Archived News and Events
2021 Symposium Call for Proposals
Abstracts
The School of Social Work at the University of Memphis invites practitioners, students, and scholars at all levels in social work or related disciplines to submit abstracts for presentation during the symposium. Priority will be given to presentations that highlight the role of social work in innovative praxis and interventions to rebuild our communities, state, and nation after the catastrophic events of 2020. We particularly seek presentations on telehealth, evidence-based practice, cultural diversity, antiracism, or ethics.
Submission Guidelines:
Abstracts must contain no more than 500 words, including the presenter’s specific
plan for making the presentation interactive over Zoom. Submissions must also include
three learning objectives (no more than 25 words each), a 50-word overview, and a
30-word bio for each author. Please submit your abstract here: https://memphis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_50VVLIPbyCRp0Wx
Deadline for submission is January 9, 2021. Authors will be notified of submission
results by January 31, 2021.
For questions, please contact Dr. Elena Delavega at mdlavega@memphis.edu
Student Posters
The School of Social Work at the University of Memphis invites students at the baccalaureate or masters levels in social work and related disciplines to submit abstracts for poster presentations at the symposium. Students in social work and related fields at all levels are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts.
Submission Guidelines:
Students may submit abstracts in teams or individually. Abstracts must include the
name of the faculty advisor and a list of all student presenters with university affiliation
and email address. Abstracts must contain no more than 50 words. Student posters will
be judged virtually on the day of the symposium and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places will
be awarded. Please submit your abstract here: https://memphis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cRWqQQCtWpsuSih
Deadline for submission is March 15, 2021. Final Poster must be submitted on April
5, 2021
For questions, please contact Dr. Elena Delavega at mdlavega@memphis.edu
Memphis Mental Health Webinar Series
Dr. Robin Lennon-Dearing Announced as NASW-TN Social Work Educator of the Year
Our own Robin Lennon-Dearing was recently announced as the NASW-TN Social Work Educator of the Year in a recent newsletter (link at bottom of post). Per the announcement:
Dr. Robin Lennon-Dearing, Associate Professor, received the “Social Work Educator of the Year” Award from NASW Tennessee Chapter in April 2020. Dr. Lennon-Dearing consistently demonstrates commitment to the core values of social work through her teaching, research and service. Dr. Lennon-Dearing takes an innovative and engaged approach to teaching. She adds a service-learning component to her classes so that students may apply what they have learned in the classroom to the field. Her research exhibits her commitment to social justice and empowerment of marginalized populations. She has been an HIV researcher for 20 years and is currently using her findings to advocate for the modernization of HIV criminal laws and policies in Tennessee. Dr. Lennon-Dearing has received national recognition for her scholarship. In 2015, she won the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Scholarship Award from the Council on Social Work Education for her article on social worker’s attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ population. Dr. Lennon-Dearing is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers and has established an annual mentor dinner for social work students to meet with professional social workers in the community to seek advice and guidance about their careers. Over the years Dr. Lennon-Dearing has had many accomplishments in the profession of social work, at the University and in the community.
Congratulations, Robin!
NASW-TN Newsletter Announcement
2020 Social Work Annual Symposium *UPDATE*
Due to concerns around the spread of the coronavirus strain COVID-19, we must unfortunately announce that the 2020 Symposium has been cancelled at this time. If a submission of your had been accepted, you will be contacted shortly by the Symposium organizer for further details.
Seth B. McGaughran Endowed Fellowship
The family of Seth McGaughran has recently endowed a fellowship in his memory. The purpose of the fund is to provide stipends to students in the MSW program (Master of Social Work) who must complete internships at non-profit organizations. "Internships – or field placements – play a critical role in the training and preparation of future licensed social workers, who often work with our most vulnerable populations; however, these internships are typically unpaid," said Dr. Susan Neely-Barnes, chair of the School of Social Work. Full Details
2020 Social Work Symposium Call for Proposals
The call for proposals for the 8th annual Symposium is now live. Deadline for presentation submissions is January 5, 2020. Deadline for student submissions is March 29, 2020. Proposals can be submitted at the following links:
Presentations: https://memphis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HPpYs2Xo0TRt8F
Student Posters: https://memphis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cPd7xih57bKzXlH
Scholarships for Social Work Students
Dr. Susan Neely-Barnes and BA student Stacey Abraham accepted a $90,000 check for Scholarships for Social Work Students from Mayor Lee Harris at the Shelby County Commission Meeting today. The funds supported twenty-three BA or MSW social work students who will be graduating in either Fall 2019 or Spring 2020. Four graduating students from across the University of Memphis participating in the MLK50 Fellows program were also recipients of the grant. We deeply appreciate the support of Mayor Harris, the Commission, and the Shelby County Community Services Agency on this effort to help low-income students in Shelby County graduate.