Hero of the Game: Athletics honors Frank Baskind
Frank Baskind, Ph.D., dean emeritus and professor in the VCU School of Social Work, was honored in December by VCU Athletics as a Hero of the Game.
Dr. Baskind, who has been at VCU since 1992 and served as dean of the school from 1992-2008, was recognized Dec. 30, 2023, when VCU hosted Gardner-Webb in men’s basketball at the Siegel Center.
Dr. Baskind served 22 years with the U.S. Army, first as a first lieutenant in Vietnam as the battalion adjutant for the 269th Combat Aviation Battalion in Cu Chi, Republic of Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star for service and continued his career in the U.S. Army Reserves, serving as executive officer for the 489th Civil Affairs Company in Knoxville, Tennessee, followed by an assignment as company commander of the 411th Civil Affairs Company in West Hartford, Connecticut.
He retired in the Army Reserves with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Appointed in January 1992 by then-VCU President Eugene Trani as social work dean, Dr. Baskind went on to serve as VCU ombudsman from 2008-2013. He is currently instructing graduate courses in the School of Social Work and will retire in May 2024 after 32 years of service.
Dr. Baskind was at Southern Connecticut State University, where he was dean of the School of Social Work and then the founding dean of the School of Social Work and Human Services. He also was the founding director of the undergraduate social work program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and served in the positions of president of the board of directors of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and chairperson of the Commission on Accreditation for CSWE.
VCU’s Hero of the Game promotion is sponsored by USA Iron and Metal.
Categories Awards and honors, Community, Faculty and staff