Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spring Commencement 2020 has been postponed to June 2021. Even though the in-person celebration is postponed, we did not allow COVID-19 to diminish the accomplishments of our incredible 2020 MSW and PhD graduates. In addition to the University’s Day of Recognition, we were honored to host two virtual ceremonies to celebrate the hard work and achievements of our GSSW students—the Awards and Doctoral Ceremony and the 2020 GSSW Graduation Celebration.
This award was created by GSSW alumni to honor Professor Emerita Edith M. Davis, who served on the faculty from 1947- 1975. Dr. Davis taught history, social policy, and research courses in the MSW program and was the founding director of the GSSW doctoral program. Throughout her work, she stimulated students to learn the contributions of people of color to the field of social welfare, particularly in the Rocky Mountain region.
The Tommi Frank Memorial Award was established in 1965 by the relatives, friends and former classmates of Tommi Frank, MSW ’64. Consideration is given to the creation of new concepts, arrangements of concepts and/or new ways of relating knowledge to practice, profoundness of thinking and the scholarly application of such thinking to the refinement of theory and/or practice and to applicability for use in practice.
This award was initiated and funded in 1996 by the OMNI Institute, a Denver-based research firm committed to applied research in the social sciences. Criteria for the award include relevance to social work practice, originality, depth of analysis, clarity and excellence in writing.
The Dean Catherine F. Alter Merit Award was established in 2014 to recognize a graduating student from GSSW’s off-campus MSW programs who most closely epitomizes the best of professional social work—a keen intellect, a passionate dedication to empowering underserved populations, and a commitment to continuously improving practice. Award recipients demonstrate outstanding classroom performance as well as the ability to conceptualize, articulate and communicate knowledge. Recipients also demonstrate the capacity for outstanding practice in their field internship and in the application of their social work knowledge. The award honors Dean Emerita Catherine F. Alter, who served as GSSW dean from 1996 until her retirement in 2006.
The William Bartholomew Memorial Award was established in 2018 to honor William Bartholomew, MSW ’04, who devoted his professional life to empowering individuals to fulfill their potential and overcome barriers posed by factors such as trauma, addiction and oppression. The award honors a student who embodies principles of social justice, preservation of human dignity, and a commitment to facilitating healing of human suffering.
The MSW@Denver Merit Award was established in 2019 with the first graduating class from the MSW@Denver online program. The award recognizes a student from the MSW@Denver program who most closely epitomizes the best of professional social work—a keen intellect, a passionate dedication to empowering underserved populations, and a commitment to continuously improving practice. Award recipients demonstrate outstanding classroom performance as well as the ability to conceptualize, articulate and communicate knowledge. Recipients also demonstrate the capacity for outstanding practice in their field internship and in the application of their social work knowledge.
Ina Mae Denham Award was established by the Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work in 1997. It was named for an esteemed leader and mentor in the profession of clinical social work in Colorado.
The GSSW faculty initiated this award fund to honor Professor Emerita Dorothea Spellmann upon her retirement in 1972. The student must develop a group experience for socialization, restoration or extension of a person’s potential, or related to planning and/or administrative activities. The work must also demonstrate a measure of creativity or ingenuity, whether in extending the group approach in familiar situations, or in exploring its use for new services.
This award is named for Ruth Marx Stark, who attended the University of Denver in the mid-1930’s, then devoted many decades of her life to volunteering in Denver-area agencies, international development programs and political action organizations.
2020 GSSW Graduation Celebration
Friday, June 12, 2020, 10-11:30 a.m. MST
Let us celebrate you and all those that helped you achieve this milestone! GSSW will livestream this special event dedicated to our graduates and graduation candidates, featuring remarks from Dean Amanda Moore McBride, a performance by Bobby LeFebre, and virtual toasts by faculty and staff. This event is open to all GSSW students, staff and faculty, and graduating students are welcomed to invite friends and families to witness this special occasion.
Research by recent GSSW graduate Brittanie Atteberry Ash, PhD ’20, is helping social work to develop a common definition of social justice and better deliver on the profession’s social justice promise.
Although research took him as far as South Africa, recent GSSW PhD graduate Jason St. Mary has returned to the Southwest, where he works at a community-based agency supporting marginalized youth in the Four Corners.
Recent Graduate School of Social Work grads are putting their PhDs to work as faculty and clinicians transforming social work education, communities and youth-serving systems.
With an MSW concentration in sustainable development and global practice, recent graduate Marissa Messinger is driven to find ethical ways to practice international social work.
Recent Four Corners MSW Program graduates Shayla Walker and Shannon Slinkey are beginning their behavioral health and school social work careers helping children.
Jennifer Stanga developed friendships, relationships with faculty, leadership and research capabilities, and social work practice skills through the MSW@Denver online MSW program.
