A Social Worker at Heart

A Lasting Impact on Students

Bensen jumped from school social work to higher education by joining the staff of Metropolitan State University of Denver (then known as Metro State). There, she led the fledgling LGBTQ Student Resource Center, which was the first of its kind in Colorado and one of the first nationwide. She expanded the program to serve students from all three colleges on Denver’s Auraria Campus. After 11 years, she was ready for a new challenge and ultimately joined the University of Denver student life division. While there, Bensen served on a committee with GSSW Professor Eugene Walls, who told her about a job opening at GSSW: teaching half-time and directing student services the other half. She applied and got the job. Bensen recalls, “I was really excited. I didn’t know I would ever be a professor — that was never on my radar. I didn’t realize you could teach without a doctorate.”

“As director of student services, Karen was an island of refuge for students,” recalls alumna and Professor of the Practice Kate Ross, MSW ’97, assistant dean of field education and community partnerships. “She was instrumental in helping us to understand the scope of student services; we needed to expand, and she was part of those initial moves.”

Bensen says she enjoyed helping students who were struggling to succeed, watching them graduate and “move out into the world to do what they’re passionate about.”

Teaching turned out to be Bensen’s passion. She says, “By teaching, I was learning. I didn’t know all of it. I had to teach myself before I could teach the students. Sometimes I was just 10 minutes ahead of them. I told them I was their learning facilitator: I’m providing some material for us all to learn together.”

Bensen adds, “I’m proud of having helped educate so many students, to prepare them to be social workers in the world. It was really important to me to turn out social workers who would be passionate about social work and whose personal values would match social work values. They would take on the identity of a social worker. I wanted them to feel, this is who I am, not just what I do.”

Bensen is one of GSSW’s unsung heroes. Others are quick to point to accomplishments she leaves out: co-creating GSSW’s MSW/MPH dual-degree with Professor Michele Hanna; coordinating GSSW’s complex dual-degree and 3+2 programs and advising approximately 60 students across numerous degree tracks (a typical advising load is 20); serving as assistant dean for community academic programs; and working to establish GSSW’s Western Colorado MSW Program with Professor Emerita Jean East.

Bensen spent two years building the Western Colorado MSW Program and recruiting its first student cohort, driving from Denver to Glenwood Springs every weekend to open internship sites. Western Colorado Director and Professor of the Practice Rachel Forbes was a mountain-town social worker when she met Bensen and offered to help recruit students and field agencies. Bensen encouraged her to apply for the directorship. Forbes recalls, “In that month before the first day of classes, we drove all over Western Colorado. Karen’s demeanor is such a large part of why the Western Colorado program succeeded in those early days. In rural spaces, people put in face time, and people build relationships over time as they build trust. Even though she was coming from the city, Karen came in with such a warmth — a genuine, calm, peaceful demeanor — she didn’t feel like a stranger to anybody. We were cold calling around the Western Slope, but people felt so comfortable with her. That was a big reason why the program was so successful.”

Forbes describes Bensen as a mentor, adding, “Karen is so humble, she’s so thoughtful, she’s so kind. She’s just such a genuine person.”

Hanna agrees, noting that students love Bensen, too. “She’s one of the kindest people I know. She’s very low key, calm. When she works with students, she has a calming effect. I’ve never seen her riled up. She listens, and she’s the kind of person anyone can talk to.”

Ross describes Bensen as a faculty confidant, a steady force and a “wisdom keeper.” She adds, “Karen was a big picture activist on recycling and other things that mattered in the school, such as getting recycling bins throughout every office. She cares about the collective culture, relationships, interactions.”

It is clear that Bensen’s retirement will be felt at GSSW, and her impact will not be forgotten.

A Life-Long Social Worker

Bensen retired this summer after 17 years on the GSSW faculty. As much as she loves teaching, Bensen has caregiving responsibilities and many other interests and concerns, particularly climate change and the environment. “I want enough time to pursue these other things while I still feel good and have a chunk of time in my life.” Still, she plans to continue teaching in an adjunct capacity to “stay connected to the social-workers-to-be who I love to teach.” She is also doing community-building work in her own neighborhood, where she has created a “green team” to focus on environmental issues.

She reflects, “I wanted to clean out my life, get rid of things I don’t need anymore, and really create a well-balanced daily life where I’m spending time on the inside and taking care of my body, and using my mind, and using my heart.”

Bensen continues, “I’ll always be a social worker — that hasn’t ended. This job has ended, but social work is an identity for me and will be part of me until the day I die. There is still a lot of work to do in the world. I’m just finding different ways to do it.”