Meet Andrew C. Schoeneman, Ph.D. candidate
Schoeneman’s interests lie in contributing to a deeper understanding of collaboration, mobilization and organizing within and among communities. His dissertation, “Collaboration Between Communities and Legal Aid Organizations: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study,” funded in part by the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia, explores attorneys’ and client community members’ perceptions and experiences related to collaboration.
Of particular interest to Schoeneman is how expertise, professionalization and nonprofit organizations facilitate or constrain collective social change efforts. Other research has included examination of the different approaches to nonprofit management education across social work, public administration and business, and how these are connected to the core values of each discipline.
As communities continue to struggle with the effects of war, inequality and unemployment, Schoeneman will explore innovative, translational and participatory research strategies that connect social work scholarship and practice to stakeholder communities and other disciplines. His scholarship and teaching will be geared toward building more effective partnerships in the imagination and pursuit of new paths toward social and economic well-being.
Schoeneman currently works as an adjunct instructor and curriculum transformation coordinator in the VCU School of Social Work. He has taught classes in organizing for social change, human service organizations and communication in the helping process. In the future, he hopes to develop service-learning and other opportunities for students to engage with communities in experiential and collaborative learning.
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