Spring 2025

Dear Adelphi University School of Social Work Community,

Each spring brings the optimism of renewed growth and positive change. In this edition of Living Our Mission, we bring news of the ways our program is developing and growing, as well as how we are responding to changes in the larger context. 

The common thread for these stories is finding new and innovative ways to serve our communities. We are excited about the launch of our new hybrid DSW program in the Hudson Valley this fall, which will prepare social work practitioners to be agency and institution leaders with a focus on social justice. Our Practicum Education Department is another area of growth—we're forging partnerships with local libraries to respond to the needs of individuals and families in communities. We also share a creative initiative by our faculty and students that gave disadvantaged community members a voice, and highlight an alumnus who came to our online MSW program when he was called to advocate for the needs of children and youth.

I hope these stories demonstrate the many ways the School of Social Work is growing into the future, adapting and responding to the needs of our community.

The changing landscape of social services requires adapting the way social workers work in our communities. Learn how Adelphi is preparing students to become social workers in an unpredictable and uncertain time.

READ MORE>

The new program is designed to meet the needs of professionals who are seeking to deepen their practice and take on leadership roles in a field that’s vital to addressing today’s most urgent social issues.

READ MORE>

School of Social Work students and faculty collaborated with New York City's Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center to raise community voices and share stories of mental health and substance use recovery.

READ MORE>

Henry Gomez ’24 balanced earning his online Master of Social Work with family life, community activism and his job serving students in New York City’s public schools. The key, he said, is the program's flexibility.

READ MORE>

Arron Muller, MSW '12, adjunct professor, and colleagues presented "Untangling Trauma: Exploring the Impact of Misdiagnosis in Black Men's Mental Health" at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference in January.

Chrisann Newransky, PhD, associate professor, and colleagues presented "An Examination of Community Based ACEs, Neighborhood Safety, Support, and Amenities on the Mental Health Symptom Severity of Older Youth" at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference in January.

Elizabeth Palley, JD, PhD, professor and director of the social work PhD program, co-authored a second edition of Social Welfare Policy in a Changing World, which was published by Sage Press in 2024.   

Livia Polise, director of practicum education, conducted a workshop on "Harnessing Hope During Times of Uncertainty" at the Church Avenue Merchant Business Association (CAMBA, Inc.) in Brooklyn, New York, in March.

Renee M. Rawcliffe, director of continuing education and SSW doctoral student, Beverly Araujo Dawson, PhD, professor, and colleagues presented "Effects of Disaster Preparedness Knowledge and Cumulative Disaster Related Stressors on the Mental Health of College Students, Faculty and Staff" at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference in January.

Philip A. Rozario, PhD, professor, and colleagues presented "Community Engagement, Social Support, and Relationship Dynamics Among Older Adults Post-COVID-19" at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in November 2024.

Louise Skolnik, DSW '89, professor emerita of social work, authored a guest essay titled “Addressing Child Poverty Will Help All Long Islanders,” published in Newsday in March. 

Yiqi Zhu, PhD, assistant professor, and colleagues presented "A Psychosocial Intervention to Improve Child Mental Wellbeing and Learning Outcomes in Afghanistan Schools" at the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference in January.

Share Your Thoughts

We've shared our news on the School of Social Work—now we'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to email us.

We invite you to be part of the School of Social Work community on social.

Locations: Garden City • Hauppauge • New York City (Brooklyn) • New York's Hudson Valley • Online
adelphi.edu • 800.ADELPHI