The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) welcomed 16 new Fellows for their distinguished accomplishments as scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in high-impact work that advances social good. The Induction ceremony was held during public ceremonies at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), conference, January 12, 2018, in Washington, DC, and was witnessed by more than 150 people including family, friends, and colleagues of the new Fellows. This was the first year that the Induction ceremony was included in the SSWR program, and the first year to be hosted by President of AASWSW and Dean of the College of Social Work at the University of South Carolina Sarah Gehlert.
Before announcing the incoming class of Fellows, President Gehlert discussed the new goals of the Academy that were decided in a Strategic Planning meeting held at CSWE in Dallas in October 2017. She discussed how these new goals match the current mission of the Academy and how much effort the Academy will direct towards each mission. The current board members are each championing one or more of the goals and are hoping that many current Fellows will volunteer to participate. To see the goals of the Strategic Planning session, please click here.
After President Gehlert’s opening remarks, Professor Mark Courtney, an AASWSW Fellow and editor of Social Service Review (SSR), gave a presentation about the symposium jointly hosted by SSR, SSWR, and AASWSW held on January 14, 2018 in Washington, DC called “Whither American Social Work in its Second Century?”. Professor Courtney gave an overview of the symposium, including the guiding questions such as, “What is the state of scholarship, and the profession itself, in the core areas of social work’s professional turf?” and “What are the promising directions for the profession in its second century and the kinds of scholarship necessary to sustain the professional enterprise going forward?”. Several AASWSW Fellows were symposium presenters, including Irwin Garfinkel of Columbia University, Michael Austin of the University of California at Berkeley, Jeanne Marsh of the University of Chicago, and Lorraine Gutierrez of the University of Michigan. A panel from the policy and practice communities, the leaders of SSWR, the Academy, NASW, and CSWE, will follow the main presenters.
After Professor Courtney’s presentation and invitation to attend the symposium, President Gehlert thanked outgoing board members for their service. The outgoing board members included Rick Barth as Past President and John Brekke, Larry Davis, Kathy Ell, and Michael Sherraden as Board members. President Gehlert then named the incoming board members which were Nancy Hooyman, Matthew Howard, John Tropman, and Luis Zayas. She also recognized the efforts of the Nomination and Elections Committee, chaired by Vice President Gail Steketee, and its members John Brekke, Cynthia Franklin, Vincent Guillamo-Ramos, Jeanne Marsh, Daniel Myer, and Sheryl Zimmerman.
Finally, it was time to announce the new Fellows, starting with two Honorary Fellows Marilyn Flynn, PhD (Dean, 2U Endowed Chair in Educational Innovation and Social Work, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California) and Grover C. Gilmore, PhD (Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Dean in Applied Social Sciences, Professor of Psychology and Social Work at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University) for their immeasurable contributions to the founding of the Academy. The newly inducted Fellows included Ron Avi Astor, PhD, Linda Chatters, PhD, Ram Cnaan, PhD, Jorge Delva, PhD, Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, PhD, Deborah Gorman-Smith, PhD, Sean Joe, PhD, Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD, Craig LeCroy, PhD, Michàlle Mor Barak, PhD, Robert Taylor, PhD, Mark Testa, PhD, Richard Tolman, PhD, and Edwina Uehara, PhD. The induction ceremony was followed by a celebratory reception attended by Fellows, colleagues, and friends. The Academy is so excited to have these new Fellows join us!
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