School of Social Work

Dear SSW community, Many of you may be aware of recent Supreme Court ruling, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, has upheld a position that erode the rights of same-sex couples. The leadership of the SSW at VCU affirms the school’s commitment to honor and advocate for all human rights and joins the National Association of […]

Dear social work community, We are writing following the release of Social Work licensure pass rate findings from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).   We have been actively listening, reading and processing the impact of these findings on our profession, and engaging in thoughtful dialogue about how to best support our graduates and students […]

As we mark the two-year anniversary this week of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, social workers everywhere are continuing to fight systemic racism. The VCU School of Social work and professional organizations like NASW and NASW-Virginia support greater racial equity and multicultural competence among social work students, practicing social workers and their clients. […]

As the VCU School of Social Work takes a look back at the past 18 months through the lens of our first Annual Report publication, it’s clear that the big picture is really a series of smaller snapshots and their collective impact. You will find more than 100 of these snapshots throughout the pages of […]

Dear SSW Community, February marks Black History Month, when we are invited to celebrate the role and contributions of Black Americans to American history. As Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway reminded us in a recent New York Times editorial, the recognition of Black History Month can be made deeper and more meaningful if it “produces […]

The VCU School of Social Work has selected six students for new Radical Alliance for Anti-Racism, Change and Equity (RAACE) student fellowships as part of efforts in the school to conduct a self-examination of oppression and anti-Blackness. The students represent the Association of Black Social Workers at VCU student organization and the school’s three academic […]

VCU social work alum Sara Van Tongeren, Rev. Jennifer Adams and Jeffrey Sorenson received social justice awards from the city of Holland, Michigan, in January. For VCU School of Social Work alum Sara Van Tongeren (M.S.W.’08/SW), a “surreal” seven-hour city council meeting in August 2020 was delayed gratification for the passage of a long-awaited nondiscrimination […]

Dear School of Social Work Students, We reach out to you as we move into mid-semester to acknowledge the heavy weight of this time, and to remind you of ways you can communicate with us as administrative leaders of the School. As you maneuver learning during a global pandemic and during a time when we […]

Felicia A. Smith earned her B.S.W. degree in May 2020 from the VCU School of Social Work and served as the B.S.W. graduation speaker during the virtual Commencement ceremony. She starts the master’s program in August 2020 and will serve as president of the Association of Black Social Workers, a student organization. In the last […]

Jamie Cage, Ph.D., an assistant professor, has won the VCU School of Social Work’s annual Social Justice Award for the second consecutive year. Jaime Petrasek, director of research administration, has been named winner of the Outstanding Staff Award. She has been at VCU for 15 years, the past seven in social work. Cage, who has […]