Consistent with its mission of promoting peace and justice through education, Spalding University announced on Martin Luther King Jr. Day that it is launching an online training and professional development program in antiracism.

Available nationally to individuals and groups from public-sector, corporate and nonprofit organizations, the range of half- and full-day online courses – collectively titled Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey – will teach concepts of cultural humility and restorative practices as a means to bring about positive social change.

Enrollment is open now for Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey with live virtual sessions set to start in late January. It is the first featured offering of a reorganized interdisciplinary institute of social justice-themed training at Spalding – called The Well – that will be housed in the School of Social Work. Visit spalding.edu/thewell to register.

Spalding’s Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey is designed and facilitated by faculty and staff leaders of the university’s Center for Peace and Spiritual Renewal, School of Social Work, School of Professional Psychology and Collective Care Center, which is one of the nation’s only behavioral health clinics to specialize in treating race-based trauma and stress.

REGISTER | Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey courses now available on The Well

The faculty and staff serving as facilitators for the program are among Louisville’s leading scholars on matters of restorative practices and dialogue, conflict resolution, polarity management, cultural humility, institutional oppression and racial trauma.

“This program is designed for individuals and groups who are interested in meaningfully and constructively addressing and healing race relations in their professional and personal lives through self-exploration, truth-telling, difficult dialogue and action,” said Spalding Executive Director for Peace and Spiritual Renewal Chandra Irvin, who helped lead the Charleston (South Carolina) Illumination Project of community conversations and healing following the tragic shooting of nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in 2015. “The Spalding faculty and staff who have collaborated to create this program have a great deal of experience in these spaces and bring a diverse set of perspectives. Organizations that participate in this training at Spalding will be making a valuable investment that demonstrates a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Certified in 2011 as the World’s First Compassionate University, Spalding is a historic, private institution that has been located for 100 years in downtown Louisville – which, as the hometown of Breonna Taylor, saw months of demonstrations last year in the name of racial justice, including several that took place on or near Spalding’s campus.

“Spalding’s mission states that we are a diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times by promoting peace and justice through education and service,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “As the past year has shown, pain and suffering from racial injustice and inequity remain prevalent in our society. Offering the Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey training program is an example of Spalding meeting the needs of the times by using the experience, wisdom and teaching skills of our faculty and staff to help promote a more equitable world.”

Upon completion, participants in Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey will be awarded three tiers of certification badges by Spalding – Bronze, Silver and Ebony (highest level) – based on the number of sessions completed, and these credentials will be appropriate to share on resumes and online professional profiles. Completed hours in the program can be applied to continuing education requirements for social workers, and Spalding plans to seek approval for continuing education credits from other professions’ governance boards in the future.

“Spalding’s School of Social Work has a rich tradition of providing quality continuing education for practitioners and community members throughout Kentucky,” School of Social Work Chair Dr. Shannon Cambron said. “The Well is the next chapter for us. It’s a reflection of our commitment to meet the needs of the times by co-creating an interdisciplinary space of training and engagement with a justice and equity lens – a space that equips people with the skills to begin the work of dismantling white supremacy and injustice. Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey is evidence of that commitment, and we are excited about this new chapter.”

For more information on participating in Restorative Practices for the Antiracist Journey, visit spalding.edu/thewell.

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

The Spalding University School of Social Work believes so strongly that compassion is key to creating social change that it now offers a course – Compassionate Social Justice – on that specific concept.

It’s made an immediate impact on at least one social work student who is preparing for a career working in health care.

During her social work practicum last year at Jewish Hospital, Jonetta Meddis said she was able to directly apply the skills she’d learned from the classroom toward her conversations with patients.

For her practicum, Meddis was an intern whose role was to communicate with and gather information from patients, including many who were in the hospital for complications related to addiction and substance abuse.

As is common with people who are hospitalized while struggling with addiction, many of them didn’t want to be there, felt angry or mistrustful and were adamant about leaving, even if it was against medical advice. Part of Meddis’ job was to help convince them to stay and get the care and services they needed.

Thanks in part to the skills she learned in the School of Social Work’s Compassionate Social Justice course, Meddis was able to make inroads with many patients and helped steer them in the right direction.

She listened. She made them feel heard. She treated them as her equal and respected their perspective.

Learn more | Spalding’s Bachelor of Science in Social Work program

“Mainly I just wanted to be an ear because they may not have people in their life who listen to them, believe in them or understand what their situation is, and not just brush them off,” said Meddis, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree from Spalding in June and is now enrolled in the Master of Social Work program.

Now in its second year at Spalding, Compassionate Social Justice is an online undergraduate course taught by adjunct professor Diane Wright, a licensed social worker who serves as the Vice President of Quality Management and Compliance for Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services.

Wright’s class, which is being offered in Session 2 and is open as an elective to any undergraduate in any major, emphasizes the importance of communication, listening and looking past stereotypes in order to show unconditional positive regard to all groups of people.

Students’ assignments include conducting a conscious act of kindness, then writing a reflection paper.

“Instead of walking by a homeless person, talk to them and bring them food,” Wright said. “Or surprise a family member by cooking them a meal or cleaning their house.”

Students have been surprised to find that the people on the receiving end of simple acts of kindness are often extremely moved by the gesture, Wright said.

“The students had a whole new perspective on thinking about others and adding others to the equation as they make their way through their day,” Wright said. “For a lot of traditional college students, they’re in a stage in life when this is a new thing. So for a lot of students, this is a very powerful thing.”

Thanks to skills learned in Wright’s compassion course, Meddis said, she became more self-aware of her own body language and facial expressions as she talked to patients at her practicum. She never wanted to present herself as anything but the patient’s equal, and she said she never used phrases like, “I understand what you’re going through,” because if she’d never actually experienced what the patient is going through, the words would ring hollow.

Wright and Dr. Stacy Deck, Director of Undergraduate Education in the School of Social Work, said the Compassionate Social Justice course would be a valuable one for students in any major at Spalding. Future nurses, teachers and business professionals, for example, all could benefit from skills that help them better understand the personal struggles, frustrations and misgivings experienced by their patients, students and clients.

“It’s an excellent course as a foundation for social workers, but it’s an excellent place for any student to start their academic career at Spalding or to deepen their academic journey,” Deck said. “No matter what your academic concentration, Diane has a way of making that compassion that we aspire to, very concrete and letting us see what it looks like in action.”

Those interested in registering for Compassionate Social Justice for Session 2 may contact School of Social Work Undergraduate Education Director Dr. Stacy Deck at [email protected]. The course is open to any Spalding undergrad, in any major.

The Spalding University School of Social Work will celebrate Social Work Month with two signature events held back-to-back on Thursday, March 7, and the public is encouraged to attend.

A daylong conference called #OppressForgetRepeat – A Call to End the Cycle of Injustice and Oppression will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the College Street Center ballroom, 812 S. Second Street. It’s free for Spalding faculty and staff as well as students from any school, and it’s $25 for the public. For those seeking to acquire six continuing education units (CEUs), the cost is $35. Register online on the A Call to End the Cycle of Injustice & Oppression event page.

That will be followed at 5 p.m. for Spalding’s Celebration of Social Work reception at the Republic Bank Academic Center,981 S. Third St. That event is free and will feature distribution of the second annual Spalding Social Work Awards.

Here’s more detail on both events.

#OppressForgetRepeat conference

The #OppressForgetRepeat – A Call to End the Cycle of Injustice and Oppression conference is designed to explore the dynamics of systemic and structural oppression, while reviewing the history and long-range damage of oppressive practices.

Participants will engage with community and regional leaders in plenaries and participant-driven breakout sessions.

There will presentations by Rabbi Nadia Siritsky about antisemitism; Rashaad Abdur-Rahman, director for the city’s Department of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, about slavery; and Joshua Poe, urban planner, about the redlining of Louisville neighborhoods.

Learn more | Spalding University School of Social Work

Learn more | New School of Social Work Chair embraces role

Marta Miranda-Straub, the retired leader of the Center for Women and Families and a current Spalding social work adjunct professor, will also speak.

Breakout sessions will be held on anti-oppressive practice, trauma-informed practice, community organizing and more. There will also be an information fair of social justice organizations.

“It’s really a call to action,” said Miranda-Straub, who also helped organize the conference. “We’re setting the context (of examples of oppressive practices and systems), then giving the opportunities to engage with activists and advocacy and organizations that are doing social justice work. It’s kind of a shifting of a paradigm that we can’t keep doing this work without really learning from the past and moving it forward to find out what action we’re going to take.”

Celebration of Social Work reception

After the conference, at the Celebration of Social Work public reception, Spalding will present its annual social work awards to community leaders dedicated to the profession and the community. This year’s honorees are: Jennifer Hancock (Leader Award), Volunteers of America Mid-States; Edgardo Mansilla (Advocate Award), Americana Center; Miranda-Straub (Champion Award), Catapult Now; Adria Johnson (Collaborator Award), Metro United Way; and Quaniqua Carthan (Innovator), Cities United.

More Social Work Month coverage: Spalding School of Social Work Chair Dr. Shannon Cambron and professor Laneshia Conner each wrote an op-ed column for the Courier-Journal this past week explaining the profession of social work.

Almost 20 years after she became one of Spalding University’s first graduate-level social work students, Shannon Cambron has ascended to the top leadership position in the School of Social Work.

Cambron, who holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Spalding and has been a member of its social work faculty since 2004, was promoted to become the School of Social Work’s new permanent chair in July after spending last year as the acting chair. She previously served nine years as director of Spalding’s Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) program.

“It’s humbling,” Cambron said. “This is a university that has invested in me, has shown a commitment to me and has given me the opportunity to come back and engage and share that commitment with other students. … I feel I’ve been given this privilege, this mantle to take this school that has meant so much to me and to so many in the community and help elevate it to a place that it can reach even more people and prepare even more students to do even greater work.”

It’s been part of a big 2018 for Cambron, who also was selected for the Louisville Leadership Center’s Bingham Fellows, from which she’ll graduate on Jan. 17. The group of civic leaders has been working all year on projects related to the theme of “A Safe and Thriving City: Strengthening Our Community’s Ability to Prevent Violence.” The topic aligns with Cambron’s expertise relating to racial equity and her research pertaining to youth gun violence.

Spalding Provost Dr. Joanne Berryman said Cambron’s work in the classroom and in the community makes her a strong role model for Spalding students.

“Dr. Cambron demonstrates Spalding University’s mission in her role as teacher, mentor and coach to our students,” Berryman said. “We are proud that she was chosen to participate in the prestigious Bingham Fellows program.”

Cambron, who holds a doctorate of education in leadership (EdD) from Spalding, is confident that Spalding can establish itself as the premier social work school in the region by building on a renewed emphasis on community engagement while developing innovative programs to meet the needs of the times in the profession. She said the School of Social Work at Spalding has a faculty of “rock stars.”

“These are people with passion and energy, who when you ask what they think about something, there’s no reticence to tell you what they think,” Cambron said. “My job is to get my track shoes on and keep up with them and help them do the things we want to do. We’re going to do some amazing things because the challenges of our community and our world require it.”

To that end, Cambron said the School of Social Work has expanded its list of elective courses for its major students, with classes related to sexuality, addiction, trauma, racism and other issues that face today’s social workers.

Cambron said Spalding plans to expand training programs for social workers, post-degree, who are interested in becoming cutting-edge, justice-oriented leaders of social service organizations and agencies. The launch for this expanded programming is set for summer of 2019.

Chauncey Burnett, who received his bachelor’s degree from the School of Social Work in June and is now in the master’s program, said Spalding’s social work programs will be in good hands with Cambron.

He said “truth” is the one word that comes to mind when he thinks of everything Cambron does and says.

He said Cambron has always been there for him and has always made him feel comfortable in opening up and expressing his ideas and concerns.

“That’s why I was able to be successful,” Burnett said. “If there’s a person I need, I can always call on Dr. Cambron.”

Involvement in Bingham Fellows

Earlier this year, upon her selection to Bingham Fellows, Cambron said that she believes she has found herself in a “phenomenal sweet spot” in her career, enjoying the opportunity to work with students at Spalding while also being encouraged by the university to maintain a role outside the classroom in social work and civic engagement.

“It’s really evident that the university is living out its mission with every opportunity it gets,” she said.

Cambron, who has served on boards and committees of the Jefferson County Juvenile Justice Advisory Council and the Race Community and Child Welfare initiative, has brought relevant experience and expertise to this year’s Bingham Fellows topic, which focuses on finding solutions to violence in the city.

In 2016, she, along with community activist Christopher 2X, held focus groups with teenagers on topics related to access to guns and the causes of violent conflicts. The project originated through their connections with University of Louisville Hospital’s trauma center, whose doctors and nurses treat victims of violence.

Cambron said some of the information she gathered from the teenagers was “eye-opening and “shocking,” especially as they discussed the ease at which young people can get access to a gun by communicating over social media and the speed at which minor conflicts can escalate when pictures, videos and messages are shared.

Cambron said it’s important that everyone in the city recognizes and understands these serious issues, regardless of whether or not they’ve personally experienced violence in their own neighborhood.

“If it happens to you, it happens to me,” she said. “If it enhances your life, it enhances my life. If it reduces your life, it reduces mine.”

Christopher 2X, who last summer received an honorary doctorate in public service from Spalding, called Cambron “a phenomenal talent.”

“With her skill sets on listening,” he said, “and then using her God-given gifts to relate back and let that person know, ‘I understand the place you’re coming from. Now let’s work on a way for a better way forward for you,’ she’s phenomenal in the way she relays that kind of message.”

Find out more about the Spalding University School of Social Work at spalding.edu/social-work

Spalding University announced Wednesday, Sept. 5, that it has reached a milestone in its ongoing, largest-ever capital fundraising campaign: surpassing $30 million in total contributions since 2014. They have supported new construction projects, facility improvements and academic and scholarship programs that broadly impact campus and student life.

The $30.4 million raised to date is a record for a Spalding campaign, and it far outpaces the original fundraising goals – $20 million by 2020 – set by the university’s board of trustees when it voted to launch the campaign four years ago. The goal was officially upped to $30 million in 2016.

“We are extremely grateful for the individuals and organizations who have stepped forward in support of our campaign and the mission and progress of Spalding,” Chief Advancement Officer Bert Griffin said. “We’ve made improvements all over campus and have not used any tuition dollars to make it happen.”

Spalding President Tori Murden McClure added: “Through this campaign, we have provided our students and the community with more resources and services while making our campus greener and more beautiful. We are grateful to our many partners who are helping us meet the needs of the times and change our community for the better.”

Some highlights of the $30 million capital campaign:

● Nearly $11 million in student scholarships and fieldwork stipends have been or will be distributed by way of the campaign, including more than $4 million in federal grants for clinical psychology and social work students from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

● More than $7 million has been donated or pledged in support of a greening initiative that has beautified the 23-acre downtown campus. Completed projects include the Mother Catherine Spalding Square green space on West Breckenridge Street between South Third and South Fourth and 2.2-acre Trager Park, which, in partnership with Louisville Gas and Electric Company and the Trager Family Foundation, opened last fall at the corner of South Second and West Kentucky. The Trager Park site was formerly an unused asphalt lot.

Ongoing outdoor projects are the seven-acre athletic fields complex between South Eighth and South Ninth streets that will be the home of Spalding’s NCAA Division III softball and soccer teams, and the Contemplative Garden at Spalding University, which will be a meditation space at 828 S. Fourth St. that is designed to honor Trappist Monk Thomas Merton and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Thanks to a recent anonymous $500,000 challenge grant, installation of the playing surfaces at the fields complex is expected to begin this fall, and it could be ready for competition by late spring 2019.

FROM WHAS: Spalding works to build Ninth Street ‘Field of Dreams’

● Kosair Charities has contributed more than $1.2 million to Spalding in support of the Kosair Charities Enabling Technologies of Kentuckiana (enTECH) assistive-technology resource center, the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy and the Spalding School of Nursing.

● A $500,000 challenge grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation has helped raise $1 million to develop programs focused on restorative justice and restorative practices as well as Spalding’s Center for Behavioral Health.

● Nearly $1 million was raised to renovate the lower level of the Columbia Gym into a student fitness center and lounge.

● Other facilities that have undergone major improvements and modern updates are the Republic Bank Academic Center, which is the home of Spalding’s nursing and social work programs; the Spalding Library; the historic Tompkins-Buchanan-Rankin Mansion; and the Egan Leadership Center Lectorium.

Spalding University’s Columbia Gym Auditorium, 824 S. Fourth St., will be the site of the Courier Journal’s A Way Forward addiction panel discussion and information fair on Thursday, July 19 (5:30-8:30 p.m.). The event is underwritten by Find Help Now KY.

The free, public event is a part of the Courier Journal’s ongoing A Way Forward series examining solutions to Kentucky’s drug addition epidemic. According to the newspaper, the goal of the panel discussion is to “provide families with information on how to deal with addiction and how Kentuckians can find a way to solve this crisis — together.”

Here is a link to the Facebook event, and more schedule info is below.

Tiffany Cole Hall, an adjunct professor in the Spalding School of Social Work and a vice president for Volunteers of America Mid-States, will be one of the seven panelists. Hall, who oversees addiction recovery, HIV and homeless/housing services for VOAM, helped create Spalding’s addiction curriculum, and she now teaches in the program. Spalding offers a minor in addiction studies as well as numerous continuing education courses for the public that can be used toward the requirements of becoming a certified alcohol and drug counselor in Kentucky.

Hall and Volunteers of America Mid-States President Jennifer Hancock co-wrote a Courier Journal op-ed this month about addiction issues. The piece also describes the importance of college and universities like Spalding in training skilled, compassionate professionals to assist folks who are battling addiction.

If you or a loved one are battling addiction and looking for help, or just if you want to become more informed on addiction issues and the support services in our area, come check out the A Way Forward forum at Columbia Gym Auditorium.

Here is the event schedule for the evening of July 19:

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Information fair and naloxone training

Information fair participants: Centerstone, Find Help Now KY, The Healing Place, Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, Louisville Metro Police Department, The Morton Center, Our Lady of Peace, Renew Recovery, Spalding University, Young People in Recovery.

6:30-8:30 p.m.: Panel discussion addressing questions about prevention, recovery and solutions to our addiction epidemic, moderated by Laura Ungar, Courier Journal investigative reporter.

Panelists:

Terry Bunn, University of Kentucky, Find Help Now KY
Tiffany Cole Hall, Volunteers of America Mid-States and Spalding University School of Social Work
Tara Mosely, Young People in Recovery
Sgt. Paul Neal, Louisville Metro Police Department, Narcotics Unit
Dr. Charles Noplis, Renew Recovery
Stacy Usher, Wolfe County Coalition UNITED Against Drugs
Maurice Washington, Chad’s Hope Teen Challenge

Spalding seeks to be inclusive and diverse. TJ Serio is helping the university achieve that goal.

Serio, who is earning a bachelor of science in social work degree (BSSW), will walk across the stage at Spalding commencement on Saturday to celebrate the end of an undergraduate career in which he’s made a considerable contribution to advocating for LGBTQ people and increasing competence about LGBTQ issues on campus and in the city.

It’s been the focus of his practicum work at Spalding with Serio taking on a unique role in presenting to students, faculty and staff about LGBTQ topics and doing Safe Zone trainings. He’s successfully advocated for Spalding to add more gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, and he’s been a leader of Spalding’s Sexuality and Gender Acceptance (SAGA) student organization.

He’s also on the board of Sweet Evening Breeze, which will be the city’s first LGBTQ youth homeless shelter.

“I’m very passionate about the LGBTQ and transgender community,” said Serio, who came out as transgender as a 16-year-old. ” … After coming out, it’s always just been a huge part of who I am, and I have plenty of friends who are in the LGBTQ community. Just to know that there’s constant pressure and discrimination, we need people to stand up and fight back. I’m one who doesn’t back down easily from certain things.”

Serio plans to remain at Spalding next year to complete his master’s in social work, focusing his field work on LGBTQ research and increasing LGBTQ resources on campus. He would like to play a key role in Spalding soon operating a LGBTQ office that would offer programming and community outreach for LGBTQ students.

As an undergrad, he has discussed with social work faculty ways that the social work profession could better meet the needs of LGBTQ clients, and he suggested that the School of Social Work add elective courses on LGBTQ issues that students from any major could take while also increasing LGBTQ-related practicum opportunities.

He has encouraged faculty to include their preferred pronouns in their email signatures as a sign of support and acceptance for LGBTQ students.

Serio said that as a transgender person, himself, he’s found the Spalding community to be “super supportive, super understanding.” In some of his social work classes, he said he’s the first transgender person many of his classmates have met, but his openness and willingness to answer questions anyone has lead to good conversations. When Spalding has had incoming LGBTQ and transgender students, Serio has tried to serve as a mentor to help them feel at home.

“I hope with grad school that I’ll be a familiar face for LGBTQ students on campus so that they know there is somebody who understands whatever it is that they might be going through,” he said.

Serio is also an ambassador for the School of Social Work and a former ambassador for Spalding’s BeSU new-student orientation. He has served as vice president of Spalding’s social work students organization.

He came to Spalding as a nursing major but switched after attending a degree fair and being drawn to the variety of professional specialties that social workers can have.

“You could be teaching, you could be a case manager, you could be so many different things,” he said.

What do you think of Spalding as a place for an LGBTQ student to attend college?

“I’d say Spalding is a very accepting environment for LGBTQ students. Of course there’s always room for improvement, but hopefully I can help be that kind of push to help get some specific things done.”

What do you think about Spalding sort of creating this practicum opportunity for you based on your interests?

“I don’t think you could get this opportunity anywhere else. It’s the ability of knowing that if you’re really passionate about something, they’ll make sure you’re doing your work around that.”

You’re still staying here another year, but so far and into the future, do you feel with commencement coming up that you are leaving a mark and making a difference at Spalding?

“What I always end up telling them in social work is that I made small ripples in the water into big waves. (Smiling.) I never thought I would do something like that. It’s not that I didn’t think I was capable of it or have the ability to. It’s just having the university that stands behind you 100 percent and lets you have those opportunities to make those changes. I don’t know if I’d get that anywhere else.”

Chauncey Burnett will participate in the Spalding commencement ceremony on Saturday in celebration of completing his bachelor of science in social work degree (BSSW). Burnett’s graduation is a remarkable achievement for a 50-year-old who has battled addiction throughout his life and spent time in jail as a younger man. The father of five is also celebrating 10 years’ sobriety this week.

Burnett, who transferred to Spalding in 2016 from Jefferson Community and Technical College, will be continuing at Spalding this fall to earn his master’s in social work (MSW) while focusing his studies on addiction recovery. Burnett hopes to help and inspire people who are facing the same struggles he has faced, and he’d like to operate a recovery house someday.

He is now the School of Social Work’s representative in the Student Government Association Senate, has done practicum work in restorative justice and is a student ambassador for the School of Social Work.

He said he is open to sharing his story because the missteps “don’t define me.”

“If my story can help somebody else see who I am and it makes them want to give it a shot. I’m happy to do it.”

“Spalding’s mission statement,” Burnett said, “that really is me.”

Here is more from Chauncey …

How did you end up at Spalding?

“Along with sobriety comes change and taking on another challenge: Stay sober and do something better and do something for other people. When I was in my social work program at JCTC, (Acting Chair of the Spalding School of Social Work) Dr. Shannon Cambron came over there and talked to us a little bit and gave some insight on social work and about how maybe we ought to come to Spalding to do it. She talked about how small the class sizes were and about what more we could get from it. Sometimes you don’t believe that people are going to actually be there for you and make sure you’ve got guidance when you need it. It’s one thing to tell a person, ‘You’ll get through it.’ I’ve been told that before and was left, really, by myself. But (the Spalding faculty) really stuck to their word, and that’s why I am here today.”

What is your favorite Spalding memory?

“There are many, because I got to meet so many people. But at this point, it’s going to have to be graduating. Probably when I hit that stage, I’ll pass out, cry, jump, do a rock and roll jump, I don’t know. … The day of the solar eclipse was a memorable day, too, because everyone was together (at Mother Catherine Square) and sharing their glasses when they ran out of glasses. It was really cool.”

Which accomplishments are you most proud of during your time at Spalding?

“Being able to overcome self – the times I wanted to quit, times I had to be motivated to ask for help and not thinking that everybody is against me and wanting to see me fail. Reading half these textbooks, I was looking at it as far as ways I could learn to help other people. But I’m finding in these textbooks how to help myself because I never looked for self-help anywhere (before being sober and getting to college). It was just, if it made me feel good or made me feel better, that’s what I did. I couldn’t have cared less about anybody else. But by coming into this profession and looking to help somebody else, I’ve seen how I can help myself. I’ll never forget any of the struggles and any of the accomplishments because I allowed myself to be vulnerable. There’s a thing with me about not wanting to ask for help, feeling like I’m making myself look weak or making myself sound dumb. Reaching out for help, I really didn’t want to. I really had to humble myself during those times.

Longtime state Rep. Jim Wayne, a licensed clinical social worker who represents Louisville and the 35th District in the Kentucky General Assembly, received an honorary doctorate of public service on Friday, March 2 from the Spalding School of Work.

President Tori Murden McClure conferred the honorary degree on Wayne during a Celebration of Social Work at the Republic Bank Academic Center. About 100 students, faculty and members of the public were there to celebrate Social Work Month in March and honor Wayne and three other social workers who have made outstanding contributions to the profession and their community.

The other honorees (see photos below) were Jackie Stamps (Advocate Award) of the state’s Department of Child Based Services, Judy Freundlich Tiell (Leader Award) of Jewish Family Career Services and Rashaad Abdur-Rahman (Champion Award) of the Louisville Metro Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods.

Before the event, Wayne discussed the honor from Spalding and gave his thoughts on the importance of social workers.

How did you find out you were receiving this honorary degree from Spalding?

Jim Wayne: Several weeks ago, (School of Social Work Acting Faculty Chair) Shannon Cambron called me and said they wanted to honor me in some way, but she wouldn’t tell me in what way. It kind of made me a little uncomfortable. (Chuckling.) She said, would you mind meeting President McClure for coffee or lunch. So we did meet for an early coffee at this little place across the street D. Nally’s. Tori was there, and so was Shannon and (social work faculty member) Stacy Deck. Tori announced that the board of trustees had decided to honor me with a doctorate degree. I was quite stunned because I wondered (laughing), “What qualifies someone to receive such a degree?” I think they were trying to show that it’s important for social workers to be recognized in shaping social policy and that would be an inspiration to some of the other people in training to be social workers. I said, “If that helps somebody else to be inspired to do good work, then I’m happy to accept it.”

What is your background in social work?

Jim Wayne: I have a master’s in social work from Smith College in Massachusetts. I went from there to work at a mental health center in Southern Indiana in a rural area, which was a wonderful experience. Then I was at Bingham Child Guidance Clinic here for several years and taught the pediatric residents and did therapy there and evaluations. Then I started our work in the community with private practice doing employee assistance programs and always doing work with people who cannot afford therapy, so I’ve always done pro bono work. I always maintain a psychotherapy practice for long-term cases because employee-assistance programs are brief. They’re assessment and brief therapy. But I also love to work in long-term cases. And then I’m always in the community. I do a number of pro bono cases and try to work in the community, especially the West End. At one point I was a pro bono counselor at a school there, and some of those children are now young adults and I maintain contact with them.

How do you describe the importance of social workers and all that they do?

Jim Wayne: Right now we live in very difficult times – I say dark times – and there are many forces right now that are destructive, that are harmful, that are divisive. The role of social work is just the opposite of all that. The role of social work is to bring people together, to build communities, to help heal the emotional traumas that people suffer, to heal the traumas in a family as well as individually and to also connect those individual and family traumas with the larger society in a social context because there are many systems that are harmful and, I’d say, have pathological components. So social workers not only work individually or in small groups or couples, but they also work in systems in trying to change social policy so that the social environment we all live in is conducive to human growth. And that’s very challenging, but it’s so very necessary and social workers have the skills to do that.

Tell me what you think about Spalding’s role in where it’s positioned downtown since 1920 or the composition of its student body or any of the priorities you’ve heard about from President McClure or about the social work program. Just anything that you think about Spalding and its role in the community.

Jim Wayne: Well, I’m a Spalding grad – an MFA in writing grad. … My understanding is this is an urban university, and it’s strategically situated in a very vibrant part of our city. This is also an area where there are some people suffering from homelessness and hunger and addiction and mental illness. What (McClure) has done is basically put her flag in the ground here and said, “We are here, and we are going to grow here, in the middle of this diverse environment of the urban core.” And I think it’s wonderful because she’s bringing into this area people who maybe wouldn’t be exposed to this type of urban environment. So I’m a great admirer of her and her vision and what the School of Social Work is doing right here.

Last thing, so will you now start referring to yourself as “Dr. Wayne?”

Jim Wayne: (Laughing.) Tori said that I could do that, but I think I’ll just be Jim.