University of Michigan School of Social Work

08/31/2026

Today is the last day of the August Field Fund campaign! Please consider making a donation before midnight tonight to help support our future generation of social workers!

Join me and make a gift to the August Field Fund!

08/28/2026

Professor Terri Friedline and Associate Professor Odessa Gonzalez Benson have been awarded funding from the University Strategic Initiatives Fund. The fund was developed specifically to solicit proposals that align with the Look to Michigan vision.

Friedline is the principal investigator for “Money for the People,” a three-year grassroots project to establish public banks, strengthening our democracy and promoting community well-being.

Gonzales Benson is the principal investigator for “Democratic Engagement of Immigrant and Refugee Communities in Michigan: Action Research Project.” This two-year collaborative project aims to deepen understanding of the needs, challenges and opportunities faced by immigrants and refugees engaging in democratic life across Michigan.

Congratulations to Friedline, Gonzalez Benson and each of their teams.

08/26/2026

“The SSW Field Fund has truly helped in lightening my financial load, giving me more time and energy to focus on my fieldwork and studies. Your support is helping me grow into the therapist I've always wanted to be, and I look forward to paying it forward by supporting the young people and families I'll work with in my career.” - SSW Field Fund recipient

Until midnight on August 31, your gift to the SSW Field Fund will directly benefit MSW students with financial need during their field placements. Help us to reach our goal of $20,000 and please consider investing in the future of social work today!

Join me and make a gift to the August Field Fund!

08/24/2026

Our Commencement ceremony this weekend was a day of celebration! It was wonderful to share such hard-earned accomplishments with family, friends, faculty, and others. We are still reflecting on the powerful thoughts in student speakers Amal Issa and Chelsea Mudalagi’s speeches. Ashley Cureton’s keynote address and Dean Angell’s remarks also were inspiring. Congratulations to all of our graduates – thank you for reaching out, raising hope and changing society. Welcome to our family of 18,000+ alumni!

08/24/2026

The U-M School of Social Work is seeking candidates for a President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship which includes the possibility of transition to a tenure-track position. We are especially interested in candidates holding an MSW degree in addition to a PhD, and whose research interests fall into one or more of the following areas: Interpersonal and/or interprofessional practice; School social work; Substance abuse treatment and/or prevention/Health practice and/or policy; and Aging practice and/or policy.

View the full job description and apply: https://myumi.ch/pggZr

08/24/2026

The U-M School of Social Work seeks to recruit an outstanding faculty member to serve as the inaugural holder of the Lico Family Professorship. We invite interested candidates whose work advances knowledge and innovative solutions to housing insecurity and homelessness to apply.

View the full job description and apply: https://myumi.ch/X88VQ

08/22/2026

Congratulations, U-M School of Social Work MSW graduates!! You did it. Today’s Commencement ceremony was filled with joy and purpose. We are thrilled that there are 197 new social workers ready to take on today’s challenges. We cannot wait to see how you will change our world and the lives of those around you. Congratulations, again – we are so proud of you.

08/21/2026

Until midnight on August 31, the School of Social Work is raising funds to directly support MSW students during their field placements. Your gift helps ease the financial burden students face, allowing them to focus more fully on their education and the communities they serve.

Consider supporting the SSW Field Fund today:
https://myumi.ch/Pb3zD

Go Blue!

Join me and make a gift to the August Field Fund!

08/20/2026

Brittany Ribeiro Brown, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology, has successfully defended her dissertation “It’s Nothing to Lose but My Chains: Intersectional Stigma, Mental Health, and Mental Healthcare Among Black Sexual Minority Emerging Adults.” Her committee consisted of Daphne Watkins, Lucretia Ward (co-chairs), Ashley Lacombe-Duncan and Elizabeth Cole. She has accepted a postdoctoral position in the Medical Social Science Department at Northwestern University.

Edited to correct the degree program.

08/19/2026

Jay Kayser, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Psychology, defended his dissertation entitled “Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Cognitive Function: Correlates, Consequences, and Causes in Older Adults.” Kayser has accepted an Assistant Professor of Social Work position at the University of Iowa.