News

“Change” seemed to be the theme for Summer 2020. That was no exception for the college’s efforts related to outreach and engagement. Over the summer, we created the Outreach and Engagement Team. This team has two new communications staff and two new recruitment staff. Angela Thomas has joined the College as the new Marketing and…

By Dr. J. Camille Hall, Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion Over the summer, our community has come to embrace the understanding that inclusion is a shared responsibility. We have formulated recommendations to achieve our highest purpose: creating and sustaining a just and inclusive college. I am grateful to our College stakeholders for their dedication…

By Dr. Doug Coatsworth, Associate Dean for Research I joined the faculty of the College on August 1 as the Associate Dean for Research and as the Betsey R. Bush Endowed Professor in Behavioral Health. I have been fortunate to meet many of you when I visited campus in the spring, but because I moved…

By Dr. Lori Messinger, Dean Fall is always my favorite time of year, as an academic year starts and new possibilities emerge. Full of opportunities to grow, to learn, and to change, the fall semester is always a time of promise. This semester is not different in that way; 135 BSSW students, 289 MSSW students,…

Congratulations to Becky Jackson for being selected as one of the Educators of the Year by the Tennessee Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-TN). Here is the announcement from the NASW-TN Children & Families Connections June 2020 Newsletter: Nominator Information: This nomination was submitted by the Field Education Staff Team at UT…

The College of Social Work is pleased to announce the appointment of two new faculty to lead the College’s doctoral programs. Dr. Sharon Bowland will serve as director of the DSW degree program, and Dr. Gretchen Ely will serve as director of the PhD degree program . Dr. Sharon Bowland is a nationally recognized expert…

The College of Social Work is pleased to announce that Dr. J. Camille Hall has accepted an appointment as the first Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion. This new Associate Dean is responsible for the strategic direction of the College’s diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.  Dr. Hall will serve as an ex-officio member of the…

The recent police-involved killings of George Floyd in Minnesota, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and Sean Reed in Indiana, as well as the brutal murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, have brought into stark relief the pervasive and continuing nature of anti-Black racism and racist policing practices in the fabric of our American society.  These murders…

Hands On Nashville (HON) received the University of Tennessee College of Social Work’s Light the Way Award on May 27. The Light the Way Award honors an agency or community organization that exemplifies the values and advances the mission of social work. UT College of Social Work Dean Lori Messinger recognized HON for its commitment…