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…
March 8, 2022
New Radiography courses offered
March 8, 2022 The Mizzou Radiography program is pleased to announce new online coursework in Cardiac Interventional Radiography and Vascular Interventional Radiography, both designed by Dr. Richard Wall, a practicing cardiac cath lab tech from Las Vegas, Nevada. Radiographers who want to expand their skills to another advanced modality can use those courses to not only expand their professional skillsets and certifications, but also apply them toward a certificate or degree. Advanced certificate programs Bachelor’s degree for registered technologists Master’s degree with an emphasis in medical imaging…
March 2, 2022
Jennifer Keely named Director of Respiratory Therapy Programs
March 1, 2022 Jennifer Keely, M Ed, RRT, RRT-ACCS, has been named director of MU respiratory therapy programs effective March 1. She served as interim director for the past year while a national search was conducted. “Professor Keely has been a leader in the design and implementation of quality online instruction in the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences,” said Kathy Moss, department chair and clinical professor. “I am confident that she is the right person to lead our respiratory therapy programs as we look to the future.” An associate clinical professor, Keely has been teaching in the School of…