Archive Posts
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Building a Legacy of Advocacy and Service: School of Social Work Celebrates 50th Anniversary
AlumniAfter years of serving as the primary caregiver for her grandmother, Florence Wright ’15 MSW developed a passion for working with older adults. “It didn’t take long before I realized that I wanted to help people, and I had this curiosity in understanding their thoughts, feelings and experiences during times of great stress, loss and…
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St. Thomas Addresses Grief Literacy With New Interdisciplinary Initiative
Tommie ExpertsEverybody grieves. It is part of the human experience. Yet, it is often misunderstood. To address this emotional process, the University of St. Thomas has launched Good Grief, St. Thomas, a new interdisciplinary initiative on grief literacy. The partnership through the Family Studies program and the School of Social Work is part of a global… -
Tommie Experts Video: Hurricane Havoc as Climate Change Intensifies
Tommie ExpertsHurricanes, powerful and destructive forces of nature, have long been a subject of study, particularly as their behavior and intensity seem to shift in response to climate change. Climate change expert Dr. John Abraham, a professor in the School of Engineering at the University of St. Thomas, had a discussion with environmental justice expert Dr.… -
College of Health Receives Grant to Support School Social Worker Pipeline
St. Thomas 2025 - Grow the Morrison Family College of HealthThe School of Social Work at the Morrison Family College of Health just received a $622,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Education to help attract and prepare students for a career in K-12 school social work. Facing a shortage of support services staff in schools across Minnesota and the nation, the funds will allow… -
College of Health Receives Nearly $1 Million Grant to Address Opioid Epidemic
St. Thomas 2025 - Grow the Morrison Family College of HealthA $900,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services will allow the Morrison Family College of Health at the University of St. Thomas to quickly train more students to serve on the front lines of the opioid crisis. The School of Social Work will use the funds to develop and launch a new co-occurring… -
Serving Two Callings: Blending Faith and Social Work for Older Adults
Health & EducationIn some ways, St. Thomas Master of Social Work alumnus Dr. Sunghwan Cho sees his dual roles as professor and priest as two sides of the same coin. Since his ordination in 2012, Cho has had a passion for working with older adults. Now making waves as an associate professor in the School of Social… -
March for Justice: A Decade of Impact
Anti-racism EffortsThe work to repair racial injustice in America continues even beyond the 2021 designation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, say members of the University of St. Thomas community in Minnesota. “Juneteenth is a moment of celebration and thinking about the ancestors and our resiliency,” said Shanea Turner-Smith, an adjunct faculty member in the School… -
Social Work Alumna Meghan Green ’22 Pays It Forward
Diversity, Equity and InclusionThe trajectory of Meghan Green’s life changed on Oct. 5, 2015. A University of St. Thomas junior at the time, studying neuroscience, Green had a stroke caused by medication while lifting weights in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex. She was rushed to Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Green spent the next 100 days between the hospital… -
In Our Prayers: Dr. Kari Fletcher
In Our PrayersDr. Kari Fletcher, beloved professor of social work in the Morrison Family College of Health, peacefully passed away on Feb. 13, 2023. A longtime clinical social worker in practice working with service members, military families and their children, and veterans in the Twin Cities, Fletcher joined the faculty at University of St. Thomas in 2010.… -
In the News: Rob Aspholm on Integrating Social Workers With Police Departments
In the NewsUniversity of St. Thomas Professor of Social Work at the Morrison Family College of Health, Rob Aspholm, recently spoke with WCCO Radio about the beneficial impacts of social workers assisting police departments, particularly with responding to those experiencing a mental health crisis. From the story: “I think we need to be able to create a…