Aug. 25, 2022
Matching needs and resources
Jane Williams photo by Sam O’Keefe In every community, people need help. Fortunately, a corresponding group typically exists with the desire and resources to provide that assistance. But what Jane Williams, BSW ’76, MSW ’77, found surprising was how out of sync the two sides of this equation often are. “There is a constant need for relational support and coordination,” she says. “We try to match the needs of the community with the times, talents and resources in the most effective way.” Communities’ needs change as the years go by. In 2005, Williams left her 20-year career as a…
Aug. 25, 2022
Social work pioneer
Col. Stan Remer The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest employer of master’s-level social workers in the United States — and Col. Stan Remer, MSW ’68, is a big reason why. Remer graduated from the MU School of Social Work during the height of the Vietnam War. As a medical social worker at a VA medical center in the 1970s, he saw many soldiers coming back with PTSD. “We were learning that we needed to treat mental health more forward into the battlefield,” he says. “It’s a lot better if they can deal with combat stress early on.”…
Aug. 25, 2022
A knowing advocate for people with disabilities
Caitlin Bartley Caitlin Bartley’s first foray into disability advocacy came in the second grade when her fellow students repeatedly asked about her wheelchair. In response, Bartley persuaded her teacher to let her speak to the class about muscular dystrophy. Years later, she was still at it. While earning undergraduate degrees, Bartley proposed that the school make two classroom buildings more accessible to individuals with wheelchairs. “It was really exciting to advocate for something like that and then to see it happen. And it’s not just something that benefited me. It will benefit students in wheelchairs for a long time,” she…
Aug. 25, 2022
Social Work alum banks his values
Orvin T. Kimbrough Three years ago, Orvin T. Kimbrough left the nonprofit sector for the corporate world of banking. But he didn’t leave his education or his values behind. He combines a banker’s pursuit of profits with a social worker’s focus on creating a more vibrant and inclusive community. Formerly the chair and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis, Kimbrough, BSW ’98, MSW ’00, now serves as chair and CEO at Midwest BankCentre, the city’s second-largest privately owned bank. “I am a social worker who happens to be a banker,” he says. Kimbrough also happens to be…
Aug. 25, 2022
Sower of Hope
Becky Beck. Portrait by Rob Hill. Becky Beck didn’t set out to become a social worker. Her original plan was to become a teacher. In her final semester in the MU College of Education, special education Professor Tim Lewis recognized Beck’s passion for social justice and desire to be a sower of hope for those in need of advocacy and support. After she graduated with her master’s from the MU School of Social Work, Beck, BS Ed ’99, MSW ’01, helped launch the Center Project in 2003, a nonprofit resource center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and…
Aug. 24, 2022
Mizzou Social Work: Now and looking ahead
The School of Social Work plans reach out to ever broader bases of students and clients.
Aug. 24, 2022
Not just in case
Over the past century, social work has expanded to be about much more than casework.
April 29, 2022
Catching up with Mizzou Athletics Hall of Famer Kris Schmidt
March 2022 Story courtesy of MIZZOU magazine MIzzou Athletics photo Kris Schmidt Softball Classes of 1988 and 1991 Inducted 1999 The life of a college athlete is all about repeatedly training, studying, practicing and preparing so that you’ll be ready for whatever you might encounter on game day. Kris Schmidt, BSW ’88, MSW ’91, found that this approach applied directly to her career after Mizzou softball — except her “game day” was when she was assigned to protect the lives of some of the most powerful people on Earth. After setting school records for hits, batting,…
April 6, 2022
Public health alumna returns to the classroom
March 31, 2022 Story by Jacob Nicholson For many individuals, the holidays mark a season for relaxing with family, taking time off work, eating wholesome food and opening gifts. For others, especially people in impoverished and underserved communities, the holidays can be a time of struggle — a time that heightens their awareness of being away from their families, not being able to afford gifts or struggling with a lack of basic resources, such as housing or food. For Sonita Simelus, MD, Public Health adjunct instructor and alumna, it was a time to give back to her community in…
March 28, 2022
Burrell Behavioral Health to sponsor Social Work 100-year celebration
Burrell Behavioral Health is the Student Scholarship Sponsor for a 100-year celebration of social work at Mizzou this year. The sponsorship creates the Burrell Social Work Scholarship Endowed Fund, which will support social work students in perpetuity. Every year, one or more students will receive a scholarship with preference given to students who have an interest in pursuing a career with a community mental health center providing social work services. “As Missouri’s flagship School of Social Work, we recognize the importance of partnering with other organizations, such as Burrell, to meet the demand for social workers, especially in rural and…