TAMUK Social Work Program Newsletter

TAMUK Social Work Program Newsletter

S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T Message from Program Director Student Spotlight ISSUE NO. 1 TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY- KINGSVILLE FALL 2015 In the Community Upcoming Events I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E Message from Program Director, So`Nia Gilkey, PhD, LCSW-BACS Message from the 2 Director Student Spotlight 2 Meet our Team 3 TAMUK Social 4 Work Welcome to Texas A&M University Social Work Program. This year has been one of transition but also much success for our students and faculty. I am the new program director and look forward to a fantastic year of student success, teaching excellence and scholarly productivity. This is the first issue of the social work newsletter, The Scoop. Inside you will find lots of interesting information about the social work program at TAMUK. You can read highlights of our current BSW program, upcoming MSW program, student and faculty activities and spotlight, scholarship and community engagement. We are pleased to introduce the social work program newsletter, The Scoop. We will be sending a new issue of The Scoop each academic semester with the latest news, upcoming events, community information and student and faculty highlights. In the Community 5 Student Spotlight Agency Spotlight & Service Learning Research Corner and Upcoming Events 6 7 In this issue, we highlight social work student Neha Mara Kashmiri. Mara is a senior in the social work program who will graduate in the Spring of 2016. Mara has been a standout student since coming to the social work program. She has presented at university symposiums in gender studies, serves as treasurer of Phi Alpha Honor Society, is president of the social work student association and is looking to pursue a Master s degree in social work at top social work programs in California and Texas. Mara says her main interest is trauma and ifs affect in child and adulthood. She is completing her field practicum at Driscoll Children s Hospital where she is learning how to do crisis and trauma work. Senior Student, Neha Mara Kashmiri

P A G E 3 Special thanks to s of our Community Advisory Committee: Meet Our Team Corina Benavides, Voting Dina Garcia-Scorpio, voting Jessica Gomez, voting Aileen Palacios, Voting Eli Almendarez, Voting Edward John Marez, Voting David McCraig, Voting Mrio A. Munoz, Voting Carmela Quintanilla, Voting Robin Smith, Voting Seana Towler, Voting Laura Wolldridge, Voting Mariah Boone, Nonvoting, faculty liaison Right to left: Mariah Boone,faculty) Maria Iyescas(faculty), So`Nia Gilkey (faculty and BSW program director) and Isabelle Hughes (admin.) SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR FIELD INSTRUCTORS AND ADJUNCT FACULTY! WE COULDN T DO THIS WORK WITHOUT YOU!!!!!! Introducing New Faculty Teresa Young, PhD, LCSW Dr. Young will be joining the social work faculty in the spring of 2016. She comes to us from the University of Alabama, Huntsville, where she completed her PhD in social work. Dr. Young has more than 20 plus years of social work practice and management experience and has particular expertise in child welfare, forensic interviewing, qualitative research and social work administration and policy. We welcome Dr. Young and look forward to her contributions to the social work program at TAMUK and social work in South Texas.

P A G E 4 TAMUK Social Work Facts The program s mission is to prepare generalist Program started in 2002. social worker practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to serve the Accredited in 2004 and 2008. community and profession through Up for reaccreditation in 2018 knowledge integration, skill development and ethical and professional conduct. Low student to faculty ration (approx. 15:1) Small classroom sizes J.R. Manning Hall I like this program because I get the support I need from faculty, there are small classroom sizes and the work challenges me to be my best as a future social worker: Current BSW student Individualized student support Professional development and research opportunities for students Meet Our New Program Director Dr. So`Nia L. Gilkey joined the TAMUK social work program as faculty and program director in Aug. of this year. She comes to us by way of Mississippi, New Orleans and Dubai where she has served as faculty of social work at Tulane University School of Social Work and Sharjah Women s College, Higher Colleges of Technology. Dr. Gilkey has served as adjunct faculty at Tulane University School of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and Carlow University Women s Studies Program. Dr. Gilkey has more than 20 plus years in social work practice, policy, research and education. She has expertise and published scholarship and research grants in child and family trauma across the lifespan, child welfare, mental health and catastrophic events, homelessness, cultural competence, psychosocial wellbeing in vulnerable populations including those impacted by HIV/AIDS, international social work and capacity building and community engagement/community-based research in local and international settings. Dr. Gilkey received her PhD in social work from the university of Pittsburgh, her Master s of social work from Clark Atlanta University and a BA in psychology from Alcorn State University. Dr. Gilkey has served as consultant in various areas of expertise for local, national and international organizations including a current project with UNICEF Rwanda on child welfare systems and professional social workforce. In addition, Dr. Gilkey has been featured in Social Work Speak, documentaries on disaster mental health response, local radio program s in Louisiana on social work and public health issues, and has been an invited presenter/speaker on issues related to child and family wellbeing including community violence. Although new to the South Texas and the Coastal Bend community, Dr. Gilkey is committed to building strong community partnerships between TAMUK social work program and local community programs and is looking to serve the social work program and South Texas community for years to come.

P A G E 5 In the Community 2015 Coastal Bend Social Forum 2015 Miss Kingsville Pageant Social Work Brown Bag Series The social work program at TAMUK co-sponsored the 2015 Coastal Bend Social Forum. In addition, we hosted professional development brown bag series for social work majors and minors, and participated in the judging of the Miss Kingsville Pageant which promotes academic excellence, community engagement and selfconfidence for our youth. Student Association Activities/Events Students participated in college night out, student association fall carnival, Texas NASW conference as volunteers and various events across the campus and community.

P A G E 6 Agency Spotlight Driscoll s Children s Hospital and its specialty centers, urgent care centers and after-hours facility, serve a vast area of South Texas. On a daily basis, Driscoll works to ensure the children of South Texas can receive the best treatment possible. Driscoll has had a long-standing field placement history with the social work program at TAMUK. www.driscollchildrens.org CACOST CACOST is a private non-profit organization established in 1971 and funded through federal, state and local grants. CACOST currently services 19 counties and has a wide variety of service programs to offer to our community. Our MISSION is to continuously improve the lives of South Texans by providing high quality health care, education, housing and economic opportunities to reduce poverty through services and partnerships. CACOST offers diverse learning opportunities for TAMUK social work students completing their field practicum. Www.cacost.org Service Learning Projects Faculty, Maria Iyescas received a grant in the amount of $5,100 that will be used to support the student organization s community service activities. Students along with faculty have will be working with Weaver s of Love community program as a community service learning project. Weavers of Love is the only soup kitchen in Kingsville, Texas. Kingsville is a small college town with few employment options for residents and an aging population with high levels of poverty. Two social work clubs, the Social Work Student Association and Phi Alpha Honors Society, will be working with the soup kitchen to develop a community garden and provide other needed support to serve senior and vulnerable community s in Kingsville. We are excited to work with the Weavers of Love program and look forward to a lifelong partnership with this valuable community resource. Title IV-E The Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville qualifies for, and participates in, the DFPS Title IV-E program (Department of Family and Protective Services, Child Protective Services of Texas). A goal of the Title IV-E training program is to enhance the skills of current and prospective Child Protective Services (CPS) workers through undergraduate and graduate education in social work. Texas A&M University-Kingsville B.S.W. students who qualify will receive a stipend (financial aid) that is applied toward their educational expenses. B.S.W. students who receive this stipend must commit to employment in the CPS division of DFPS in a Title IV-E eligible position. For more information, Please contact Mariah Boone at 361-593-4138; or mariah.boone@tamuk.edu.

P A G E 7 Research and Community Engagement Current Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement Activities during the Fall of 2015 include: Socio-Behavioral Research Award $3500 for Summer 2016 Project: Environmental Social Work in Coastal Bend Region Invited Manuscript: Invited Book Chapter: Service Learning Grant Award for Weavers of Love Community Service Learning Project Partnership to develop social skills and leadership program at Douglas Youth Center in Kingsville, TX Study Abroad Program to Cuba - March 2016 Upcoming Events for the Social Work Program Community Advisory Board Meeting -Spring 2016 Graduation - May 2016 Summer courses Summer 2016 Field Instructors Meeting Aug. 2016 Launch of Online courses Fall 2016 Launch of MSW Program Spring 2017 (tentative) Texas A&M University- Kingsville For further information about the social work program, please contact: So`Nia L. Gilkey, Ph.D., LCSW Social Work Program Director Manning Hall, Office 155 Texas A&M University-Kingsville 700 University Blvd., MSC 177 Kingsville, Texas 78363 Phone: 361-593-4133 E-Mail: sonia.gilkey@tamuk.edu The Social Work Program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville offers the Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree preparing students to engage in entry level, generalist social work practice with individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations, and communities with particular emphasis on the ecological perspective. The B.S.W. degree program has been continuously accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 2004, and our graduates are eligible to sit for the social work baccalaureate level examination. Additionally, the Social Work Program participates in the Title IV-E program. Our graduates provide social work services in a variety of fields of practice including youth and family services, mental health care, health care, criminal and juvenile justice, and services to older adults. The social work values of service, social and economic justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence in practice serve as our defining principles guiding our application of social work knowledge and skills to client populations. The primary mission of our social work program is to prepare graduates to provide competent, entry-level, generalist social work to diverse client populations.

Jobs for Social Work Where do I look? Careers in Social Work National Association of Social Workers https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/choices/default.asp Be A Socialworker.org http://www.beasocialworker.org/ Career, Salary and Education in Social Work https://collegegrad.com/careers/social-workers