Avila University - Social Work

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Social Work was recently listed as one of the top five "hot hiring potential" careers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (2012). The job growth for social work is projected to be at least 16% in the next decade according to the Department of Labor Statistics. And a BSW is the only undergraduate human service degree that allows for licensing upon graduation.

As a Social Work professional you will discover endless career opportunities. You can have a rewarding and satisfying job helping others improve their lives, their families and their communities!

Enroll in Avila's CSWE accredited BSW program and become "the change you want to see in the world." (Mahatma Gandhi) Avila's program has a reputation for excellence in social work education in the Kansas City region and beyond.

Click here for more Social Work Facts

Click here for testimonials from three social workers who are currently in the field and share their experiences.

Joanna Inwards

Social Work Student Scholar and

Outstanding Social Work Student for

2012

P.S. I Love You: A Comparative Analysis of Grief was the topic of Joanna Inward's 2012 Student Scholar Day presentation. Joanna will be a senior social work major in the fall 2012. Joanna was also voted by her social work peers as this year's Outstanding Social Work Student. Joanna served as the secretary for the Student Social Work Association and has been active in the department this year. Click here for more information about this social work major.

Dereik Domerese, social work and music major at Avila, is pictured above with Jaqueline Counts, MSW, Ph.D. and Rebecca Gillam, LMSW at the Senior Social Work Colloquium. Dr. Counts evaluated the students' posters, selecting Dereik to receive the Best Poster Award. Ms. Gillam is the Assistant Director of Field Education at Avila and instructed the students in their Social Work Capstone course where the projects were assigned and completed. Dr. Counts is the Regional Project Officer for the Health Resources Administration and was also the keynote speaker at the event in April.

Read about 2011 recipients of department awards

Click here to read more about Norman Gunn, 2011 Dorothy Gallagher Award winner and here to read about Liz Rowden, 2011 Outstanding Social Work Student award recipient. Both Liz and Norman are May 2011 BSW graduates.

spotlight

Social Work students in Dr. Francis Origanti's Human Behavior and the Social Environment II course toured a women's correctional facility in Topeka recently. Click here to read more about their learning experience.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

2012 SENIOR SOCIAL WORK

COHORT GROUP

With graduation less than a week away, the senior social work students are breathing a sigh of relief and feeling a sense of accomplishment. The nine students above have successfully completed their field experiences and their research projects, presenting results in the Social Work Senior Colloquium on Thursday, April 26, 2012. Click here to read more about the event.

Jessi Anderson is pictured with her Colloquium poster next to her Field Instructor, Penny Clodfelter from the Jackson County Family Court, where Jessi completed her field work this past year.

Also ...SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS GO TO JEFFERSON CITY to meet with legislators to discuss social policy. They gathered in the wee hours - and, pitch dark - of early morning Feb. 23, all in the name of bringing issues they care about to the ears of their state legislators.