News Archive
-
More than a decade ago, Rosemary Alamo, teaching professor of practicum education, and Rick Ornelas, associate teaching professor of practicum education, both at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, established the Social Work and Public Safety Program at USC.
-
USC is one of the first universities in the nation to offer a criminal justice concentration specifically focused on youth.
-
When Henrick Karoliszyn began the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, his intention was to explore juvenile solitary confinement. However, as he progressed in his studies, he realized there was a more pressing issue of social isolation for which he was uniquely qualified to investigate: secondary trauma among journalists. Karoliszyn is an award-winning journalist who covered crime as a national correspondent for major publications, including The Wall Street Journal and New York Daily News.
-
Two years ago, Allison Chapman decided she was no longer going to put off earning an advanced degree. The daughter of a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and granddaughter of a clinical psychologist, she grew up in a family who volunteered together in the community.
“I was always at a shelter or other service organization, always raised to do something for someone else,” Chapman said. “I feel like I’ve been a social worker my whole life.”
-
Each year, the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work honors students who have made significant achievements in their academic careers and contributions to the community. We are proud to recognize the following students for their outstanding accomplishments.
Gladys M. Salit Award
Recognizes outstanding potential to contribute to the profession of social work. This award honors the professional life of distinguished alumna Gladys Salit.
-
In March of 2023, Nicole Carson found herself driving across the island of Guam in a total blackout at two o’clock in the morning. Electricity across most of the island was out following a super typhoon that had hit the previous week. A mere three weeks earlier she had arrived on the island with her husband and four-year-old daughter. It was an unexpected change of assignment for her husband, a chief navy diver in the U.S. Navy.
-
In May 2025, Lisa Whealy receives her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her path to completing this degree, however, was a journey of discovery.
At the beginning of 2020, Lisa Whealy was in her final semester to complete a master’s degree in communication management from USC Annenberg, and self-employed as a music journalist and publicist. Then, the pandemic hit.
-
The USC PhD Achievement Awards recognize six doctoral candidates, and their primary faculty advisor, from across the university, with exceptional academic profiles. Among the recipients for 2025 are PhD candidate Lucinda Adjesiwor and Associate Professor Julie Cederbaum of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
-
Professors María Aranda and Yuri Jang were honored by the university at the 44th Annual Faculty Academic Honors Convocation ceremony in Town and Gown on April 16, 2025, in recognition of their induction into the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW), one the highest honors bestowed in the social work profession.
-
The history of social work practice has followed alongside the quest for women’s rights. In fact, Jane Addams, widely considered “the mother of social work,” was only the second woman — and the first American woman — to win a Nobel Peace Prize, in 1931. Her work set the stage for advocacy on many of the issues that remain central to the practice and research of the social work profession today, including homelessness, immigration and the needs of children and families. Addams’ leadership also established social work as a viable professional alternative for women.