Month: May 2015

New Home for the School of Social Work in 2017

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New Home of the School of Social Work
New Home of the School of Social Work

It’s official!  The new home of the UConn School of Social Work is 38 Prospect Street in downtown Hartford.  Our new location is adjacent to the Hartford Club and only a block from the Hartford Times Building.  We will share space with the Graduate Business Learning Center and the Department of Public Policy.

38 Prospect Street will be part of the new regional campus in downtown Hartford.  UConn envisions creating a neighborhood campus, fully intertwined with the nearby Hartford Public Library, Wadsworth Atheneum, Connecticut Science Center, Connecticut Convention Center, and state and city government offices. The main Hartford Times building will also include retail space at the ground floor level to enliven the streetscape.

The downtown campus is scheduled to open in fall 2017.

2014-2015 Scholarship Award Recipients

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Each year the School of Social Work holds a Scholarship Awards Ceremony. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring together students and donors to recognize the outstanding academic achievements and professional contributions of our MSW, Ph.D. and Non-Degree students. A highlight of the event is the special remarks by a donor, their family or a past scholarship recipient.

The 16th annual scholarship event was held on April 21, 2015.  Naomi Bocarsly MSW ’13, recipient of the 2013 Dana DeBiasi Scholarship gave the remarks.

 

MSW Scholarships

Dr. Albert Alissi Scholarship
Elsa Reyes

Nancy Tarr Berdon Scholarship
Renee Hamel
Sandra Smith

Raymond and Mary Borecki Buck Scholarship
Amina Hosaini

Frank V. Carollo Scholarship
Lauren Forcellina
Jasmin Haynes
Landon Osborn
Christopher Pressley
William Rosedale

Mary Deane-Scalora Endowment Fund
Lauren Gray
Takaya Owens

Dana DeBiasi Scholarship
Shannon Perkins

Shirley and Howard Dickstein Scholarship
Danielle Nardone
Aswad Thomas

Dr. Ivor J. Echols Scholarship
Brandon Burke

Charlotte M. Kinlock Scholarship
Tiffanie McGowan

Mary Fran and Peter Libassi Scholarship
Erich Freywald

RuthAnn Lobo Social Work Scholarship
Katherine Bradway
Joan Carlson

Donna Millette-Fridge Scholarship
Christopher Dellaripa

Dr. Julio Morales Jr. Fellowship Endowment Fund
Monica Gould-Porras

Murry Shapiro Scholarship
Temple Wrinn

Miriam June Silverman Scholarship
Sandy Lomonico

Ph.D. Scholarships

Kay W. Davidson Doctoral Scholarship Fund
Elizabeth Allen

Debra and Bruce Fischman Endowed Scholarship Fund
Angela Bellas

Vicki and Michael Konover Graduate Fellowship in Social Work
Jesse Capece
Denise Keane
John Lachak
Jason Ostrander
Adelaide Sandler
Hiroki Toi
Jennifer Willett
Teresa Works

T. Roderick Silcott Endowed Fund
Michele Eggers

M. Elizabeth Sterling Scholarship
Walter Belsito
Janelle Bryan
Mollie Charter
Karen D’Angelo
Maureen Dimock
Jack Lu
Paula Nieman
Michael Reeves

Judy Zachs Fellowship in Social Work
Angela Bellas
Jesse Capece

Graduate Ph.D. Assistantships
Angela Bellas
Janelle Bryan
Jesse Capece
Maureen Dimock
Jason Ostrander

Konover Dissertation Scholarship
Karen Brown

Konover Travel Scholarship
Janelle Bryan

Dissertation Writing Fellowship
Michele Eggers

Dissertation Research Fellowship
Karen D’Angelo

If you are interested in contributing to an existing fund, establishing a new scholarship fund, for planned giving, or matching gift programs, please contact Lauren Prause at lprause@foundation.uconn.edu or 860.486.1949.

The UConn School of Social Work gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the outstanding people who make it possible to award these scholarships annually.

The 28th Annual Employee Appreciation Week

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Employee Appreciation Week was held April 13-17, 2015. Each year, employees who provided 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45+ years of continuous state service as of October 1, receive recognition awards. These awards are given in appreciation for their dedication and commitment to the University and the State of Connecticut.

 

Some of the staff listed are School of Social Work staff and faculty located in the CT Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, Research Division or in the CT Department of Social Services, Office of Organizational and Skill Development.

10 Years
Marilyn Cardone
Scott Harding
Kathryn Libal
Milagros Marrero-Johnson
Rebecca Thomas
Lisa Werkmeister Rozas

15 Years
Diana Ditunno
Alex Gitterman
Cheryl Jackson-Morris
Brenda Kurz
John Levesque
Hsiu-Ju Lin
Hiram Negron Roman

20 Years
Dorota Camacho
Nina Heller
Beth Sharkey

25 Years
Andrea Alfano
Diane Drachman
Darleen Klase

30 Years
Joanne Donati
Pamela Harrison
Sandra Worrell

35 Years
Lynne Healy
David Porteous

40 Years
Hugh Smolin

Francine Holmes MSW ’15 Receives Award

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At its recent volunteer recognition dinner, the International Institute of Connecticut (IICONN) presented the first annual Angela R. Andersen award to Francine Holmes, who has been interning with IICONN since the fall.

“While all of our volunteers are wonderful, I can’t begin to think of one who has come close to making the impact that Francine has over the year that she’s been with us”, said IICONN staff attorney Ellen Messali. “We rely on her for so much, and she never disappoints.”

 

The Angela R. Andersen award was established this year in memory of IICONN’s Executive Director, who passed away last November. “Angela herself started at IICONN as an intern volunteer, so we thought it would be fitting to rename our Volunteer of the Year Award in her memory,” said Marie Dallas, Director of Operations at IICONN. “Angela would be thrilled that Francine was the first recipient.”

“My internship at IICONN was uniquely wonderful and fulfilling,” says Francine. IICONN is made up of a remarkable and supportive ensemble that tirelessly assists resettled refugees through the obstacles of their transition. I was given a rare opportunity to be a part of that process and I will always look back on it with fond memories.”

The International Institute of Connecticut is a statewide agency that assists refugees and immigrants in Connecticut resolve legal, economic, linguistic and social barriers so that they become self-sufficient, integrated and contributing members of the community. It also provides specialized services to victims of serious crimes such as human trafficking, torture, and domestic violence.

Excerpt from Fairfield-Sun.com

Dr. Louise Simmons Co-Authors a New Study

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Low Wage Employer Fee to Boost Connecticut’s Jobs, Revenue and GDP

State and local governments are facing steep costs because underpaid employees of highly-profitable corporations are forced to turn to social safety net programs—and many communities are beginning to drive solutions to this problem. As Connecticut lawmakers consider new legislation requiring large companies to increase wages or pay a fee to help cover state-funded services like child care and health care, a new study shows the economic impact of this approach would be beneficial to the state.

The study released today by Jobs With Justice Education Fund —and authored by Daniel Kennedy, Ph.D., Stan McMillen, Ph.D., and Louise Simmons, Ph.D., —examines the costs and benefits of the proposed statute, An Act Concerning the Recoupment of State Costs Attributable to Low Wage Employers (SB 1044). This economic impact analysis report finds that the Low Wage Employer Fee would increase jobs, revenue and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the state of Connecticut.

“Connecticut families are subsidizing highly-profitable corporations at a tune of $486 million a year,” said Jobs With Justice Education Fund Research Director Erin Johansson. “This study offers solid data affirming how the Low Wage Employer Fee is a commonsense solution to reduce the squeeze on state social programs.”

The study’s authors find that the fee collected from covered large employers would generate an estimated $188,592,170 in new revenue for the state per year; net state employment would increase by an estimated 538 to 1,388 jobs; and the state’s GDP will increase by an estimated $92.4 million to $130.57 million per year. This Low Wage Employer Fee would only apply to corporations with 500 or more employees and to those employees earning $15 an hour or less.

The study’s key findings are based on three models for the most likely approach corporations will take – to either absorb the fee in ways that would reduce sales, pass the full cost along to consumers or to share them equally among these two approaches. The economists’ revenue projection is also lower than what the state’s own economists’ project. The study’s authors assume most corporations now paying the minimum wage or just above it won’t chose to increase wages to more than $15 an hour. However, if corporations do increase wages (as Aetna is doing), that would also have a positive impact on working people and the economy, according to a separate study.

View the full report, UConn School of Social Work, Office of Research & Scholarship.