It takes two: Summer Jones is the name to know for social work Commencement
Spring Commencement for the VCU School of Social Work had a distinctly Summer feel to it in 2022. Among the nearly 300 graduates who received degrees on May 13 at the Siegel Center, two stood out in the list of graduates: Summer Jones and … Summer Jones. That was not a typo. Summer Caroline Jones […]
New Ph.D. graduate Shenita Williams brings school social work experience to role as assistant professor
Shenita Williams, Ph.D., brings plenty of practical experience to her new role as an assistant professor in teaching in the VCU School of Social Work – not to mention a VCU perspective as a three-time graduate and newly minted doctor of education. Dr. Williams (B.S.W.’93/SW; M.S.W.’95/SW; Ph.D.’22/E) has also served as an adjunct faculty member […]
‘We can do this together’: Felicia Smith and daughter Raeven earning M.S.W. degrees
Felicia Smith‘s journey to earning her master’s degree in social work was decades in the making and slowed when she had complications during the pregnancy with her first daughter, Raeven, 26 years ago. The wait was worth it, as it led to mother and daughter syncing their career paths. And on Friday, May 13, 2022, […]
Ph.D. alumni award winner Bricout reinvents while maintaining value-driven purpose
John C. Bricout (Ph.D.’98/SW) has embraced the disruptive nature of innovation, reinvention and, as he calls it, working outside the box. All the more reason to find grounding in several key tenets developed as a doctoral student at the Virginia Commonwealth School of Social Work. Twenty-four years after earning his Ph.D., Dr. Bricout has been […]
Social Work retains top 30 national ranking
The VCU School of Social Work continues its longstanding place among the nation’s top graduate schools of social work with a No. 28 ranking from U.S. News & World Report in its 2023 Best Graduate Schools list, released March 29, 2022. VCU is tied with seven other schools at No. 28 out of 298 ranked […]
VCU offering online undergraduate social work courses for Fall 2022
The nationally ranked Virginia Commonwealth School of Social Work is launching a selection of online courses for its Bachelor of Social Work degree, providing more flexible access for students who aspire to become change-making social workers and help address the critical need for mental health professionals in the commonwealth. Junior-level social work courses will be […]
Opioid learning collaborative continues to pay big dividends from $60,000 grant
From expanded field placements to better prepared students – and ultimately graduates – to a digital resource repository, Karen Chartier, Ph.D., can check off a number of outcomes that will extend the life of a modest one-year grant of $60,000. The VCU School of Social Work associate professor was a co-principal investigator for the Social […]
Child Welfare Stipend Program: Meet our 15 upcoming graduates
The Title IV Child Welfare Stipend Program at VCU continues to serve as a pipeline for developing talented graduates and future leaders in the field of public child welfare – and 15 more School of Social Work students are set to to join the field later this year. The CWSP provides students with specialized training […]
Child Welfare Stipend Program at VCU: A strong social work legacy supporting the commonwealth
As a newly minted VCU M.S.W. graduate in 2003, Danika Briggs signed on for 18 months with a local Virginia Department of Social Services office. Now, nearly 19 years later, she’s still with DSS, currently assistant director for family services with the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Department of Social Services. Briggs, a licensed clinical social worker, is […]
B.S.W. student Oscar Kemp earns CSWE leadership role
VCU School of Social Work B.S.W. student Oscar Kemp is helping make history as the first undergraduate student representative to serve on the board of directors of the national accrediting agency Council on Social Work Education. Kemp, from Danville, Virginia, will be the B.S.W. representative, while M.S.W. student Wendy Hernandez-De La Cruz of California State […]