On May 7, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) Dean Henrika McCoy hosted a State of the School event, which welcomed staff, faculty, alumni, donors, community partners and friends to celebrate the school’s many successes and milestones over the last year. McCoy acknowledged and thanked many individual staff, faculty, students, alumni, donors and community partners who have contributed to the school’s impact. She also reaffirmed GSSW’s “commitment towards accomplishing equity and social justice.”
Building Community
Dean McCoy noted, “We’re hoping to open our doors and have a more established community partnership and community role … We want to demonstrate what it means to be Denver’s university.”
GSSW has bolstered its emphasis on engaging more than 10,000 alumni, many of whom serve as adjunct professors, field instructors, guest lecturers and donors. McCoy said, “[Alumni] really serve as an ambassador for us. It is because of you that we have the reputation we do in the field.”
McCoy launched a new “Activities with the Dean” community-building series, which brings staff and faculty together for events such as birding, game night, bowling and pottery-making (helmed by alumna and ceramics artist Emilia Ealom, MSW '12)
The school is exploring new local community partnerships as well, including with UCHealth and the RTL Foundation.
Carla Hase, assistant director of the Four Corners MSW Program, was appointed to the Durango Community and Cultural Relations Commission.
The Denver Mayor’s Office appointed Associate Professor Kaipeng Wang to the Denver Commission on Aging.
GSSW installed an African American Experience Timeline in its lobby. McCoy noted that the timeline is an expression of the school’s commitment to DEI. “I want to make sure as long as I’m standing in this role, that those who have been historically marginalized and oppressed continue to be seen. We’re going to continue to build on that. If there’s no other place in the world you can go, you can come to this building and … be reminded of the history of this country and what that means.”
Watch Dean Henrika McCoy’s state of the school address.
GSSW continues to lead the university in research expenditures, and its faculty, centers and institutes are recognized as leaders in social work science.
Associate Professor Amy He was the 2024 recipient of GSSW’s Jeffrey Jenson Endowed Annual Research Award. Established by Philip and Eleanor Winn Endowed Professor Emeritus Jeffrey Jenson, the award recognizes a tenure-line or research faculty member whose research has impacted a social issue of importance to the field.
Professor Heather Taussig was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in social work and social welfare while advancing high-impact work that advances social good.
Institute for Human–Animal Connection Executive Director Kevin Morris and his wife, Kristin Des Marais, made a $1-million matching gift to the institute.
Four social work doctoral students are graduating and have received faculty appointments: Akeem Modeste-James, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; My Ngoc To, Colorado State University; Brendon Holloway, Colorado State University; Carson de Fries, University of Utah.
Denver Campus MSW Program Assistant Director Anthony Jones was named the University of Denver 2025 Student Employee Supervisor of the Year.
The Schramm Foundation provided ongoing scholarship support for Four Corners MSW students.
Donors Beth and Dan Whittemore (BSBA ’63, JD ’72) recently made a gift to fund GSSW’s Howard Walkingstick Momentum Endowed Scholarship, which will provide support for Native American MSW students. The scholarship is named in honor of Howard Walkingstick, a member of the Cherokee Nation who graduated from GSSW in 1949 and was the first Native American in the nation to earn an MSW.
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