FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY
School Website: http://www.fgcu.edu/chpsw/
2021 CHANGES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
New Field Education Coordinator
Ms. Tammy Walker has joined our social work team as the new Field Education Coordinator. Ms. Walker comes from Tennessee Wesleyan University where she also performed the role Social Work Field Education Director.
New Associate Dean for the Marieb College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS)
Dr. Tom Felke, former Chair of the Department of Social Work, has been promoted as the MCHHS Associate Dean. Dr. Felke is the 2021 recipient of the Florida Gulf Coast University Chair Excellence Award.
New Department Director
Dr. Hugh Clark is our new Department Chair and also Coordinator of the MSW Program.
On Sabbatical this Fall
Dr. Nairruti Yani, Associate Professor, is on a sabbatical leave this fall semester. During her leave she will be conducting international research focused on human trafficking.
Promoted to Full-Professor
The Department of Social Work celebrates the promotion of Dr. Lirio K Negroni from Associate to Full Professor effective this Fall of 2021. Dr. Negroni has been a social work educator for the last 27 years.
NEW SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONALS GRADUATED IN 2021
Thirty-eight (38) BSW graduates and twenty-nine (29) MSW graduates, including nine (9) Medical SW students, earned their social work degrees this year. Given the circumstances under which these students worked, they definitely earned this accomplishment!
Abigail Sanjuan-Santiago, BSW ’21, was given an award by the FGCU Honors College for her Service and Community Engagement in Immokalee, Florida.
FACULTY LEADERSHIP AND SCHOLARSHIP
Initiatives
Diversity Dialogues: Student and faculty dialogues regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the social work program, meant to support students of color and create space to engage in allyship and growth discussion. We anticipate this will be the foundation for future research and a student led DEI group as part of the BSW and MSW programs. (Created and led by Dr. Leigh Taylor. Assistant Professor and BSW Program Coordinator)
Student Self-Care Sessions: Weekly meetings that foster intentional space for peer support and faculty guidance, utilizes activities rooted in mindfulness such as coloring, sculpting, and meditation (Created and led by Dr. Leigh Taylor. Assistant Professor and BSW Program Coordinator)
Recent Publications:
Meskin, L. A., Colvin, M. L., & Hart, L. M. (2020). A Pilot Trial of Confident Body, Confident Child in the United States. Families in Society.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389420947227
NASW Florida 2021 Annual Conference
Dr. Leslie Meskin: Therapy-Future Considerations for Social Work Practice
Drs. Leigh Taylor and Leslie Meskin: Mindfulness in the Social Work Classroom: An Experiential Workshop
Drs. Lirio K Negroni and Hugh Clark: Field Instruction: An opportunity to be a learned and a teacher
Current Research
Dr. Leslie Meskin (Principal investigator)
“Exploring college students' perceptions of individuals with autism to inform interdisciplinary education and promote collaboration”
“Exploring Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Social Work Education”
Dr. Lirio K Negroni (Co-Principal Investigator)
“Enhancing the Well-Being of Latinxs and Haitians: The Immokalee Health Project” (Funded by The Collaboratory)
MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK CONCENTRATION
The MSW program has recently added a Medical Social Work Concentration and Certificate to its curriculum. Information can be found at https://www.fgcu.edu/admissionsandaid/graduateadmissions/files/5.19msw.pdf
Contact us at:
Department of Social Work
10501 FGCU Blvd. S.
Fort Myers, FL 33965
239-590-7825
Email: FGCU-SocialWork@fgcu.edu