Spotlight on giving

Farber Endowed Fund has advanced School mission for more than a decade

"Every action we take in this world is an opportunity to give to others,” says Daniel Farber, who together with his two sisters created the Farber Memorial Endowed Fund in 2005. The fund provides annual stipends to students who show innovation in improving the health and welfare of individuals or communities.

Arthur Farber, Daniel’s father, was a professor at the School of Social Work for 17 years and a pioneer for social justice and individual empowerment. Considered by many to be ahead of his time, he was an advocate for immigrants and refugees, a leader in the field of death and dying, and a supporter of wellness as a holistic means of addressing health issues. After his death in 1980, his wife, Ruth, a social worker and School practicum instructor for more than 30 years, established the Arthur S. Farber Memorial Fund in his honor. Some 25 years later, the family expanded the fund to support more students and renamed it in honor of both parents.

Son Daniel (shown, left, with his wife, Jean, and son, Adam) spent considerable time talking to his father’s friends and colleagues to determine what made his father unique. “I concluded that what was so distinctive about my dad was how he integrated his understanding of personal growth and behavior into his academic pursuits, pedagogical style and personal life,” he said.

Motivated by this awareness, the Farbers decided to require that applicants describe how they integrate theory, practice and their personal lives. Farber is pleased with the results. “The applications are phenomenal to read and incredibly inspiring,” he said.

The Farber gift, sparked by the affection and respect engendered by Arthur and Ruth Farber, is one example of how giving can change lives. “The generous support of families like the Farbers helps us educate the next generation of innovators and leaders, allowing us to provide transformative learning opportunities,” said Eddie Uehara, Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work. “I am very grateful to the Farber family for their long-term friendship and support for our students.” Farber appreciates his family’s ongoing connection to the School of Social Work. “The School was such a vital part of my parents’ life for so many years,” he said, “and it holds deep meaning for me, as well.”

If you would like to know more about creating an endowment to reflect your passion for social change, contact Greg Ross for details.

School and alumni updates

Alumna Lynn Behar edits handbook on oncology social work

The inaugural Handbook of Oncology Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People with Cancer provides a wealth of information for oncology social workers. Edited by Lynn Behar (PhD ’99), Grace Christ and Carolyn Messner, the 872-page book focuses on new standards for patients and family-centered care and how to integrate psychosocial care with medical treatment—areas long championed by oncology social workers. Just published by Oxford University Press, the book contains psychosocial interventions that can be used with pediatric patients, children and adolescents confronting parental cancer, and adult cancer patients and their families. Additional topics include distress screening, survivorship, care coordination, legal and ethical issues, professional career development, leadership and innovation.
  
School alumna appointed to Whatcom County Superior Court

In December, Raquel Montoya-Lewis (MSW ’96, JD ’95) was appointed to the Whatcom County Superior Court bench by Gov. Jay Inslee. She currently serves as the chief judge for the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian Tribes in Washington and is an associate professor at Fairhaven College at Western Washington University as well as an appointee to the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice. “My graduate education has served me incredibly well in the last 15 years,” said Montoya-Lewis. “My MSW degree has been fundamental to my development as a professional.” Montoya-Lewis, who is from the Pueblo of Isleta and the Pueblo of Laguna Indian Tribes, is the only Native American in the state court judiciary.

Book on migrant workers selected for Health Sciences Common Book series

Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States (University of California Press, 2013) is the Health Sciences Common Book for 2014–15. The series provides a framework for students, faculty and staff across the health sciences to discuss topics related to health equity and social justice.

The author, Seth Holmes, a medical anthropologist and physician, lived and traveled with undocumented migrant farmworkers and their families. His book documents the challenges farmworkers face in accessing health care, housing and jobs. Several events, including a round table on immigration, border control and mental health, are planned. The migrant experience is also the topic of a new art exhibit—Migration Now!—on view in the School’s first floor gallery through March 27.

New open-source program helps parents of children in foster care

Partners for Our Children, a School of Social Work–affiliated innovation center, has developed a new online program, called STRIVE, aimed at parents who hope to regain custody of their children. The program’s first 15 sessions can be downloaded to help parents who may have been in prison or addiction treatment facilities understand what to expect during visits with their children, meetings that can be emotional for both sides. Developed in collaboration with Children’s Administration, the program is believed to be the first open-source initiative designed specifically for parents in the welfare system. It is being tested in Tacoma and eventually will be available for a wider audience at no cost. Read how one mother used this resource to reunite with her daughter in this UW Today story.

Awards and accolades

School alumna honored with MLK community volunteer award

Norma Timbang (MSW ’10) recently received the 2015 Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Volunteer Recognition Award for the School of Social Work. Timbang, a lecturer at the School who is known for her skill in building effective working relationships with community activists and legislators, has been instrumental in community campaigns focusing on human rights and immigrant issues. In 2012 and again in 2014, she traveled to Cuba as a delegate with the U.S. Women and Cuba Collaboration. There, she lent her passion and expertise to help strengthen citizen-to-citizen diplomatic relationships in an effort to further social and economic justice.

SDRG founding director receives award from American Society of Criminology

David Hawkins, professor and founding director of the School’s Social Development Research Group, was awarded the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award at the November meeting of the American Society of Criminology in San Francisco. Hawkins was cited for his “sustained and outstanding contributions to scholarship knowledge on development and life-course criminology.” In order to be eligible, recipients must have at least 20 years’ experience contributing to scholarship research.

Call for nominations to honor distinguished alumni

The School of Social Work is seeking nominations for two annual alumni awards. The Moya M. Duplica Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes graduates for their outstanding contributions to the field, particularly those serving in diverse communities. The award is named in honor of emeritus faculty member Duplica, who served on the awards committee until her death in 2014. (Read more about Duplica's distinguished career in social work education, leadership and service here.)

The Early Career Achievement Award recognizes graduates who, within 12 years of receiving their last School of Social Work degree, are making a significant impact in social work practice, innovation or leadership. Awards for both programs will be announced at the June 11 graduation ceremony. For details on making your nomination, which must be submitted by April 3, visit the awards nominations Web page or contact Greg Ross in the Office of Advancement.

Alumna Lynn Grotsky wins a YWCA woman of achievement award

Lynn Grotsky (MSW ’82), co-founder and board president of Pizza Klatch, a program that provides weekly lunchtime support groups for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth in local high schools, was named a 2014 Woman of Achievement by the YWCA of Olympia. In seven years, Pizza Klatch has grown from serving six youth to serving 700, aided by more than 40 volunteers. Grotsky is also a founder of Thurston County’s Monarch Children’s Justice and Advocacy Center serving abused children and their families.

New grants focus on youth development, suicide prevention and living standards

The School-supported Social Development Research Group received two grants totaling about $115,000 for Communities That Care, a community-based youth-intervention program. In Minnesota, the grant focuses on start-up training, and in Utah, the grant is targeted toward continued training and support.

The National Institutes of Health awarded Forefront, a School of Social Work–affliated suicide-prevention group, nearly $30,000 to develop Web-based interventions for suicide prevention. Social work lecturer and researcher Diana Pearce received $40,000 from the Colorado Center on Law and Policy to update Colorado’s self-sufficiency standard, which measures family income needed to meet basic living requirements. In addition, research associate professor Nancy Grote was awarded more than $20,000 by Boston Medical Center to identify how to better reach depressed mothers in Head Start settings.

In the news

School alumnus shows Seattle's homeless a little warmth    

In November, Seattle Times columnist Jerry Large profiled School alumnus Eddie Wang (BASW ’13), who created an outreach effort called Sleepless in Seattle—Seattle Gives Back to help people living on the streets. Wang read that King County had more than 3,100 homeless men, women and children. Alarmed by this statistic, Wang approached several businesses for material goods, such as warm hats, and also started a fundraising campaign through the crowdsourcing site Indiegogo.

In several weeks, Wang raised more than his $50,000 goal, enabling him to buy 2,500 sleeping bags, which he distributed in December. Wang's efforts were also profiled by KING and KOMO.  
 

Engaging teens in a conversation about suicide   

A recent survey in Washington state reported that 1 in 10 students attempted suicide in the past year and that 1 in 5 had seriously considered it. For this reason, says Sue Eastgard (MSW ’88), co-founder and director of training at Forefront, a School-supported suicide prevention group, it is important for parents to learn suicide’s warning signs and to understand how to talk with their children about mental health issues. Although teens are notorious for their shifting moods, Eastgard stressed that it is always a good idea to investigate a worrisome change in teenage behavior. Read the full article, which appeared in December in ParentMap.

Upcoming events 

Mark your calendar for the sixth annual scholarship breakfast on March 11

Join alumni, donors and faculty at the sixth annual School of Social Work Scholarship Breakfast, to be held Wed., March 11, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Husky Union Building (HUB) North Ballroom. This year’s speaker is Tony Mestres, president and CEO of The Seattle Foundation. Mestres developed a global perspective on innovation while working as a Microsoft executive, and he applies those principles today to spark high-impact giving throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Mestres’ presentation, How Giving Ignites Change, is particularly timely as the School celebrates its 80th anniversary. Please RSVP by March 4 or send an email to Greg Ross. 

Migration Now! exhibit on display through March 27

An exhibit of prints addressing social justice and immigration issues such as deportation, human rights and detention is on display through March 27 in the School’s first floor gallery. The exhibit’s handmade prints follow in the time-honored tradition of political printmaking and street graphics.

More than half of the participating artists are members of Justseeds, a worker-owned cooperative of 25 artists nationwide who use their art to comment on social and environmental issues. Other works were created by cartoonists, labor organizers, street-art provocateurs and culture workers from coast to coast.

Milestones

Former School lecturer Lloyd Averill passes away at age 91

Lloyd J. Averill, a senior lecturer at the School from 1984 to 1993 with an emeritus appointment afterwards, died Dec. 17, 2014.

In a professional career spanning more than 45 years, Averill taught undergraduate and graduate students and served as an academic administrator, consultant, program developer, fundraiser, author and preacher. He was vice-president of three colleges—Kalamazoo, Davis and Elkins, and Barat—and served as president of the Council of Protestant Colleges and Universities and the Kansas City Regional Council for Higher Education.

Averill wrote extensively on subjects related to theology, higher education, sociology and Northwest Coast Native art history, and was the author of 14 books. In addition to earning several master’s degrees, including one in sociology from the University of Rochester, he received seven honorary doctorate degrees from colleges across the country. He is survived by his wife, Gloria, and three children, his brother Jack, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Moya Duplica, School faculty member for 40 years, dies

Beryl Moya Martin Duplica, who inspired four decades of undergraduate students with her bravura teaching style, passed away Oct. 21, 2014.

Duplica was born in Kamloops, B.C., Canada, and grew up in Victoria. She received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor in Social Welfare from the University of British Columbia and completed a Master of Social Work degree at St. Louis University in Missouri. In 1963, she was hired by the School of Social Work, where she taught courses on social welfare policy, history and issues affecting the lives of women. She retired in 2003.

Away from the classroom, Duplica enjoyed hiking and the outdoors. With her late husband of 52 years, John, she made multiple ascents of Mount Rainier. Gifts in her memory can be made to the UW School of Social Work by contacting Greg Ross or to Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Seattle.

School of Social Work Dean Eddie Uehara has memorialized Duplica's contributions to teaching, mentoring and community engagement by naming the School's annual distinguished alumni award in her honor.

Winter 2015

Giving
Updates
Awards
News
Events
Milestones

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