Annual Report

FACULTY-STAFF EXCELLENCE

A 60-year legacy

Dean Emeritus Frank Baskind, Ph.D., and Professor Elizabeth “Liz” Cramer, Ph.D., retired after the 2023-2024 year. 

Baskind spent 32 years at VCU – dean for 17 years, university ombudsman for four years and dean emeritus for 11 years. “I am most proud of the scholarly, instructional contributions and community contributions of our faculty members and the successful careers of our graduates,” he says.

Cramer served the school for 28 years. “I’ve learned from every student I’ve ever taught, and I hope that they took away something from our time together that will help them,” says Cramer, who capped her career as school Commencement speaker in May and earned her third Social Justice Award from the SSW. “It was a nice way to wrap up my time at VCU.”

⇨ Learn more: Baskind
⇨ Learn more: Cramer

SMI with an anti-racist lens

Assistant Professor in Teaching Cassie DeSena-Jacobs, D.S.W., has developed a trauma-informed and evidence-based course on serious mental illness. Treatment of SMI (Serious Mental Illness) Through a Trauma-Informed and Evidence-Based Perspective launched in Fall 2023 and remains an in-demand elective.

“The entire class is taught through an anti-racist lens,” DeSena-Jacobs says. “Students fill out their own anti-racist self-evaluation forms in an early module and repeat the forms in a later module; the hope is that the material in the class will shift students’ perspectives on how to implement anti-racist material into their work with clients.” ⇨ Learn more

The writing doctor is in (demand)

Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., says she’s a “jack of all trades” as student success writing advisor for B.S.W. and M.S.W. students. “You have to be able to help with any kind of writing assignment and at any stage of the writing process.”

She holds a weekly writing accountability group and workshops around topics like time management strategies to help graduate students balance heavy writing workloads. “I’m here to help students wherever they are in their college careers. I like seeing students when they have that ‘aha!’ moment about writing.” ⇨ Learn more

Congratulations!

• Kimberly King, administrative coordinator for the Office of Field Education, received the school’s Outstanding Staff Award. ⇨ Learn more
• Dr. Jacobs presented at the Social Work Distance Education 2024 Virtual Conference. ⇨ Learn more
• Naomi Reddish, M.S.W., and Amanda Long, M.S.W., of the school’s Community Engaged Child and Family Well-Being Initiatives, presented at the National IV-E Roundtable for Child Welfare Training and Education. ⇨ Learn more
• Stephanie G. Odera, Ed.D., and Allison Ryals, M.S.W., the B.S.W. Program leadership, presented at the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors conference. ⇨ Learn more