GSSW Magazine - University of Denver

contents
features
4 Where in the World is GSSW?
34 Alumni Awards
sections
1 scene@gssw
22 Faculty News
24 GSSW News
26 Student News
29 Four Corners
30 Butler Institute
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
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
From the Dean
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.
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.
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.
Sincerely,
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.
GSSW BoarD oF ViSitorS
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.
GSSW Co-SponSorS
morriS DeeS LeCture
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.
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.
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.
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.
University of Denver
scene @ gssw
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.
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