(Updated 8/11/20)
Our BSW & MSW Programs have been ranked #1 in the State of Florida for highest monthly earning potential.
Since 2016 the Department of Social Work at FGCU has undergone changes and celebrated numerous achievements.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK WELCOMES NEW FACULTY
Dr. Hugh Clark joined the FGCU Social Work faculty in the fall of 2018 as Associate Professor and MSW Program Coordinator. Previously he served as social work program director at Regis College in Weston MA. He also served as the Fort Myers site coordinator for the Barry University MSW program in Southwest Florida. He took that position after serving as executive director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He has strong interest in policy issues related to NASW and its membership at both national and local levels. He has attended the annual leadership meeting of NASW in Washington, D.C. and served as a delegate to the NASW delegate assembly for the Florida Chapter of NASW and as vice-chair of the SW Florida unit. He is also currently serving as the SW Florida NASW Unit Chair.
Dr. Leslie Meskin joined the FGCU Social Work faculty in the fall of 2019 as Assistant Professor. Dr. Meskin recently completed her DSW at Florida Atlantic University. She also holds the MSW from Rutgers School of Social Work. Dr. Meskin has over 25 years of clinical Social Work Experience treating individuals, families, and groups across a range of diverse populations. Dr. Meskin has extensive training and experience in working with persons with eating disorders and substance abuse.
Dr. Leigh Taylor joined the FGCU Social Work faculty in the fall of 2019 as a Visiting Assistant Professor and will take on the role of BSW Program Coordinator in the fall of 2020. Dr. Taylor received her Ph.D. from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio in 2017. Dr. Taylor has experience in teaching Theories of Direct Practice, Family Systems, Group Practice, and Research Design and Methodology. She is also interested in the area of Mindfulness as a tool for direct practitioners. She has worked in the area of substance abuse and with low-income women and children in Connecticut. She is a current member of NASW and served as student representative to the NASW-CO Chapter.
Dr. Stacy Lang will join the FGCU Social Work faculty in the fall of 2020 as a Visiting Assistant Professor. She is an LCSW and holds an ACSW (Academy of Certified Social Workers) from the National Association of Social Workers. Dr. Lang has taught graduate and undergraduate social work at Norfolk State University, SUNY Albany, and Yeshiva University in New York. She acted as the Director of Admissions for the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University as well. Before relocating to Florida in 2019, Dr. Lang served as the Director of Community Education and Outreach for the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse. Dr. Lang's clinical expertise includes working with victims/survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault as well as those coping with grief and loss. She has worked in private practice, as well as non-profit social service agencies and medical settings. She is trained in cognitive and behavioral approaches as well as trauma work and EMDR. Her research interests lie in psychoneuroimmunology and mindfulness, as well as domestic abuse/interpersonal violence.
Ms. Alyssa Zinzi will take on the role of Field Education Coordinator for the academic year of 2020-2021. She will begin in August of 2020. Ms. Zinzi is a graduate of the FGCU BSW program (2013) and received her MSW from Adelphi University (2015). She has worked at Dutchess Community College in New York since 2013 in various student support roles.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SOCIAL WORK FACULTY!
In 2017 Dr. Nairruti Jani and Dr. Tom Felke were promoted to Associate Professors at FGCU.
This summer 2020 Dr. Leslie Maskin’s co-authored article, A Pilot Trial of Confident Body, Confident Child in the United States was accepted for publication in the Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accepted Dr. Nairruti Jani’s proposal for a paper presentation at the Annual Program Meeting in November 2020. The title is Exploring cultural perspectives in practice with Asian Americans. In the spring of 2020 Dr. Jani was recognized by the Zonta Club of Naples as a community champion who has advocated to empower women in Collier County.
Department’s New Endeavors and Achievements
Puerto Rico - In the summer of 2018, Dr. Lirio K Negroni and Dr. Tom Felke took a group of FGCU
BSW students to Puerto Rico as part of the course “Social work practice with Latinos/as coping with the
impact of natural disasters.” Their objective was two-fold: to explore contemporary issues and needs of
families and communities dealing with the impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria; and to use the insights
gained to positively impact their work with Latinos/as here in Southwest Florida. The trip was held in
conjunction with the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.
Dr. Amanda Evans Social Work Scholarship
Medical Social Work Concentration:
The MSW program has recently added a Medical Social Work Concentration and Certificate to its curriculum. The program has been rolled out and is accepting students. Information can be found at https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/graduateadmissions/files/5.19msw.pdf
Students in 2019
Thirty-five (35) BSW students were named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2019 semester by earning a grade point average (GPA) between 3.5 and 3.99 during the semester. Fourteen (14) BSW students were named to the President's List for Spring 2019 by earning a perfect 4.0 GPA during the semester. The Department of Social Work saw 24 students graduate from the MSW program and 44 students graduate from the BSW program in May 2019. The Department also inducted 30 students into the Omicron Iota chapter of Phi Alpha, the national social work honor society. S
Students in 2020
The FGCU MSW program had 25 graduates who received their degrees at the May 3, 2020 Graduation Ceremony. An additional 49 students graduated with their BSW degrees on the same day.
2020 Admissions:
The MSW program recently expanded the MSW program and admitted 23 Advanced Standing MSW students for the 2019 Summer cohort with another 22 who were admitted to the regular MSW program. Seventy-four undergraduate students will begin in the BSW program in the fall of 2020.
Contact us at:
Department of Social Work
10501 FGCU Blvd. S.
Fort Myers, FL 33965
239-590-7825
Email: FGCU-SocialWork@fgcu.edu
In 2018 Dr. Tom Felke became the Chair of the Department of Social Work and recently was also appointed as the Interim Chair of the Department of Health Sciences both within the FGCU College of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Lirio K Negroni was honored in 2019 by the SW Unit of NASW Florida as the Social Work Educator of the year. She joined the faculty of FGCU in 2016 and had previously taught at the University of Connecticut, Springfield College in Massachusetts, and Interamerican University in Puerto Rico. She served in different leadership positions in NASW Massachusetts and Connecticut and lately as chair and active participant in the NASW CT Latino Social Workers’ Network and co-creator of the Network’s Mentoring Program for MSW Latino/a graduates.
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY
School Website: http://www.fgcu.edu/chpsw/
Dr. Amanda Evans retired from the Department of Social Work in May 2019. To honor her commitment and dedication to social work education, the Department of Social Work founded the Dr. Amanda Evans Social Work Scholarship. The scholarship will support one student annually who is completing the Master of Social Work (MSW) program. The Dr. Amanda Evans Social Work Scholarship is the first scholarship established at FGCU specifically for social work students.
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