Spalding University Chief Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Steven Kniffley, a faculty member in the School of Professional Psychology and the leader of Spalding’s Collective Care Center behavioral health specialty clinic for racial trauma, was recently honored by Louisville Business First as a 2021 Health Care Hero.

Dr. Kniffley, a clinical psychologist, was honored in the category of Health Equity Champion following a year in which he helped Collective Care Center fill a key role as the only behavioral health clinic in Louisville to specialize in treating race-based trauma and stress. The Collective Care Center is a division of Spalding’s Center for Behavioral Health, which is a training clinic for clinical psychology doctoral (PsyD) students in the School of Professional Psychology.

Kniffley is a scholar and frequent public speaker on matters of race and racial trauma and has given dozens of presentations, interviews and seminars on those topics.

Dr. Kniffley, who is a graduate of the Spalding PsyD that he now teaches in, was also recognized last year as a member of Louisville Business First’s Forty Under 40 list of outstanding young professionals in Louisville and received a MediStar Award from the Medical News for his work in treating and raising awareness for racial trauma.

He was appointed to the role of Chief Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer in December. A member of President Tori Murden McClure’s senior leadership cabinet – known as the Operational Council – Kniffley plays a broad role in promoting diversity and inclusion in programs across campus. He is also the President-Elect of the Kentucky Psychological Association.

A list of all 2021 Louisville Business First Health Care Heroes can be found here (subscription link), and the honorees will profiled in the April 9 issue of the publication.

Dear Spalding Community,

We are excited for the start of the 2020-21 academic year and cannot wait to see our students again soon. The fall semester will continue Spalding’s rich tradition of innovative teaching and learning across multiple formats. While we are, of course, looking forward to the safe restart of in-person instruction on our campus, we are also continuing to grow and enhance our online course offerings. We are mindful of the important work our students, faculty and staff have been doing since March, when we transitioned to remote learning in a matter of 10 days.

Following last spring’s unprecedented movement of courses, information and people – including transitioning faculty, staff, and students to work from home – we wanted to review the important direction that Spalding University was moving, regarding teaching and learning, prior to the pandemic. We also want to discuss how those activities connect to the directions we are heading as we prepare for classes in fall 2020.

Several important educational outcomes have been realized at Spalding since early 2018 in the delivery of academic programs, courses and services. Here are some of the important developments that have taken place:

• Since February 2018, an intentional transition has been taking place to provide a broader ecosystem of course modalities and options for traditional and nontraditional learners at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2018, a 14-person online taskforce of faculty and staff studied and recommended taking more programs online and providing more hybrid options as well. As a result, between Academic Year (AY) 2016-17 and AY 2019-20, undergraduate online and hybrid courses grew as a percentage of all courses from 16% to 24%, while master’s courses grew from 4% to 7%, and doctoral courses grew from 12% to 14%. Hence, online, hybrid, and remote learning options have been growing at Spalding and providing additional accessible platforms to complement face-to-face courses. More digital immersive options will be coming for Spalding students.

• In line with the vision of the 2018-19 Spalding online taskforce, the University has also linked its online courses and programs to an online program management organization, Symbiosis, that will build up to 20 new online courses for our faculty in AY 2020-21. The University will utilize funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief program (part of the CARES Act) in order to deliver new courses that will be connected to both hybrid and fully online programs. The Provost, Academic Deans and a number of faculty leaders are currently working with Symbiosis on identifying courses for development.

• All Spalding students have access to the internet, computers and technology aides, and Spalding’s staff in information technology and online learning have equipped our students with the tools they need to successfully complete their academic coursework. In August 2020, Chief Information Officer Ezra Krumhansl will unveil a new video conferencing platform for faculty and their students in classes: Office Suite HD Meeting. HD Meeting is a branded Zoom product that will allow both full-time and adjunct faculty access to video conferencing for both real-time instructional use in the classroom and one-on-one and group meetings with students. Additionally, HD Meeting has a classroom-style “breakout groups” feature that divides synchronous classes into breakout groups during the class session. CIO Krumhansl will announce HD Meeting training soon.

• The University has continued to invest in the latest tools and applications in regard to cutting- edge educational technology. This summer faculty and students got access to our new learning management system—Canvas. Not only is Canvas the higher education industry’s gold standard, but it provides a state-of-the-art mobile app for students that will allow them to access course content and communication quicker, easier and better.

• The University continues to invest in academic support services for undergraduate and graduate students with an excellent writing center and math lab and increased graduate assistant support for various faculty and staff units so both undergraduate and graduate students will be supported in their quest to become better students in their academic, personal, and leadership endeavors. Continuing to offer these services in a hyflex/hybrid online and in-person format in AY 2020-21 will be one of the goals of the student success area.

• Spalding continues to provide financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants and loans for both undergraduate and graduate students, and graduate assistantships provide $450,000 per year for approximately 75 graduate students. An increasing number of students will receive some form of financial aid in the coming year, making a high-quality Spalding degree affordable.

In March 2020, we were able to adapt not to a storm, but a climate shift in higher education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With our commitment to the best in face-to-face and remote learning, Spalding is making 21st century education accessible and attainable for our students. Each student is important at Spalding. Our commitment is to allow students to have a highly individualized experience that is cutting-edge and academically rigorous and yields the outcomes that will help each student not only find intellectual satisfaction but apply the Spalding mission of “meeting the needs of the times.”

We look forward to serving you in the coming academic year!

Sincerely,

Dr. John Burden, Provost
Dr. Tomarra Adams, Dean of Undergraduate Education
Dr. Kurt Jefferson, Dean of Graduate Education

With one of Kentucky’s premier certified hand therapists serving as a lead instructor, Spalding University’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy is offering a new graduate certificate and post-professional doctoral track in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation. Unique to this region, the programs will provide occupational therapists with advanced knowledge of the complex physiology and occupations of the hand and arm as well as training in how to evaluate and treat upper-limb injuries.

Spalding is now accepting applications for Fall 2020 for both the certificate and the post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) track. Assistant Professor Dr. Greg Pitts, a licensed OT and certified hand therapist who owns and operates Commonwealth Hand Therapy clinic in Lexington, will teach multiple courses.

The 15-credit-hour certificate program in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation consists of three five-hour courses presented in a hybrid format of online instruction and face-to-face skill development. Applicants must have a professional degree along with certification or licensing in occupational therapy or physical therapy.

The 30-hour post-professional OTD track, meanwhile, is designed for licensed occupational therapy practitioners who want to progress to the full doctoral degree. It involves five 13-week courses of online instruction blended once a trimester with in-person testing. It includes a three-hour course in upper-extremity wound care. A self-directed capstone is the final requirement.

CURRICULUM | Courses for the post-professional OTD
RELATED | All Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy programs

“These Upper Extremity Rehabilitation programs are really going fit a need – and not only in the Louisville area,” said Dr. Rob McAlister, Chair of the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy. “Because the classes are primarily online, we can also serve the rest of the country and even beyond the limits of our country if a person can come to Louisville once every three months for a weekend. Then that person can attain a credential that really makes them more marketable in their profession.”

In addition to teaching the scientific principles related to upper extremities and injuries, Spalding’s new programs will also place an emphasis on teaching management skills and business applications in an upper extremity rehab clinic.

“Our dream was to develop a program where a post-professional occupational therapist could come to Spalding and learn real-world applications for both basic and complex orthotics and develop skills that will help perpetuate their careers,” Pitts said. “Students will also develop an understanding of the value of mentorship and the value of science as they apply it to the treatment of patients. You can become a very valuable employee because you can learn to help manage therapists and help provide good functional outcomes. You can become a leader in upper extremity rehab.”

Pitts is well-established as a leader in the field. He is the past chair of the American Hand Therapy Foundation, and he is currently on the board of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission. For years, Pitts has served as Clinical Director for On-Site Rehabilitation for Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, and he is a past recipient of Kentucky’s Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year Award.

“Dr. Pitts is so passionate and so knowledgeable,” McAlister said. “He is a nationally recognized authority on upper-extremity care, and he is one of the foremost practitioners in the country. He owns his own business, so from a practitioner’s standpoint and from a business standpoint, he knows what it takes to succeed, and he can communicate that knowledge really well to students. The faculty teaching in these programs are world-class.”

Spalding Dean of Graduate Education Dr. Kurt Jefferson said the Upper Extremity Rehabilitation certificate and post-professional OTD track “continue the important tradition of Spalding’s occupational therapy program expanding its footprint both academically and clinically in Louisville and beyond.”

He continued: “The opportunity for healthcare professionals to gain continual knowledge and expertise in this area will benefit practitioners in important intellectual and professional ways.”

Visit spalding.edu/occupational-therapy for more information. Email [email protected] or call (502) 588-7196 with questions.

Spalding’s Board of Trustees has bestowed the rank of Professor Emeritus and the title of Emeritus Professor of Psychology on Kenneth Linfield, PhD, a long-serving faculty member in the School of Professional Psychology.

Professor Emeritus Linfield has left a lasting mark on the University by displaying an intense love of learning and teaching, a powerful dedication to their students and a strong loyalty to Spalding that will be remembered and appreciated for years to come.

Following a career as a Methodist pastor, Dr. Linfield has served 21 years at Spalding. He is said to have always viewed his work as an extension of his ministry.

Dr. Linfield has spent the past 13 years as the Director of Graduate Training, taking on the major responsibilities of student advisement, admissions, tracking, and policy execution. He is an expert in quantitative methods, statistics, program evaluation and design and research ethics. His interests also include various elements of religious faith and spirituality, and the relation of religion and spirituality to a broad range of mental health issues, including positive elements such as well-being.

He is an associate editor of the American Psychological Association journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. He wrote a graduate textbook on Program Evaluation, and he has coauthored a wide range of articles and chapters.

Dr. Linfield is said to have “left an indelible mark of quality on all of his professional activities, both within the School of Professional Psychology and across the broader Spalding community. He has embodied the concept of compassion across all his professional endeavors.”

During a time of widespread anxiety and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, Spalding University is set to launch a graduate academic program to develop professional counselors. This program, in keeping with the mission of Spalding, will train compassionate mental health professionals.

Spalding is now accepting applications for its new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program that will begin classes this fall and is pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which is Spalding’s regional accrediting body.

The two-year, 60-credit-hour MACMHC program will prepare students to become future practitioners as licensed professional counselors upon meeting the state’s postgraduate licensing requirements.

LEARN MORE | Overview of the new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
COURSES | View the Program of Study for the new master’s program
REQUEST INFO | Let us know if you’d like to learn more about this program
APPLY NOW | Take the next step to joining the Fall 2020 cohort

Mental health counseling is a growing field, with the number of jobs in it and other closely related occupations expected to grow 22 percent from 2018 to 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. For years, there has been a local and national shortage of mental health practitioners to help combat the opioid crisis, rises in suicide and other psychological distress. The demand has increased as the stigma of receiving mental health services has lessened and more people seek them out.

“The mission of Spalding is to meet the needs of the times by training compassionate professionals who can make a difference in the world,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “The need for access to mental health services has always existed, and it’s been magnified by the current situation – where everyone is facing the stress and emotional challenges of a pandemic. We are proud to launch a new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program that will train future practitioners who can provide help and meet this important need.”

The new master’s program is open to students with a bachelor’s degree in any major and a 2.75 GPA from a regionally accredited institution. The deadline to apply for the Fall 2020 cohort is June 1. Spalding alumni can receive a 10 percent discount on tuition. Visit spalding.edu/master-of-arts-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling for more information about the program and its curriculum and faculty.

“We will train students to become competent counselors and encourage them to find creative ways and settings to deliver services, based on their strengths and backgrounds,” Program Director Dr. Teah Moore said. “We expect that our students will go off to work in hospitals, social service agencies, children’s homes and residential facilities for people battling addiction. Others could go into music therapy, adventure-based counseling or pastoral counseling. The opportunities the graduates of this program will have will be abundant and will help meet a growing demand.”

April 14, 2020

Dear Spalding Graduate Students,

Thank you for your flexibility and cooperation as we navigate the move to online-only courses during the coronavirus pandemic. We hope you are adjusting well to the transition to online classes, and, I applaud you for your dedication to your academic career. Most importantly, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during this time.

These uncertain times have generated several common questions from grad students about university policies and academic processes that relate to them. For your reference, I have compiled answers and information about a range of topics into a Frequently Asked Questions format. Please review them, and never hesitate to contact me at [email protected], a member of your faculty or your advisor.

PERSONAL TRAVEL

What about traveling personally or home to continue my graduate studies during the COVID-19 advisory period?

Graduate students considering leaving Louisville are encouraged to review with their program directors and faculty that they can meet their Spalding obligations remotely and, if so, notify their program directors that they plan to continue their coursework remotely. Please check the university guidance on travel and COVID-19 as updates to the university COVID-19 webpage are made on an ongoing basis. Graduate students considering international travel, for instance, to return home, should be aware that you may face quarantine and/or flight cancellations. Also, you may be unable to return to campus for an extended period of time after traveling abroad. You may face visa issues and may not be able to travel to some domestic American destinations as well due to the trajectory of the coronavirus virus itself. If you are unable to return to campus, you may be asked to take a leave, depending on the requirements of your program. All students are encouraged to talk with program directors and faculty and think through the various ramifications of travel at this time in the COVID- 19 advisory period.

RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE/INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD PROPOSALS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS DOING RESEARCH

Can I still submit my research projects to the Research Ethics Committee for review and approval during the COVID-19 advisory period where our coursework and research is now conducted online?

Yes. The Research Ethics Committee (also called the Institutional Review Board) continues to operate and accept proposals for research projects that relate to human and animal subject matter and all advanced graduate-level projects must go through the committee for approval or denial. Dr. Cindee Quake-Rapp is the chair of the committee and the committee’s graduate assistant is Nicole Hagan. Please contact Nicole at [email protected] and for more information on the process, please click on this link: https://my.spalding.edu/depts/rec/default.aspx

DOCTORAL DISSERTATION DEFENSES

Can my defense be moved to a virtual format?

Yes. During the current COVID-19 advisory period in which academic coursework and research are being conducted virtually via GoToMeeting and other forms of technology, all dissertation defenses will be held virtually over GoToMeeting (the university’s virtual meeting platform). After the University returns to pre-COVID-19 temporary guidelines, dissertation defenses will most likely be moved back to the in-person, face-to-face (non-virtual) format. However, until further notice, these virtual defense guidelines will be put in place.

Can my friends and family attend my defense?

Yes, but only via the teleconference virtual link. Spalding is using GoToMeeting as its virtual meeting platform. You and your dissertation chair will provide the link to your committee members and to others who might want to attend. At this time, the University does not plan on offering any face-to-face and on-campus dissertation defenses until the COVID-19 advisory period ends.

Can I postpone my defense?

It is recommended you review this request with your dissertation chair and program director. Although academic deadlines remain in place, individual students may be able to work with their programs to alter or modify their defense dates.

Can I confirm the completion of my doctoral dissertation and submit my dissertation signature pages electronically?

Yes. In addition to electronic dissertation submission process, all doctoral candidates can submit electronically their 1) dissertation title, 2) name of dissertation chair, 3) date the defense is officially considered completed (after all additions and corrections are complete, which may mean the official completion date is after the actual dissertation if a committee requires further changes to the graduate student’s actual doctoral dissertation), and 4) a dissertation signature page to the Registrar and their graduate program directors. The Registrar will accept scanned signatures as well as electronic signatures. Please send those to the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] and copy your graduate program director. Please contact the Registrar or Dean of Graduate Education ([email protected]) if you have any questions about the dissertation submission policy, which has not changed from the pre-COVID-19 advisory period policy.

Sincerely,

Kurt W. Jefferson, PhD
Dean of Graduate Education
Professor, Doctoral Program in Leadership

The Spalding University College of Education and Jefferson County Public Schools have announced a partnership on a new graduate academic program at Spalding that is designed specifically to prepare JCPS employees to become principals, helping bolster the principal pipeline in the school district.

The yearlong Aspiring Leaders Principal Certification Program will launch this summer with its first cohort of JCPS employees pursuing Spalding’s Master of Education in Instructional Leadership: Principal Preparation.

The 30-credit-hour program is unique in that master’s curriculum has been tailored directly for the JCPS system and will be presented through the lens of JCPS’ three institutional pillars – a Backpack of Success Skills, Racial Equity, and Climate and Culture. Current and former JCPS principals and administrators will serve as Spalding’s instructors in the program. The partnership was formally approved by the Jefferson County Board of Education.

“We are building a pipeline for the next generation of school leaders,” JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said. “We appreciate Spalding partnering with us to develop a degree program aimed at giving teachers the unique, practical knowledge and skills they need to become a top-flight principal at a JCPS school.”

APPLY NOW | Link for JCPS employees to submit Aspiring Leaders application information

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION OVERVIEW | All Spalding bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs

WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE (STORY CONTINUES AFTER VIDEO)

The Aspiring Leaders program is open to JCPS employees with a Kentucky Teacher Certificate, at least three years of teaching experience and a bachelor’s or master’s degree with a 2.75 grade-point average. In addition to earning the master’s of education, completion of the program will lead to a Level I Kentucky Principal Certification and, depending on the individual’s previous education, either a Rank I or Rank II Kentucky Teacher Certification.

The Spalding program will be offered to JCPS employees at a tuition rate of $395 per credit hour, substantially lower than most other academic programs at the university. Spalding will work with JCPS on reviewing the applicant pool to select a cohort of the most promising aspiring principals.

The cohort model is designed to promote a learning environment in which diverse colleagues inspire and support each other while developing lasting professional relationships.

“As an urban education institution, Spalding is strongly committed to supporting Louisville’s diverse public school system,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “Through the Aspiring Leaders program, we are taking the next step in our support of JCPS by aligning our principal-preparation courses to be in lockstep with the values of the school district. We understand the unique strengths and unique challenges of Jefferson County schools, and we want to work with the district in ensuring that every school has a high-quality leader.”

Spalding Assistant Professor Dr. Glenn Baete, who retired last year as a JCPS assistant superintendent after previously serving as principal of Doss High School, will serve as program director for Aspiring Leaders.

Other instructors in the program include Dunn Elementary School Principal Dr. Tracy Barber and retired JCPS Assistant Superintendent Kirk Lattimore, who was a longtime principal at Crosby Middle School and recently served as acting principal at Manual High School. Many other JCPS leaders will come to Spalding to construct course experiences and give guest lectures on topics such as human resources, budgeting and curriculum instruction.

“You have individuals (teaching in the program) who have very strong backgrounds in a large, urban school district,” Baete said. “They are uniquely qualified from their personal experience to help these aspiring leaders develop the skills and understanding they need to succeed in JCPS schools. We will ensure that the classroom activities, the clinical experiences really align to the three pillars of JCPS. You’ll be experiencing JCPS first-hand in this program, and you’re going to see the people in Jefferson County who on a day-to-day basis help principals do their work.”

The Aspiring Leaders program consists of face-to-face, online and hybrid classes. (SEE A DETAILED PROGRAM CALENDAR HERE.) After meeting four times in July, students will attend one Wednesday evening class per week from August to April, one or two Saturday sessions per month from November to April, and four other weekday sessions during the 2020-21 academic year. (JCPS will provide substitute teachers to cover participants on the latter four days.)

Applications are being accepted through March 27 through the JCPS employee online hub or through this Spalding University/JCPS Aspiring Leaders Application. An informational session will take place 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12 in the Stewart Auditorium of JCPS’ Van Hoose Education Center. For more information, contact Dr. Baete at [email protected] .

College of Education Chair Dr. Chris Walsh said the Aspiring Leaders program is an example of Spalding answering a call from the state’s Education Professional Standards Board that requires colleges of education to partner more closely with their local school districts “to create programs and experiences that meet the needs of the times.”

“Our Aspiring Leaders’ partnership with JCPS is more than a graduate program for school leaders; it’s a rich opportunity for growth and personal transformation,” Spalding Dean of Graduate Education Dr. Kurt Jefferson said. “I’m thrilled that Spalding will be at the heart of these leaders’ intellectual and professional development in this exciting new master’s degree program.”

Kathleen Driskell, Chair of the Spalding University School of Creative and Professional Writing and an award-winning poet, was recently elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), the nation’s foremost advocacy and professional organization for college and university writing programs and individual creative writers.

Driskell is believed to be the first representative from a Kentucky college or university to hold the position of Board Chair for AWP, whose membership includes more than 500 college and university writing programs, 130 writers’ conferences and centers and nearly 50,000 individual writers.

AWP’s mission is to foster literary achievement, advance the art of writing as essential to good education and serve the makers, teachers, students and readers of contemporary writing. AWP hosts ones of the nation’s largest annual literary conferences and is the publisher of the Writer’s Chronicle magazine, a leading source of articles, news and information for writers, editors, students and teachers.

Driskell, who also serves as AWP’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Council Chair, was elected to the top position on the national board of directors during AWP’s national conference last month in Kansas City.

“When one of our new AWP board members made the observation that many of us seem to have grown up with AWP, I couldn’t help remembering that I have attended nearly every annual conference since 1999 in Albany, New York,” Driskell said. “Each morning as I boarded a big yellow school bus that had come to pick us up at a Ramada Inn, tucked under a noisy highway overpass, I thought the whole thing was a marvel. I still do, and I’m honored to serve as chair for 2019-20. I promise to do my best to build on the significant legacy of AWP.”

Driskell is a longtime Spalding faculty member who has been teaching at the university since 1994. She was promoted to director of Spalding’s nationally ranked low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in January 2018 after previously serving as associate director from 2003 through 2017. During 2018, Driskell led the development of Spalding’s School of Creative and Professional Writing – Kentucky’s first school of writing – then was named its first chair once it was established in the spring of 2019. In that role, Driskell oversees the MFA program as well as two new programs – a Master of Arts in Writing and a Graduate Certificate in Writing.

Driskell is the author of the poetry collections Blue Etiquette: Poems, a finalist for the Weatherford Award; Next Door to the Dead, a Kentucky Voices selection by the University Press of Kentucky and winner of the 2018 Judy Gaines Young Book Award; Seed Across Snow, a Poetry Foundation national bestseller; Laughing Sickness and Peck and Pock: A Graphic Poem. Individual poems have appeared in The Southern Review, Shenandoah, North American Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, The Greensboro Review, Rattle and Mid-American Review, among others, and have been featured in anthologies and online at Poetry Daily, Verse Daily and American Life in Poetry.

Driskell, a Louisville native who received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville and an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, is a recipient of the Spalding Board of Trustees’ Outstanding Faculty Award. She has also served as the faculty representative on the Board of the Trustees.

Read a recent profile of Kathleen Driskell from StyeBluePrint.
Get more information on graduate writing programs at Spalding on the School of Writing blog.

A week before Thanksgiving Day, the Spalding University School of Social Work on Thursday earned its own exciting, memorable spot on the 2019 calendar.

Mayor Greg Fischer recognized the School of Social Work’s contributions to the community by proclaiming Nov. 21, 2019 as Spalding University School of Social Day in Louisville.

Joshua Watkins, Executive Administrator for the city’s Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, announced the proclamation and presented a certificate (see bottom of story) to School of Social Work Chair Dr. Shannon Cambron during a reception to honor Master of Social Work alumni.

The city-wide proclamation came on the day that the School of Social Work was celebrating the 20th anniversary of its first MSW graduating class, of which Cambron was also a member.

“It’s a little overwhelming, and looking at the proclamation, it’s kind of a weighty feeling to have a whole day that’s devoted to what we are doing here,” said Cambron, who oversees a Spalding social work school that began in the 1960s. “We are so grateful for the Office for Safe and Health Neighborhoods and to be able to support the incredible work that they do and that all of our partners do. To be recognized for the work that we support, it makes the 20th anniversary of the MSW even more special. People are acknowledging that for many years we have been out there working hard and doing good things, and now we have our own day.”

Learn More | Master of Social Work Program

Spalding’s MSW has produced 508 graduates since 1999, with alumni moving on to work in a range of social work settings, including schools, nonprofit organizations, hospitals and government offices that impact individuals, communities and policy at large. At least seven Spalding MSW alumni, Cambron, currently serve as either a dean or chair of a university social work program.

The MSW is a growing program. Cambron said Spalding will have had a record 71 students admitted to the master’s program this year, including, for the first time, a January cohort set to start in 2020.

Additionally, from a community service perspective, the Spalding School of Social Work has been a sponsor since 2017 of the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods’ One Love Louisville Ambassador program, a civic engagement initiative aimed at preventing violence and building community. The Ambassador program’s training sessions are held in the School of Social Work’s building.

Members of the social work faculty have also made valuable civic contributions.

* Dr. Cynthia Conley, who serves as the School of Social Work’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies, recently developed a survey for the Louisville Metro Police Department to gather data on how residents who identify as LGBTQ perceive the police.

* Cambron, a 2018 Bingham Fellow, and Assistant Professor Dr. Laneshia Conner are working with Jefferson County Public Schools to develop cultural humility training for teachers.

*Assistant Professor Glynita Bell is crafting new diagnostic codes around racial trauma, Cambron said.

*Associate Professor and former Chair Dr. Kevin Borders is helping perform evaluations for nonprofit organizations, Cambron said.

Spalding Graduate Dean Dr. Kurt Jefferson said the School of Social Work aligns strongly with the mission of the university and the legacy of education, service and social justice left by Mother Catherine Spalding.

“The world needs more social workers,” Jefferson said. “There’s no question about that when you look at where we are as a culture and society. What you’re doing is important not only in academic sense of research and academics – which are hugely important – but there is a moral element to the work you are doing.”

Cambron said she had been feeling pride all day Thursday as she reflected on the accomplishments of the School of Social Work and the MSW program over the past two decades. She said she is thankful for the contributions and foresight of the late former Chair Jillian Johnson, who led the school at the time the MSW was introduced. ‘

“I think that if Jill could see the work that is going on and that this faculty group is doing, I think we would get a big thumbs up,” Cambron said.

“When you think about what would be the thumbprint of the Spalding University School of Social Work not only in this community but regionally with many of our graduates, it’s our brand of teaching social justice. It’s humbling, and it’s awe-inspiring. And I think this is just the start.”

**Two members of the original MSW faculty – Patricia Cummings and Dr. Helen Deines – were honored Thursday by Cambron and the current faculty with Legacy Awards.

By proclamation of @louisvillemayor, today is officially Spalding University School of Social Work Day in Louisville. Great and well-deserved recognition for our social work program on all of its contributions to our community. pic.twitter.com/uFz7sJWBJJ

— Spalding University (@SpaldingU) November 21, 2019

Spalding University’s Festival of Contemporary Writing, the state’s largest fall-spring reading series, will take place Saturday, Nov. 16, through Friday, November 22, with faculty and alumni of the low-residency programs of Spalding’s School of Creative and Professional Writing. Bestselling graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang headlines the festival as Distinguished Visiting Writer.

Yang is the author of the Printz Award-winning American Born Chinese and the National Book Award Finalist Boxers & Saints, a boxed set of graphic novels. Yang has served as a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

Yang will deliver a public reading and discussion of Boxers & Saints at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 21, at the Egan Leadership Center’s Troutman Lectorium at Fourth and Breckenridge. A reception and book signing will follow. Students and teachers are particularly encouraged to attend this event.

Plenty of free parking is available for the campus readings. All readings and events are free, ticketless, and open to the public.

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. (Egan Leadership Center, 901 S. Fourth St.) The Anne and William Axton Series, in conjunction with the Louisville Literary Arts Writer’s Block Festival, presents award-winning novelist Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You. Book signing will follow.

5 – 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. Faculty Reading. (Egan Leadership Center, 901 S. Fourth St.) Greetings by Kathleen Driskell.

Dianne Aprile (creative nonfiction), The Eye is Not Enough: On Seeing and Remembering
Douglas Manuel (poetry), Testify
Beth Ann Bauman (writing for children & young adults), Jersey Angel
Charlie Schulman (dramatic writing), Goldstein: A Musical About Family
Lynnell Edwards (poetry), Covet

5:30 – 6:45 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18. Celebration of Recently Published Books. Book signing to follow. (Egan Leadership Center, 901 S. Fourth St.) Introduction by Kathleen Driskell. Books provided by Follett.

K.L. Cook (fiction; creative nonfiction; poetry), Marrying Kind; The Art of Disobedience: Essays on Form, Fiction, and Influence; Lost Soliloquies
Helena Kriel (screenwriting), The Year of Facing Fire (a memoir)
Keith Wilson (poetry), Fieldnotes on Ordinary Love
Katy Yocom (fiction), Three Ways to Disappear

5:30 – 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20. Faculty Reading. (Egan Leadership Center, 901 S. Fourth St.) Greetings by Lynnell Edwards.

Erin Keane (professional writing; poetry), Demolition of the Promised Land
Roy Hoffman (creative nonfiction; fiction), Alabama Afternoons: Profiles and Conversations; Come Landfall
Jason Howard (professional writing; creative nonfiction), A Few Honest Words: The Kentucky Roots of Popular Music
Maggie Smith (poetry), Good Bones
Silas House (fiction), Southernmost
Kathleen Driskell (poetry), Blue Etiquette

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. Distinguished Visiting Writer Gene Luen Yang discusses ‘Boxers & Saints.’ (Egan Leadership Center, 901 S. Fourth St.) Introduction by Kathleen Driskell. Book signing to follow. Books provided by Follett.

5:45 – 6:45 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22. Faculty Reading. (Citation Room, 1st fl., Brown Hotel, 335 W. Broadway)

John Pipkin (fiction), The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter
Kira Obolensky (playwriting), Hiding in the Open
Robin Lippincott (fiction; creative nonfiction), Unbroken Circle: Stories of Cultural Diversity in the South; Blue Territory
Rachel Harper (fiction), This Side of Providence
Bruce Romans (screenwriting), Executive Producer of Marvel’s The Punisher on Netflix and AMC’s Hell on Wheels

The reading schedule may change without notice. Check Facebook for updated information: Facebook.com/SpaldingSchoolofWriting. For more information, call 502-873-4400 or email [email protected].

About Spalding University’s School of Creative and Professional Writing: Spalding’s graduate creative writing school, Kentucky’s first school of writing, offers three low-residency programs, including the flagship 65-credit-hour MFA in Writing program; a 35-credit Master of Arts in Writing, offering tracks in creative writing and professional writing; and a 15-credit graduate certificate in writing, also with two tracks. The School of Writing offers concentrations in fiction; poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children and young adults; writing for TV, screen, and stage; and professional writing. Students begin the semester in the spring, summer, or fall with a residency in Louisville or abroad, then return home for an independent study with a faculty mentor for the rest of the semester. Students may customize the location, season, and pace of their studies. See spalding.edu/schoolofwriting for more information, or find us on Twitter @SpaldingWriting.