversity and international focus. “Being one of the PhD students
here is like adding wings to my dream of contributing to the
gerontology area of social work,” she says. “In addition, GSSW
has focused on the social work profession in China since 1994. A
course like ‘Social Work from a Chinese Perspective’ [added to the
MSW curriculum in 2006] is rare in the United States and proves
that GSSW is familiar with Chinese society and issues.”
After graduation, Jiang plans to seek a professorship at a university
in the United States where she can continue her research and
teach doctoral courses on statistics and research methods.
Second-year doctoral student Hagit Brandes is from Israel, where
she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Haifa University.
She also did post-graduate work in animal-assisted emotional
therapy at Oranim College in Kiryat Tivon.
Brandes is conducting research on the human-animal connection
and the human-environment connection, exploring how these
relationships affect human well-being and how they can explain
social problems. She’s also examining how interventions that
facilitate human connection to, and relationships with, animals
and the environment can offer solutions to social problems. She
plans to focus her doctoral dissertation on reducing children’s
aggressive behavior through animal-assisted intervention.
“As the field of animal-assisted practice is becoming more
widespread, it is important to me that I work with professional
leaders in this field and contribute to the scientific rigor that
validates our work with animals,” Brandes explains. “That led
to my choice to come to GSSW. As far as I know, it is the only
university that approaches animal-assisted work from the social
science perspective. I also wanted to work with Dr. Frank Ascione
and Philip Tedeschi in GSSW’s Institute for Human-Animal
Connection.”
Once she completes
her PhD, Brandes
says she hopes to
continue research
and teaching in
the animal-assisted
field, contributing
to the development
of this new and
exciting discipline.
student, I met the most awe-inspiring members of the GSSW
community, whose unwavering support and insight provided me
with a rich academic experience, including an intellectual and
empowering personal journey. GSSW’s faculty and staff combine
authenticity with kindness and compassion.”
After completing her PhD, Haffejee plans to become a professor
of international social work, continue her research and establish
a non-profit organization designed to “heal refugee women from
within” by addressing resettled individuals’ emotional, physical
and educational needs.
Hagit Brandes
South Africa’s Badiah Haffejee
(MSW ’11) received the Jean
Peart Sinnock Award at her
MSW graduation last June for
her overall contribution to
GSSW, commitment to social
justice and representation of
the social work profession.
Now a first-year PhD student,
she serves as the doctoral
student representative on
GSSW’s Advisory Council on
Racial Diversity and for the
student organization, Shades
of Brown Alliance.
Badiah Haffejee
Haffejee’s primary research
interest is immigration policy
and how it relates to refugee women. Currently, she’s is focusing on
refugee educational disparities in the American public education
system, particularly family culture/school culture conflicts. She’s
also examining cross-cultural challenges parents face when
interacting with the school system and supporting their child’s
education in a new country.
“I chose to pursue my doctoral education at GSSW because of
its excellent mentors and its commitment to local, national
and international involvement,” Haffejee explains. “As an MSW
Songmin Kim
Before he joined GSSW’s doctoral program, second-year PhD
student Songmin Kim earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics
from Yeungnam University in South Korea, a graduate degree in
counseling psychology from Keimyung University’s Graduate
School of Education and a Master of Divinity in pastoral counseling
from the Denver Seminary. His research centers on social
service delivery at the community level through faith-based
organizations, especially local Christian churches. He’s also
interested in integrating elements of Christian spirituality into
social work practice, and he’s exploring a community-based
research model that emphasizes collaborative problem-solving
by community members, academic faculty and practitioners.
“GSSW is one of the few schools that welcomes students from
other disciplinary backgrounds and provides an environment that
encourages students to pursue their own academic interests,” says
Kim, who is also a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian
Church of the United States of America.
Kim’s professional goals include teaching, conducting research on
the role of religious organizations in delivering social services at the
neighborhood level and working with local Christian churches to find
more effective ways of meeting individual and community needs.
where in the world is GSSW? spring 12 21
gssw faculty news
gssw faculty news
Recent Faculty &
Doctoral Scholarship
Book Chapters
Leversee, T. (2011). Understanding and applying typologies in the context of a
holistic model for the treatment of sexually offending juveniles. In Calder, M.
(Ed.). Contemporary practice with young people who sexually abuse. Holyoke,
MA: NEARI press.
Anthony, E. & Nicotera, N. (2011). The role of neighborhoods in adolescent
development. In R.J. Levesque (Ed.). Encyclopedia of adolescence (pp. 18691881). New York, NY: Springer.
McCauley, S., Nicotera, N., Fretz, E., Nickels, S., Agnoletti, C., Goedert, H.,
Neff, E., Rowe, T., Takeall, R. (2011). Civic leadership and public achievement
at the University of Denver’s Center for Community Engagement and Service
Learning. In N. V. Longo & C. Gibson (Eds.). From command to community: A
new approach to leadership education in colleges and universities (pp. 149168). Medford, MA: Tufts University Press.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Altschul, I. (2011). Parental involvement and the academic achievement of
Mexican American youths: What kinds of involvement in youths’ education
matter most? Social Work Research, 35(3), 159-170.
Faculty Highlights
Dettlaff, A., Rivaux, S., Baumann, D. J., Fluke, J. D., & Rycraft, J. R. (2011),
Disentangling substantiation: The influence of race, income, and risk on the
substantiation decision in child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review,
33 (9), 1630-1637.
Gilbert, R., Fluke, J., O’Donnell, M., Gonzalez-Izquierdo, A., Brownell, M.,
Gulliver, P., Janson, S., & Sidebotham, P. (December, 2011). Trends in child
maltreatment in six developed countries. Lancet.
Nicotera, N., Cutforth, N., Fretz, E. & Summers-Thompson, S. (2011). Dedication
to the public good: A higher education conundrum? Journal of Community
Engagement and Scholarship, 4(1), 37-49.
Nickels, S. N., Walls, N. E., Laser, J., & Wisneski, H. (2011). Differences in
motivations of cutting behavior among sexual minority youth. Journal of Child
& Adolescent Social Work, 29, 41-59.
Seelman, K. L., Walls, N. E., Hazel, C., & Wisneski, H. (2012). Student school
engagement among sexual minority youth: Understanding the contributors to
academic achievement. Journal of Social Service Research, 38, 3-17.
Peer-Reviewed Presentations
Sienkiewicz, M. & Petrila, A. A field education database worth having: A stateof-the-art web database that serves the field team, agencies, and students.
Nickels, S. N., & Walls, N. E. Differences in motivations of cutting behavior
among sexual minority youth.
The following papers were presented in January 2012 at the Annual
Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research in Washington, DC:
Altschul, I., Clark, L., & Roybal, K. What it means to be a leader: Conceptions
of leadership among low-income, urban adolescents.
Lee, S., Altschul, I., & Gershoff, L. The association of maternal physical
punishment and warmth with children’s aggressive and positive behaviors.
Altschul, I., Lee, S., & Gershoff, L. Father’s physical punishment and child
externalizing behavior: A longitudinal examination.
Bender, K., Thompson, S., Ferguson, K., Komlo, C., Taylor, C., & Yoder, J.
The relationship between trauma and substance use among street-involved
young people.
Ferguson, K., Bender, K., Thompson, S., Bin, X., & Pollio, D. E. Exploration of
arrest activity among homeless young adults in four U.S. cities.
Altschul, I. & Lee, S. J. (2011). Direct and mediated effects of nativity and other
indicators of acculturation on Hispanic mothers’ use of physical aggression.
Child Maltreatment 16(4).
Lee, S. J., & Altschul, I. (2011, June). Risk and protective factors associated
with spanking and other forms of aggressive parenting among Latino fathers.
Poster presented at The Global Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment and
Promoting Positive Discipline, Dallas, TX.
Lee, S. J., Altschul, I., Shair, S., & Taylor, C. (2011). Hispanic fathers and risk for
maltreatment in father involved families with young children. Journal of the
Society for Social Work and Research 2(2), 125-142.
Bexell, S. M., Xu, P. & Li, Y. (2011, November) Increasing success of reintroduction
of wild animals through public education. Presentation at the Giant Panda
Annual Meeting, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
Brisson, D., Jenson, J. M., Bender, K. A., & Williford, A. Person-centered
effects of the Youth Matters program: Results from a group-randomized
trial.
Bender, K. A., Brisson, D., Jenson, J. M., Forrest-Bank, S. S., Lopez, A., & Yoder,
J. (2011). Challenges and strategies for conducting program-based research in
after-school settings. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 28, 319-334.
Adams, R. A. & Bexell, S. M. (2011, October). Estimates of urban and rural bat
species presence and educational outreach in Sichuan Province, China. Poster
presentation at the North American Symposium for Bat Research, Toronto,
Canada.
Dettlaff, A., Graham, J. C., Baumann, D., & Fluke, J. Factors that influence the
removal decision in child protective services: Development of an instrument
to understand the decision-making process.
Bender, K., Tripodi, S. J., Sarteschi, C., & Vaughn, M. G. (2011). A meta-analysis
of interventions to reduce adolescent cannabis use. Research on Social Work
Practice, 21, 153-164.
Bexell, S. M., Tang, Y. F., Wang, Y. M., and Xu P. (2011, June). Overcoming
psychological barriers to animal welfare and wildlife conservation through
early childhood education. Presentation at the Asia for Animals Conference,
Chengdu, P. R. China.
Bender, K., Postlethwait, A., Thompson, S. J., & Springer, D. W. (2011). Internalizing symptoms linking youth’s maltreatment and delinquent behavior. Child
Welfare, 90, 69-89.
Ferguson, K.M., Bender, K., Thompson, S. J., Xie, B., & Pollio, D. (2011).
Correlates of street-survival behaviors in homeless young adults in four U. S.
cities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(3), 401-409.
Thompson, S. J., Bender, K., Cardoso, J. B., & Flynn, P. M. (2011). Experiential
activities in family therapy: Perceptions of caregivers and youth. Journal of
Child and Family Studies.
Thompson, S. J., Bender, K., Kim, J. (2011). Family factors as predictors of
depression among runaway youth: Do males and females differ? The Child
and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 28, 35-48.
Tripodi, S. & Bender, K. (2011). Substance abuse treatment for juvenile
offenders: A review of quasi-experimental and experimental research. The
Journal of Criminal Justice, 39, 246-252.
Brisson, D. & Altschul, I. (2011). Collective efficacy predicting experience of material
hardship in low-income neighborhoods. Urban Affairs Review, 47(4), 541-563.
Williford, A. P., Brisson, D., Bender, K. A., Jenson, J. M. & Forrest-Bank, S. (2011).
Patterns of aggressive behavior and peer victimization from childhood to early
adolescence: A latent class analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 644-655.
22 spring 12 gssw faculty news
Li Y., Bexell, S. M., Wang, J. P. & Xu P. (2011, June). Conservation education as a
tool for protecting giant panda habitat and minority cultures in rural Southwest
China. Presentation at the Asia for Animals Conference, Chengdu, P. R. China.
Fluke, J., Casillas, K, & Cappa, C., (2011, October). Child disciplinary practices:
Results from the MICS3. 9th ISPCAN Asia Pacific Conference on Child Abuse &
Neglect. Delhi, India
Boeckel, J. A., Ortega, D. M., Chifalo, M. (2011, September). Parenting for Latinos
in same-gender love relationships. 1st annual Gender and Love conference.
University of Oxford. Oxford, England.
Longo, J., Walls, N. E., & Wisneski, H. (2011, August). Religious tradition
and religiosity: Protective or risk factors for sexual minority youth. Paper
accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Psychological
Association. Washington, DC.
The following papers were presented in October 2011 at the Council on Social
Work Education Annual Program Meeting in Atlanta, GA:
Chifalo, M. J., Boeckel, J. A., Ortega, D. M. The experience of parenting for gay
and lesbian Latinos.
Petrila, A., Sienkiewicz, M. & Bensen, K. An integrated approach to field
problem identification and resolution: From “cradle to grave.”
Lippman, A., Thompson, S., Ryan, T., Bender, K., & Ferguson, K. Resiliency
among highly transient homeless young adults: An exploratory study.
Gilbert, R., Fluke, J., O’Donnell, M., Gonzalez-Izquierdo, A., Brownell, M.,
Gulliver, P., Janson, S., & Sidebotham, P. Trends in child maltreatment in six
developed countries.
Jenson, J. M. Promoting positive development in children, youth, and families.
Jenson, J. M., Brisson, D., Bender, K. A., Williford, A., & Forrest-Bank, S. S.
Effects of the Youth Matters prevention program on bullying and peer
victimization among elementary and middle school students.
Potter, C., Altschul, I., & Middleton, J. Using existing scales to assess child
welfare workforce characteristics: How scales fail.
Middleton, J., Potter, C., & Altschul, I. The relationship between vicarious
traumatization and retention among child welfare professionals.
In addition to the GSSW doctoral students listed as co-authors and copresenters above, doctoral students Sarah Nickels and Jennifer Dickman
Portz were co-presenters of the following recent presentations:
Fairbrother, G., LeSueur, P., Nickels, S., & Ramos, M. (2011, June). CHIPRA:
Demonstrating quality health care via school-based health centers.
Workshop presented at the National School-Based Health Care Convention,
Chicago, IL.
Portz, J. D. (2012, January) Translating the NORC model to address health and
social service gaps for GLBT senior population residing in and around Capitol
Hill neighborhood, Denver, CO. Poster presented at the Sixteenth Annual
Society for Social Work Research Conference, Washington, DC.
Jenson
Presents
at Oxford
Jeff Jenson, Philip D. and Eleanor G. Winn Professor for Children
and Youth at Risk, delivered a presentation at Oxford University’s
Department of Social Policy and Intervention in Oxford, England on
November 30, 2011. His presentation was entitled Effects of a bully
prevention program on patterns of bullying and victimization from
elementary to middle school.
Walls
Podcast
Highlights
Research
Associate Professor Eugene Walls
was featured in the University of
Buffalo School of Social Work’s
podcast series, Living Proof, discussing research that he and his team
of faculty, graduate students and
community partners have been
conducting on gay/straight alliances
(GSAs) in schools and the impact the
alliances have on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.
The podcast episode, School engagement among sexual minority students: Allies, alliances and academic outcomes, includes the implications of Walls’ research findings for school social workers, educators and
other adult allies of LGBT youth. To access the podcast click here, then
select Episode 89.
gssw faculty news spring 12 23
gssw news
gssw news
Faculty & Staff Highlights
Assistant Professor Kim Bender
received a grant from Big Brothers
Big Sisters of Colorado to fund an
evaluation of the organization’s
Student Success Initiative, which
uses data-driven mentoring
services in an effort to improve
student success outcomes such as
attendance, academics and school
behavior. Big Brothers Big Sisters
is creating a feedback system that
collects data from public schools
and shares it with program
specialists and mentors, both to
identify youth at risk of school
trouble and to celebrate youth
successes in school.
Bender
Professor William Cloud is
conducting a grant-funded
evaluation of the Denver
Housing Authority’s South
Lincoln HOPE VI Program.
Through demolition and
reconstruction of the South
Lincoln public housing
development, along with
various supportive services,
the five-year project is
intended to create a mixedincome community that
decreases
concentrated Cloud
poverty and related social
problems. Once construction is completed, the development
will consist of housing units for those who qualify for
low-income housing, affordable housing and market-rate
housing.
Bias
Hanna
Associate
Professor
Nicole
Nicotera is conducting a grantfunded research study entitled
“The Effects of Engaged Learning
on Civic Development and Wellbeing.” The research focuses on
first-year undergraduate students
at the University of Denver.
Associate Professor Debora
Ortega, Director of the University of Denver Latino Center for
Community Engagement and
Ortega
Scholarship, was a panelist at the
2011 Latino Policy Symposium
in September. Co-sponsored by the University of Colorado Hispanic Alumni Association and DU’s Latino Alumni
Association and Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME),
the Symposium addressed education, health, economics, civil
rights and immigration, and political engagement.
In February, Ortega received a CME grant in
support of her continued
research with historically
marginalized and underrepresented populations.
Clinical Professor Philip
Tedeschi, Clinical Director
of GSSW’s Institute for
Human Animal Connection, provided training for
the Board of the Greater
Littleton [CO] Youth Initiative in September 2011.
Created soon after the
Associate Professor Jean East received a grant from DU’s
Center for Teaching and Learning to support three curriculum
development innovations: creation of a new curriculum
delivery model for students in the foundation (first) year of
the MSW, development of new technologies to better integrate
field internship and classroom learning experiences, and a
proposed replication of GSSW’s Durango-based Four Corners
MSW program in another rural area of Colorado.
24 spring 12 gssw news
Associate Professor Michele
Hanna received a Faculty
Research Fund grant for a
project entitled “Exploring
Bias in Child Welfare Family
Assessments.”
shootings at Columbine High
School in 1999, the Initiative
sponsors only evidenced-based
programs aimed at reducing
youth violence. Among news
media covering the September
training event was the Los Angeles Bureau of the BBC.
Tedeschi also appeared on
Denver’s NBC affiliate, KUSATV, in February to discuss safe
interactions with dogs, after
one of the station’s morning
news anchors was bitten by a
rescued dog while interviewing
the dog’s owner live on-theair. The bite incident, which received
national publicity, has resulted in changes
to the station’s animal interaction policies.
Tedeschi also showed the video of the
incident in his Animal-Assisted Social
Work Certificate course to help students
identify the ways human behavior can
trigger aggressive behavior in dogs.
Dean and Milton Morris Endowed Chair James Herbert Williams, pictured at far right, co-chairs
the 36-member Behavioral Health Disparities Task Force of the National Association of Deans
and Directors of Schools of Social Work (NADD). The goal of the task force is to strengthen the
role, and advance national leadership, of schools and departments of social work in the effort to
eliminate disparities in health care and health status. The group is currently conducting a survey
of current health disparities curriculum content in social work programs, seeking funding for a
proposal that would provide resources for strengthening that content, and sponsoring a NADD
conference on health disparities.
Williams is also chairing the committee seeking a new Dean for the University of Denver’s
Graduate School of Professional Psychology. Former GSPP Dean Peter Buirski will step down next
fall from the position he has held for 20 years and return to the school’s faculty.
Staff News
Digital Instruction Specialist Ethan Crawford was re-elected to a two-year position on the
University of Denver’s Sustainability Council last fall. He also chairs the Council’s Transportation
Committee whose recent projects have included optimizing usage of DU’s BCycle bike-sharing
program, publication of a campus bicycle report and analysis for DU and the City of Denver, and
creation of WeCar, a car-sharing partnership between DU and Enterprise Rent-A-Car that provides
shared rides to students and nearby community members.
The Transportation Committee also spearheaded the addition of sharrows on South High Street
along the western perimeter of the campus. The “shared arrows” are painted street symbols that
protect bicyclists by showing them where to ride if there are cars parked along the street. Opening
car doors can pose serious danger for bicyclists, and the symbols help them avoid accidents.
Future committee projects may include the addition of a solar-powered electric vehicle charging
station on the DU campus.
Tedeschi
gssw news spring 12 25
gssw student news
StudentSponsored
Event Explores
Grief and Loss
Student News
GSSW Volunteers
Lend a Hand
What began as part of GSSW’s 80th Anniversary
Celebration in 2010 is now on its way to
becoming an annual fall tradition. On September
9, 2011, more than 100 student, faculty and staff
volunteers gathered at two Denver locations for
a day of community service. Designed mainly for
entering MSW students the first time around,
this year’s service day included returning
concentration year students as well.
A large contingent performed clean-up and
maintenance tasks at Ruby Hill Park, a favorite
spot for picnics and family gatherings in the
southwest part of the city. Still more volunteers
pitched in at the Denver Warehouse of Food
Bank of the Rockies (FBR), Colorado’s largest
private hunger-relief organization, helping to
package donated food for distribution. FBR’s
clients include the homeless, the working poor,
children, seniors on fixed incomes and people
with health issues.
GSSW’s hard-working volunteers were rewarded
afterward with a barbeque lunch on Craig Hall’s
sunny Shramm Foundation Plaza.
Students, faculty, staff
and a very enthusiastic
Dean Williams participated
in GSSW’s fall 2011
community service day.
26 spring 12 gssw student news
Students and
faculty members
celebrated lost
loved ones, both
human and canine,
in this Shades of
Brown Alliance
altar.
All six GSSW student organizations joined
forces last fall to co-sponsor “El Dia de los
Muertos (Day of the Dead)—a Mexican
Celebratory Perspective on Grief and Loss.”
Held on November 2 in Craig Hall’s Boettcher
Foundation Community Room, the event
was a continuation of the discussion series
entitled “Faith, Religion, Spirituality and
Social Work Conversations,” begun during
the previous academic year.
Day of the Dead co-sponsors included
ECO (Environment + Conservation +
Opportunity) Conscious, Graduate Student
Association (GSA), Multicultural Social Justice
Student Organization (MSJ), Phi Alpha (Xi
Delta Chapter) honor society, Queer Equality
Alliance (QEA) and Shades of Brown Alliance
(SOBA). Each organization created an altar
honoring and celebrating those who have
died. Event participants visited the booths
and, over dinner, shared their thoughts about
grief and loss.
(above) Clinical Assistant Professors
Stephen von Merz and Karen Bensen
welcome guest speaker Julie Marino
(center) from Denver’s Chicano
Humanities & Arts Council. Von Merz,
Coordinator of GSSW’s Social Work
with Latinos/as Certificate, and Bensen,
Student Services Director, provided
faculty support for the Day of the Dead
event.
(right) The altar created by the
Multicultural Social Justice Student
Organization honored “lives lost due
to inhumane trade and immigration
policy.” Pictured here with Professor
von Merz are (L-R) MSJ members Briana
Brower, Stephanie Noll, Gabriela Mohr
and Megan Devenport.
GSA Promotes Sustainability
This spring, GSSW’s Graduate Student
Association (GSA) voted to add a sustainable
purchasing policy to the organization’s
bylaws. The group hosted lunchtime
information sessions and organized a
petition that was signed by more than 225
students, faculty and staff.
The policy states, in part, that “prior to
purchasing apparel, promotional items,
catering or related items, GSA and other
student organizations will investigate . . . where
items were made, under what conditions and
how it benefits people in their environment.
Buyers for all GSSW-associated purchases will
select a vendor using their best judgment in
addition to a combination of as many of the
following generally-trusted certifications as
possible: fair trade, union made, made in the
USA, organic, and locally owned/made.”
gssw news
Display
Honors
Black
Social
Workers
In celebration of Black History Month in February, members of GSSW’s
Shades of Brown Alliance created a photo display in the Craig Hall main
lobby honoring Black social work pioneers. Associate Professor Michele
Hanna and MSW student Angela Sanders took the lead in creating the
concept and conducting the research. Rebecca Macey, a DU graduate
student in museum studies, created the design and did the printing.
Petition organizers (L-R) Brie Brower, Stephanie Noll, April Tuftee, Emily Weiss,
Katie Wilberding Cross, Megan Devenport, Aaron Green and Kelly Ann Shinn
celebrate the passage by GSA of a new sustainable purchasing policy.
“Our hope was to educate people about the long history of Blacks in
social work, and also to highlight the role of Black women.” Hanna
explains. “It was important to us that we show how far back in history
Blacks have played an important role in our profession.”
gssw student news spring 12 27
gssw four corners
gssw student news
Four Corners
Student News
Four Corners Program
Social Justice Events Create Dialogue
Offers
Licensure
Prep Class
Four events held during fall and winter quarters provided opportunities for members of the GSSW community to discuss
their shared commitment to social justice.
On October 20, DU’s Latino Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship (DULCCES ) presented a lecture by Kate
Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Entitled “Bullied to Death: Policy Responses to
Bullying of LGBTQI Youth,” the lecture attracted an audience of GSSW students and faculty, as well as a group of high
school students seeking information on how to start a human rights club at their school. Associate Professor Deb Ortega,
Director of DULCCES, was in charge of the event.
Kendell
S
The fourth annual “How to Be an Ally” workshop on January 5 brought together GSSW students, faculty, staff, alumni and community activists for an
evening of introspection and dialogue on what being an ally really means. The workshop was co-sponsored by all six of GSSW’s student organizations.
GSSW, the Graduate Student Association and Shades of Brown Alliance co-sponsored a program entitled “Anti-Oppressive Practice: Why It Matters
and What It Looks Like” on January 11. Speakers and discussion leaders included Hadidja Nyiransekuye, PhD ’07, Visiting Assistant
Professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD); Matthew J. Taylor, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the
University of Missouri-St. Louis; Mary Lou Makepeace, MPA, Executive Director of the Gay & Lesbian Fund
for Colorado; and Ramon Del Castillo, PhD, Chair of Chicano Studies at MSCD. Discussion topics ranged
from inclusivity to microaggressions and social justice in the workplace.
On February 7, DULCCES partnered with GSSW’s Social Work with Latinos/as Certificate program to present
a screening of The Longoria Affair, an Emmy-nominated documentary film by John J. Valadez. The film tells
the story of a funeral home in rural Three Rivers, Texas, that denied services to a soldier’s family because
he was Mexican American. The event sparked civil rights protests, but divided the town forever. Dinner and discussion
followed the film.
Conference Provides Food for Thought
Ever think that a key element of social justice might be what’s for dinner? That
was the focus of a March 3 conference, co-sponsored by the ECO Conscious
student organization and GSSW’s Insitute for Human-Animal Connection.
Nancy Lucero, MSW ’00, PhD ’09, LCSW, taught the class. An assistant professor in the School
of Social Work at Colorado State University–Pueblo, Lucero also collaborates with GSSW’s Butler
Institute for Families on research and evaluation involving tribal child welfare.
The Four Corners Native Advisory
Council initiated the plan to begin
offering licensure prep classes in
Durango, where they would be
accessible to social workers from
a number of tribes in the Four
Corners region.
“It’s rewarding to support such a large group of Native social workers in their commitment to be
successful on the exam,” says Clinical Associate Professor Wanda Ellingson, Four Corners MSW
Program Director.
“Food Justice seeks to provide people with access to culturally appropriate
and healthy food within a reasonable distance of their homes,” explains
Kristi Roybal, who took the lead in planning the conference, along with
MSW classmate Emily Vogl. Because inequities in the food system correlate
to inequities in economic and political power, the movement is particularly
geared toward people and communities of color.
28 spring 12 gssw student news
Lucero
Lucinda Morris, Fort Defiance
Division of Social Services Director,
says she’s working toward having
all of her MSW staff members obtain their social work licenses, as part of her Division’s strategic
plan. Morris and her staff traveled from as far away as Dilkon in Navajo County, Arizona, to attend
the class.
Entitled “Food {In}Justice = Social {In}Justice: Social Work’s Dialogue with
Community Partners,” the conference offered a forum for more than 75
participants to discuss multiple aspects of Food Justice, a movement aimed at
reducing hunger and poor nutrition by addressing underlying issues of racial
and class disparity.
Conference guest speakers included Sara Tedeschi, Wisconsin Farm to School
Program Director, and four Youth Agri/Cultural Interns from Greenleaf, a
Denver-based non-profit organization that engages youth in farming on
available lots in neighborhoods without access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
MSW students Ali Lewis (left) and Katie
Wilberding Cross founded “Social WorkIt” last fall for GSSW students, faculty
and staff who want to work out and
practice a healthy lifestyle together. The
group participated in free classes at DU’s
Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness and
met at Denver’s Washington Park to run,
jog and walk. Although attendance
dropped over the winter months, Lewis
says she and Cross hope to organize
additional group activities this spring.
ixteen Navajo Nation social workers
attended a two-day social work licensure
preparation class in Durango, Colorado, this
February. The class is similar to those GSSW
offers in Denver throughout the year, but
marks the first time the class has been held
at the school’s Four Corners MSW program
in Durango.
Lucero provided attendees with strategies for approaching the various types of questions found on
state licensure exams, as well as an understanding of underlying practice perspectives. She also
helped the students develop personalized plans for continued study and test preparation.
Pictured at the Food {In}Justice event are (front row, L-R) Clinical Professor Philip Tedeschi,
Cori Noordyk, Emily Vogl and Greenleaf intern Dwone Cooper, (back row, L-R) Sam Rabins,
Sarah Pellizzari, Sara Tedeschi, Schyler Lindekugel, Kristi Roybal and Jocelyn Durkay.
GSSW’s licensure preparation course will be offered again in Durango on July 13-14. For additional
information about this and other continuing professional development opportunities, please
click here.
gssw four corners spring 12 29
gssw butler institute
gssw bridge project
Bridge Project
Butler Institute
Bridging Language Barriers
Supporting
Military Families
with Child Support
Enforcement
Cases
Stacie Hanson (L), MSW,
and Robin Leake, PhD
30 spring 12 gssw butler institute
by Robin Leake, PhD
Director, Research and Evaluation,
Butler Institute for Families
A 2009 report by the Defense Department shows that
the stress of multiple deployments, financial issues
and relocations have caused the divorce rate for service
members to increase by approximately 3.6 percent for
all military branches. This increased risk of divorce also
means increased risk of legal child support issues.
Now the Colorado Division of Child Support Enforcement
(CSE) is partnering with El Paso County, Colorado, and
four Colorado military bases to help educate and support
active duty military personnel and their families around
child support issues. The project also seeks to streamline
services for processing cases and handling changes of
custody reviews for military families. The three-year
project is funded by a grant from the Health and Human
Services Administration for Children and Families, Child
Support Enforcement agency.
There are almost 18,000 child support cases in El Paso
County, and about 10 percent of these involve active duty,
reservist or retired military members. El Paso County
child support services are provided by Young Williams,
a private agency located in Colorado Springs, which has
traditionally had a large, transient military population.
Four active military bases surround Colorado Springs: Fort
Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base
and the Air Force Academy.
CSE has found that military personnel struggle to
financially support their children, make custody and
parenting decisions that fit with their job (particularly
for those deployed overseas), and access critical legal
advice concerning custody, child support payments and
parenting time.
GSSW’s Butler Institute for Families will evaluate the
implementation and outcomes of this project, as well
as conduct a needs assessment for military families
to gain a better understanding of the unique needs of
these families and identify support services necessary to
address these needs. I will co-lead this project, along with
Research Associate Stacie Hanson, MSW.
To read more about this and other Butler Institute projects
online click here. Also, visit us on Facebook.
Bridge Project
Case Study
T
he program model of GSSW’s non-profit Bridge Project views reading skills as one
of the most significant keys to the healthy development and success of the children
and youth it serves in Denver’s public housing neighborhoods. The fact that Bridge
literacy programs and tutoring consistently raise reading scores year after year seems
all the more remarkable considering the diversity of cultures and languages Bridge
families represent.
Currently, the Bridge Project serves children from 14 countries* outside the U. S.,
many of them recent arrivals coping not only with an unfamiliar culture, but also
with a significant language barrier. The kids’ native languages include Amaric, Arabic,
Chinese/Cantonese, French, Karin, Khmer, Liberian Kreyo, Maay Maay, Mandarin,
Spanish, Sudanese, Swahili, Thai, Tribal Somali and Vietnamese.
“We have an extremely diverse population of participants and families,” says Bridge
Executive Director Molly Calhoun. “In addition to promoting multiculturalism and
mutual respect within the program, our staff works hard to find tutors or staff members
who speak the appropriate languages to work one-on-one with students whose first
language is something other than English.”
Several Bridge staff members speak Spanish, and one speaks Vietnamese. Additionally,
Bridge participants who receive college or trade school scholarships from the program
are required to complete 40 hours of volunteer service per academic year. Because
these scholarship students come from backgrounds very similar to those of current
participants, they help bridge many of the cultural and language barriers these younger
students face.
To learn more about the Bridge Project click here.
*Bridge presently serves children and youth from Burma, Cambodia, China, Congo,
Ethiopia, Israel, Liberia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda and
Vietnam, in addition to the United States.
Late last year, the Center for Housing Policy,
research affiliate of the National Housing
Conference (NHC), chose GSSW’s Bridge Project to
be the subject of a case study. The Center works
to broaden understanding of the nation’s housing
challenges and to examine the impact of policies
and programs developed to address these needs.
The case study, entitled Using Public Housing to
Strengthen Children’s Education, was presented
at the How Housing Matters Conference, held on
November 2 in Washington, DC.
The conference was a project of the National
Building Museum, in partnership with the John D.
and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the
Office of Policy Development and Research, U. S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Bridge Executive Director Molly Calhoun, MSW
’05, was a participant in the conference panel
discussion entitled “Housing as a Platform for
Education.”
Bridge Receives
United Way Grant
In February, Denver’s Mile High Chapter of the
United Way chose the Bridge Project as one of just
11 organizations to receive a grant from its Social
Innovation Fund. Bridge must raise approximately
$120,000 to be matched by the Fund.
The Social Innovation Fund grant will allow
Bridge to increase both the quality and quantity
of its early literacy services. It will also enable
the program to expand research and evaluation
of its services, including comparison of Bridge
outcomes with those of children in public housing
neighborhoods without a Bridge Project site.
gssw bridge project spring 12 31
gssw development
gssw development
from the
Donor Spotlights
Director of
Development
& Alumni Giving
University Matches New Endowed
Scholarship Funds
We hope you will consider following the lead of these generous donors who have created new endowed
scholarship funds at GSSW. Their gifts will provide even more support for our students in the future,
thanks to DU’s current matching program.
Professor Kathleen Ohman, PhD, created an endowed scholarship fund to benefit incoming GSSW
students whose volunteer work prior to admission demonstrates their commitment to community service
and social justice. The Ohman Endowed Scholarship Fund honors her parents, Clarice and David Ohman,
and the many ways they supported her in her educational and career pursuits.
“My parents evidenced their commitment to social justice in many ways, including volunteerism,” Ohman
explains. “I want to assist students who have a similar commitment. I created the scholarship now for
many reasons, including the matching program that adds to what is possible for me to do.”
A member of the GSSW faculty since 1988, Ohman has been a generous supporter of the school for many
years and co-chaired the faculty portion of the capital campaign that led to the construction of
Craig Hall. “As faculty, we contribute to our students’ futures in many ways,” she says. “Why
not provide some scholarship support as we are able?”
In addition to her private practice, Margaret Roath, MSW ’68, LCSW, is Associate Clinical Professor
at the University of Colorado Medical School, where she has taught in the psychiatry program
since the year she earned her MSW. She established the Margaret Roath Endowed Scholarship
Fund to benefit concentration year GSSW students with an interest in clinical social work.
Kathleen Ohman
“I’m nearing the end of my career as a social worker, and it’s a huge concern to me that today’s
GSSW students will enter the workforce carrying so much debt,” Roath says. “If I can make a
difference for these future social workers, even in a small way, I want to do it.”
Margaret Roath
A staunch supporter of GSSW for decades, Roath is a member of the Board of Visitors, Field
Advisory Committee and Clinical Chair Campaign Committee. She received a Dean’s Award at
GSSW’s 80th Anniversary Celebration in 2011.
“When I learned about DU’s matching program, and also that my donation could be spread out over
a number of years, I knew this was a great time to create an endowed scholarship,” says Roath. “I
hope others realize just how important it is for us to support our students.”
The Gary and Teresa Yourtz Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund, established by Gary and
Terri Yourtz, will provide scholarship support for concentration year students with an interest in
social justice.
Dear Alumni and Friends:
As this magazine’s cover story demonstrates, GSSW students
and alumni are truly remarkable change agents, both here at
home and in countries around the world. Yet more than 90%
of our students have financial need that, if unmet, would
prevent them from accessing the quality education and unique
international opportunities our school offers.
Endowed scholarships are especially critical because they
supply permanent funding that strengthens GSSW’s ability
to compete for the most promising applicants year after year.
These scholarships enable us to attract students who have
demonstrated exceptional ability and dedication, and who
possess the potential to become true social work leaders.
With that in mind, the University of Denver has initiated
a matching program to increase endowed scholarships for
graduate students. The Board of Trustees has designated
$10 million of DU’s strategic reserves to match substantial
commitments to new and existing scholarship endowments
dollar for dollar. By leveraging new scholarship commitments
with University resources, this program enables GSSW’s
most generous supporters to double the impact of their
personal gifts, while establishing a lasting personal legacy at
the school.
The matching program is in effect until June 30, 2013, and
there are many eligible giving and timing options available.
Please feel free to contact me for additional information.
Our students are counting on you, and they truly appreciate
your generosity and support!
Best regards,
Co-founder and longtime supporter of GSSW’s Bridge Project, Gary chaired its Board of Directors for
six years. He was named Chair of the GSSW’s Board of Visitors when it was created in 2010, and he
received a GSSW Dean’s Award in 2011.
Terri and Gary Yourtz
32 spring 12 gssw development
“Terri and I fully understand the difficulty that the cost of this program creates for many students,”
Gary explains, “and we also understand the financial challenges they’ll face once they graduate,
especially in this economy. It’s our privilege to support GSSW and its students, and DU’s matching
program made this the perfect time to do so in this way.”
Lynda Ricketson
Director of Development and Alumni Giving
Click here for a complete list of giving opportunities.
Erna Butler an Advocate for Child
Welfare Research and Training
When Erna Butler died on February 2 of recently diagnosed
cancer, GSSW lost both a generous supporter and one of its
most devoted friends.
Born in 1922, Erna became a Marine Corps sergeant during
World War II, shortly after meeting her future husband,
Owen “Brad” Butler. The couple married in 1945. Brad
became a salesman for Procter & Gamble, but re-enlisted in
the Navy when the Korean War broke out in 1950. Over the
next 13 years, the family moved 22 times before settling
in Cincinnati. Brad rejoined Procter & Gamble, eventually
becoming its chairman.
When Brad retired in 1989, the Butlers moved to Denver,
where they immersed themselves in philanthropic work.
Erna served on the boards of the Colorado Symphony
and the Central City Opera, volunteered at the Museum
of Nature and Science, and helped establish the Touched
by a Nurse Fund at the University of Colorado’s College of
Nursing.
After Brad died in 1998, Erna continued to support a
wide variety of non-profits, including GSSW. The school’s
Child Welfare Training and Research Project was renamed
the Erna and Brad Butler Institute for Families in 2005,
reflecting a generous gift from the Butler Family Fund. The
nationally renowned Institute currently manages projects
totaling nearly $3 million, among the highest volume of
research, training and technical assistance for any group
at the University of Denver.
In 2010, Erna created the Butler Scholars program to
provide financial support for GSSW doctoral students
during their third and fourth years of study, including
support for their dissertation work. Erna received a Dean’s
Award at GSSW’s 80th Anniversary Celebration in 2011,
honoring her service to the school.
Gary and Terri are the proud parents of Erin Yourtz, who earned her MSW from GSSW in 2010.
gssw development spring 12 33
gssw alumni news
gssw alumni news
from the
Alumni
Association
President
2011 Alumni Awards
Community Service Award
This award is presented to an alumnus/alumna
who has demonstrated significant and continuous
volunteer involvement in major community
activities and/or charitable causes, above and
beyond his/her employed position.
Recipients of GSSW’s
2011 Alumni Awards are
(L-R) Councilwoman
Judith Montero (MSW ’78),
Robert Kelsall (MSW ’75),
LCSW, AAMFT Approved
Supervisor, and Youlon
Savage (MSW ’64), ACSW.
The awards were presented
at the Colorado Social Work
Month Annual Celebration
on March 9.
34 spring 12 gssw alumni news
Robert L. Hawkins Social
Work Achievement Award
This award is presented to an alumnus/alumna who
has demonstrated professional achievement by being
named executive director, manager, chairperson of the
board, etc., of a social work agency or organization; or
by reaching a level of prominence in education, practice
or politics, etc.; or by receiving national recognition in
the field of social work. This award is named in honor
of Robert L. Hawkins, MSW ’67, who rose through
the ranks at Colorado Psychiatric Institute in Pueblo,
eventually becoming the first social worker appointed
as its Superintendent. Under Hawkins’ leadership, the
Institute became a model psychiatric treatment facility.
The public service career of Councilwoman Judith Montero,
MSW ’78, spans more than 30 years. She has served on
the Denver City Council since 2003, representing one of
the most diverse districts in the city. Montero carried one
of the Council’s heaviest loads of committee work during
her first term. Re-elected to a second term in 2007, she
currently serves on Blueprint Denver, is Vice-Chair of the
Neighborhood, Community & Business Revitalization
Committee, and chairs FasTracks, which oversees efforts
to balance transit needs with future regional growth.
Montero is also a member of the Mayor’s South Platte
River Commission and the Mayor’s Commission to End
Homelessness.
Montero was nominated for the Social Work Achievement Award by Stephanie Syner (MSW ’06), who served
as Montero’s aide during Syner’s concentration year
internship.
Robert Kelsall, MSW ’75, LCSW, AAMFT Approved
Supervisor, has had an enormous impact on
social work in Colorado, not only on the families
he serves directly, but also on the therapists he
trains to serve families in the future. He has been
a long time volunteer for the Pro-Bono Project,
providing mental health services to those who
could not otherwise afford them. As co-owner and
co-director of the Denver Family Therapy Center,
Inc., Kelsall provides mental health and substance
abuse services to individuals, groups and families,
as well as training and supervising MSW students
who begin work toward the Certificate in Couples
and Family Therapy during their concentration
year. Kelsall’s previous honors include being
named “Supervisor of the Year” by the Colorado
Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
GSSW Service Award
Dear Fellow Graduates:
I don’t know about you, but when
I read about the incredible accomplishments of GSSW students and
alumni, both here and overseas,
my excitement about the future of our profession
increases even more. Whether they’re MSW students
enhancing their education through international
classes and internships, PhD students discovering
a wealth of new knowledge, or alumni making a
positive difference every day for people and communities around the world, their achievements make
me proud to be a social worker and especially proud
to say I graduated from GSSW!
It’s also heartening to see our MSW program’s
national reputation continue to grow, earning it a
new ranking in the top 11% of all accredited programs
This award is presented to an alumnus/alumna
who has contributed to, or served, the Graduate
School of Social Work in a noteworthy and
significant fashion, through personal effort and/
or financial contribution.
in the country.
Youlon Savage, MSW ’64, ACSW, has served GSSW
in numerous ways over the years, most recently as
a member of our Board of Visitors. He is a member
of GSSW’s Advisory Council on Racial Diversity,
which advises the dean, faculty, staff and students
on planning, implementing and evaluating efforts
to improve the environment and climate of the
school relative to racial diversity. Savage’s generous
financial contributions include the endowed
scholarship fund he created in 2000. Youlon D.
Savage Scholarships are awarded to students
annually based on academic merit and financial
need.
Association moves forward in the direction you think
A respected leader in Colorado mental health
care, Savage retired several years ago after a long
career as Executive Director of Adams Community
Mental Health Center. His previous honors include
a GSSW Dean’s Award, presented at the school’s
80th Anniversary Celebration last year.
If, like me, you’re inspired about GSSW’s future,
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to complete our
upcoming alumni survey to ensure that the Alumni
it should. Look for the survey postcard to arrive in
the mail soon. We’ll report the survey’s findings in
the fall issue of GSSW Magazine.
Meanwhile, please drop us an email anytime with
your ideas and suggestions, and also with Class
Notes for future issues of this magazine. We’d love
to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Jae McQueen (MSW ‘00)
Alumni Association President
Class Notes
’60s
Patrick Pei Chwen Hu (MA, MSW ’69) of Ft. Collins, CO, sent
GSSW an autographed copy of his autobiography, lovingly
assembled by his three children as a gift for Hu’s 95th birthday
last year. The book paints an inspiring portrait of a man who
overcame enormous obstacles to achieve his goals. Among
Hu’s earliest memories were the years of famine and nearstarvation his family endured in China while his father tried
to support the family by farming, then the 400-mile journey
the family made on foot in the winter of 1922 so his father
could find work at a coal factory.
The kindness of American missionaries eventually led to Hu’s Christian baptism, and he
has remained deeply religious throughout his life. After earning his BA, Hu served as an
interpreter for the U. S. Army during World War II, a post that later qualified him to come to
the U. S. for graduate education. He entered GSSW in 1948, shortly before the Communist
takeover of mainland China made him literally a “man without a country”—cut off from
his family and unable to return home. Hu credits Professor Dorothea Spellmann, another
devout Christian, with helping him through this difficult time.
Hu took a break from the MSW program, earning his MA in education from DU and
holding several jobs in the U. S. and Taiwan before completing his degree at GSSW in
1969. He served as Director/Coordinator of Family Life Enrichment for Lutheran Family
Services of Iowa and as Director of St. Paul’s School for the Deaf in Macau, China, before
retiring in Colorado with his wife, Edna. “Our lives are in God’s hands,” Hu writes. “He
has plans for every one of us, even this beggar boy.”
Mel Singer (MSW ’68), LCSW, received the Most Distinguished Clinician Award from
the Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work at the Colorado Social Work Month Annual
Celebration on March 9.
’70s
Pamela Crouch (MSW ’79) retired last November after 41 years in the CO developmental
disabilities field including, most recently, 32 years at Englewood-based Developmental
Pathways, where she served as Placement Manager. Her jobs over the years included
supervising a VISTA volunteer project in the early 1970s, school social worker when the
community-centered boards provided school services for people with developmental
disabilities in the public schools, case management services and, in recent years,
management/administrative services. Crouch began at the state when the state home and
training schools (now regional centers) were being de-institutionalized and the communitycentered services were developing. She says she enjoyed her jobs very much, but is glad to
be retired and looks forward to doing other things with her time and energy.
Patsy Hathaway (MSW ’74, MA) calls her social work story “From Jim Crow to Civil
Rights Activist.” Having grown up in the segregated south, she remembers separate
drinking fountains, segregated schools, blacks in the movie
theater balcony and ushers stationed at the doors of the
Methodist Church to keep the religious service “white.” By
the time she attended college, Hathaway had a growing sense
that this was wrong. After earning her MSW, she worked in
child protection for Denver County, then in the University
Hospital system’s pediatric clinic, JFK Child Development
Center and Kempe Center. An article she published in a
professional journal, Health and Social Work, marked the
beginning of her writing career.
Denver Mayor
Michael Hancock
In her late 30s and early 40s, Hathaway adopted two mixed
(left) with Patsy
race children. By the time her son was in college, she’d
Hathaway’s son,
earned a second master’s degree in elementary education
Alex Landau
and began teaching in inner city Denver schools. “Social
gssw alumni news spring 12 35
gssw alumni news
Class Notes
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36 spring 12 gssw alumni news
gssw alumni news
worker/teacher is a perfect combination for working with
these students,” she says. “Now, I teach about Jim Crow and
the wonderful lesson for children: Yes, it was terrible, but
look what you can do. You can change things!”
In 2009, Hathaway’s son was pulled over, without apparent
cause, by Denver Police officers who beat him unconscious.
Transformed that night into a civil rights activist, Hathaway
began a blog on police brutality and racial profiling. After a
long and highly publicized legal battle, Alex Landau received
the fourth largest settlement in Denver’s history, and three
police officers were fired (although one has since been
rehired). Hathaway recently partnered with the ACLU and
a family at the center of another high-profile case of alleged
police brutality in an effort to bring about lasting change.
“Getting my MSW was a seminal step along my career path,”
says Hathaway. “It is powerful to look back. None of it was
easy. But I am no longer on the wrong side of Jim Crow,
and I never have to wonder if my work is important. I am
changing things.”
Ron Langer (MSW ’79), LCSW, BCD, received the Community
Service Award from the Colorado Society for Clinical Social
Work at the Colorado Social Work Month Annual Celebration
on March 9.
Major Arthur P. Moser (MSW, PhD ’76),
USAF (Ret.), took special interest in our
Fall 2011 cover story on social work in
the military. Because he already had
been on active duty as an MSW social
worker, Moser’s PhD studies were fully
funded by the Air Force. He notes that
Col. James L. Jenkins (PhD ’74), USAF
(Ret.), was the only Air Force social
worker to precede him in GSSW’s
doctoral program.
Moser helped establish the first tri-service alcohol and drug
treatment center in Bethesda, MD, where he was primary
therapist to a number of Congressmen and members of
Presidents’ families, as well as higher ranking active duty
personnel. Moser went on to head the largest treatment center
in the Air Force at Sheppard AFB, where he also wrote the
primary regulations for treatment centers on behalf of the Air
Force Surgeon General. Moser completed his military career by
serving in Operation Desert Storm, where he headed a combat
stress field medical unit in the United Arab Emirates.
After retiring from the Air Force, Moser worked in the
first private minimum-security prison in the western U.S.,
which became a treatment model for correctional facilities.
Subsequently he moved to Washington, DC, with his wife,
an architect who headed the group rebuilding the wing of
the Pentagon that was destroyed in 9/11. Moser’s treatment
program for drug-addicted inmates in Virginia’s Arlington
County Jail has a one-year success rate that exceeds 75%,
making the program a treatment model for jails across the U. S.
“I have much to be grateful for from the military for the
experiences and educational opportunities it afforded me,
and I appreciate my education at DU in this regard,” says
Moser. “I am available to any student who would like more
information.”
’80s
Another graduate with strong military ties is Pat DavisHacker (MSW ’88), LCSW, of Yorktown, VA, whose career has
included service to active duty personnel and their families
in the area of domestic violence, and work with active duty
Army personnel regarding pre- and post-deployment issues
like PTSD. She’s also provided day treatment to adolescents
in two inner-city school systems. Currently a doctoral
candidate, Davis-Hacker achieved a 4.0 GPA in her coursework,
successfully completed her comprehensive exams and hopes
to finish her dissertation by fall. She returned home to South
Dakota last summer to conduct part of her dissertation
research.
Davis-Hacker’s husband served in the U. S. Navy for 18 years,
and the family lived in many locations throughout the U.
S., as well as in Japan and Egypt. After her husband’s 2003
suicide rocked the family to its core, Davis-Hacker and her
three children had to deal not only with grief and loss, but
also with the stigma associated with losing a loved one to
suicide. Davis-Hacker says her professional and personal goals
are to continue working with other “survivors of suicide” and
helping eradicate that stigma.
Davis-Hacker says her most rewarding experience has been
seeing both her daughters graduate from college with honors,
Cassandra from DU in 2007 and Caryn from Durango’s Ft.
Lewis College last April. Cassandra also served in the U. S.
Army. Davis-Hacker’s son, Christopher, is a high school
senior.
“Being a Native American female raised with both
contemporary and traditional values, the road to academic
success and achievement has been difficult,” Davis-Hacker
says. “However, with pride, perseverance, a love and
appreciation for education, the rewards and blessings we have
received have far outweighed the difficulties and challenges
that life has thrown our family.”
The U. S. Army sponsored the GSSW doctoral education of
T. Paul Furukawa (PhD ’81), whose studies focused on domestic
violence prevention and intervention and multi-disciplinary
responses to child maltreatment in military settings. In addition
to co-creating and teaching courses on social work with Asian
Americans and domestic violence, Furukawa co-chaired the
student/faculty commission that recommended GSSW change
its doctoral degree from DSW to PhD.
After graduation, Furukawa served as an Army social work
officer for over 20 years. He headed part of a study by the
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research that demonstrated
that military units that train and remain together perform
better and experience fewer stress casualties; these
principles are now an accepted part of military planning
in reservist and guard units. Furukawa’s most unusual
assignment was to create and staff mental health services
for Americans in Iran in the mid-1970s, including over 5,000
family members. His intervention and prevention programs
were so successful that there were no losses among dozens
of potentially suicidal active duty and family members, a
record unmatched in military Europe/Middle East social
services.
After retiring from the military, Furukawa joined the
University of Hawaii faculty. As a member of CSWE’s Board
of Directors, he helped establish the organization’s first
website and e-mail account, began online dissemination of
accreditation reports and helped initiate CSWE sponsorship
of national conferences on services to minority Americans.
Furukawa later developed police/civilian crisis response
teams to follow up on domestic violence reports in San
Antonio, TX, served as president of the state’s NASW
chapter and has served on the Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services Council since 2006. The author of
many peer-reviewed journal articles, Furukawa also serves
on the Board of Directors of Crosspoint, a transitional living
service for federal offenders, and he’s Executive Director
of the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential, a
summer camp for fragile special needs children that has
administrative offices at Lackland Air Force Base.
’90s
John J. Bucholtz (MSW ’98) and
his wife, Laura Owen (MSW
’98), of San Diego, CA, say they
were delighted to read the Fall
2011 cover story, “Social Work
in the Service,” and to learn
that so many GSSW students
are interested in pursuing social
work careers supporting service
members, veterans and their
families. Bucholtz and Owen
were both commissioned as
military social workers with the U. S. Air Force immediately
after graduation. After serving during a time of war, they
went on to careers with the U. S. Department of Homeland
Security and, most recently, have managed programs for
the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “I truly believe my
success as a social worker is a direct result of the education I
received at DU,” writes Bucholtz. “I am now teaching military
social work and social work policy at University of Southern
California’s School of Social Work and am trying to mimic
everything Professors Moran, Molidor and Tedeschi taught
me!”
Belina Nassi Fruitman (MSW ’95), LCSW, CACIII,
continues to teach as an affiliate professor of social work
at Metropolitan State College of Denver. She also runs a
Denver-based program called A Woman’s Way to Recovery
that specializes in gender-specific treatment and DUI
programming for women. To learn more please click here.
“Of course,” Fruitman says, “my most important job is
raising my two awesome kids!”
’00s
Jamie Gulick (MSW ’07) is Pro Bono Outreach Program
Manager at the Denver-based non-profit, Mental Health
America of Colorado (MHAC), overseeing an effort
to provide counseling to those who are uninsured or
underinsured. The program works with volunteer Masters
level therapists, both licensed and in licensure candidacy,
who provide mental health services at the non-profit or
at their own private practice. MHAC provides licensure
candidates with a pro bono LCSW supervisor. For more
information please click here.
In Memoriam
Theodore Edward “Ted” Bauch (MSW ’68) of Sturgeon Bay, WI, died on December 11,
2011, at the age of 76. He was employed at Wisconsin’s Brown County Mental Health
Center, where his duties included outreach services to Door County. Later, Bauch became
the full-time Mental Health Coordinator for the Door County Unified Board (now known
as the Department of Community Services). He subsequently became the Program Director
until his retirement in 1995.
Daniel J. Gossert (MSW ’62), MPH, of Westminster, CO, died at his home on August
10, 2011. He was 76. A polio survivor who used crutches or a wheelchair for 60 years,
Gossert devoted his life to advocating for health aid for children with disabilities and for
their families. As Director of the Family Services Division at the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment for 18 years, he was involved in women’s and infants’
health programs for people with low incomes, family planning, newborn screening, and
programs for children with special needs. Gossert testified before the CO legislature and
the U. S. Congress, and he helped found the Rivendell School for children with disabilities. Pre-deceased by
one brother and by his wife of 36 years, Virginia Gordon Gossert, Daniel Gossert is survived by two brothers,
five sisters, his partner Marlene Wiske, her three children and four grandchildren.
Ardis M. (Feye) Heine (MSW ’66) of Fresno, CA, died on August 24, 2011, at the age of
68. She began her professional career as a social worker with Lutheran Social Services in
Omaha, NE. She and her husband, Lyman H. Heine, Jr., moved to Fresno in 1968, where
she worked in adoption services for Lutheran Social Services. In 1974, Heine accepted
a clinical social work position with Fresno County Children’s Mental Health, where she
worked for 30 years. After her retirement in 2004, she began a private practice that
continued until 2010. Heine was a member of the Society of Clinical Social Workers and
the National Association of Social Workers.
Survivors include her mother, sister, brother-in-law and two nephews. The family requests that memorial
donations be made to a charity of your choice.
Mary Krane (MSW ’71) died on November 6, 2011, at age 66. As Executive Director of
GSSW’s Bridge Project from 1997 to 2010, Krane dramatically increased the program’s
presence in the lives of children and their families in Denver’s public housing neighborhoods,
and Bridge expanded from one site to four sites under her leadership. Previously, Krane
had a long career with the City and County of Denver, beginning as a caseworker in 1967
and concluding with eight years as Manager of the Department of Social Services and
member of then-Mayor Federico Peña’s cabinet. During the two years before she joined
the Bridge Project, Krane served as Director of the Denver Ear Institute. A member of numerous non-profit
boards, she chaired the Lions Club Social Services Committee, and she cofounded the Colorado Alliance for
the Mentally Ill, serving as its president for two years. Krane’s honors include the 2009 Wall of Fame Award
from the Denver Housing Authority for her efforts to bring education resources to residents and encourage
the attainment of a higher education. She also received GSSW’s 2009 Service Award.
Pre-deceased by her parents and one brother, Krane is survived by two sisters, a brother and a niece, and by
her lifelong companion, Sigmund Krane. A memorial service was held on November 12 on the University of
Denver campus. Memorial donations may be made to the Mary C. Krane Endowment Fund at the University of
Denver Graduate School of Social Work Bridge Project, 2148 So. High Street, Denver, CO 80208.
Felecia Mahaffie (MSW ’97) passed away July 26, 2011. She was 49. A longtime
counselor for troubled youth, Mahaffie worked for 18 years at Mount St. Vincent Home,
a Denver facility for children with mental illness and those who are victims of child
abuse, neglect or trauma. Born with scoliosis (curvature of the spine), Mahaffie was just
over four-and-a-half feet tall, making her shorter than many of the young people she
counseled. Earlier in her career, she taught English in Japan and worked as a counselor at
Samaritan House, a homeless shelter in downtown Denver.
In 2007, Mahaffie earned the Animals and Human Health Certificate through GSSW’s Continuing
Professional Development program and, at the time of her death, was in the process of establishing an
equine-assisted therapy program. A fund for the support of animal-assisted therapy has been set up in her
honor at Mount St. Vincent Home.
Mahaffie is survived by her mother and two sisters.
George Edward “Geordie” Pease (MSW ’84), MA, passed away on July 2, 2011, after a prolonged
illness. He was 71. Born and raised in Denver, he completed his first master’s degree in urban and regional
planning, and he served as chairman of the Greater Park Hill Community. Pease spent the remainder of
his career as an addictions social worker, which he found both rewarding and challenging. He appeared
in Denver clubs and coffee houses as a folksinger in the early 1960s, and his love of music continued
throughout his life. Pease is survived by his wife of 41 years, Patricia, a son and two brothers.
gssw alumni news spring 12 37
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The Last Word
Flashmob
(flæ∫_mäb) noun – GSSW’s best-kept secret
The mysterious flyers began appearing around Craig Hall just
before the holidays: “DWD 2.0,” they read, providing two dates
in January when students, faculty and staff were to gather on the
Schramm Foundation Plaza just outside Craig Hall’s main entrance.
“What’s that all about?” people wondered aloud. It turns out that
a good-sized (and very sneaky) contingent of them already knew!
Those who assembled on the sunny plaza around lunchtime
on January 6 found speakers blaring Lady Gaga while various
camera-toting staff took up positions nearby. Once a crowd had
gathered, the music abruptly switched to “Bing, Bang, Boom” by
country music band, Highway 101. Four people immediately began
to line-dance, oddly enough in perfect unison. Seconds later, two
more joined in, and then another four. No sooner would someone
ask the person beside them “What’s going on?” than that person
would join the dance, too. Finally Dean Williams made a grand
entrance through the door from the lobby, eliciting cheers as he
fell right in step. The flashmob, onlookers finally learned, was
a lavishly produced invitation to the second “Dancing with the
Dean” event, to be held just over a month later.
The mob, which repeated its performance four days later, was
organized in early November by Associate Professor Eugene
Walls. Dance lessons and rehearsals took place in secret over the
next two months—small groups meeting during lunch breaks,
after work and even on weekends–all without a single leak
to “outsiders” about what was to come. Amazingly enough,
considering their stellar execution, the full group had never once
performed together until–Bing, Bang, Boom!–the flashmob
took over the plaza!
Share the fun by watching the videos.
Denver, CO
Permit No. 321