bing pixel

网曝吃瓜

  1. Home
  2. Tag: Social Work

National Association of Social Workers Honors Augsburg鈥檚 Kao Nou Moua

Posted on

A headshot of Kao Nou Moua. She's wearing glasses and a gray striped shirt.Every year, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) awards individuals who have made a difference in their state鈥檚 social work field. NASW-MN recently named Kao Nou Moua the 2025 Tony Bibus Social Work Faculty of the Year for her leadership and commitment to student success.听

Moua serves as assistant professor of social work as well as the Master of Social Work program director at 海角社区. 鈥淜ao Nou is truly a superstar of our department in every way, and I鈥檓 thrilled that she鈥檚 receiving this recognition from NASW,鈥� says Erin Sugrue, associate professor and chair of Augsburg鈥檚 social work department. The award is named after the late Professor Emeritus Anthony Bibus III, who spent over 20 years at Augsburg in addition to serving on the NASW national board.听

鈥淚’m grateful to be recognized by my social work peers to receive an award named in honor of Tony Bibus, who passed away last year,鈥� says Moua. 鈥淢ost importantly, it’s a privilege to be nominated by our wonderful students at Augsburg, who allow me to live out my calling as an educator and advocate.鈥�

Learn more about Augsburg鈥檚 social work programs and Kao Nou Moua鈥檚 work.

Augsburg Builds Pipeline of School Social Workers and Counselors

Posted on

An empty public school hallway with blue lockers on the left and classrooms on the rightAmid an urgent need for more support personnel in K-12 schools, 海角社区 is piloting a new program to train the next generation of school social workers and school-based therapists.

鈥淟ots of social work students want to work in education,鈥� says Associate Professor Erin Sugrue, who chairs Augsburg鈥檚 social work department. But the requirement to complete at least one year-long internship in a school setting creates a structural hurdle for students who can鈥檛 afford to spend a year or more in an unpaid position. As a result, many internship placements in public schools go unfilled each year.听

Augsburg鈥檚 new program, developed by Sugrue and led by Assistant Professor Christopher Thyberg, aims to support a cohort of students through the critical internship year and ultimately into careers in education. In its first year, 28 undergraduate and master鈥檚 social work students are interning as school social workers and school-based mental health providers. Participants receive a monthly living stipend and reimbursement for transportation and licensure expenses thanks to .听

In addition to financial support, the students gather multiple times a semester to build community and explore key issue areas in education. These sessions have tapped into the expertise of faculty colleagues in Augsburg鈥檚 education department, delving into topics like multilingual learners with Assistant Professor Yacoub Aljaffery and special education with Assistant Professor Sergio Madrid-Aranda during the fall semester. Sugrue hopes that this collaboration will lead to more formal partnerships between the education and social work programs in the future, including co-listed classes.听

Augsburg participants in the initial cohort are completing internships in K鈥�12 school districts throughout the metro area, including Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Robbinsdale, Rosemount鈥揂pple Valley鈥揈agan, Champlin, Brooklyn Park, Anoka鈥揌ennepin, Spring Lake Park, Hopkins, Columbia Heights, and charter schools. After graduation, they will be prepared to pursue careers as either school social workers or school-based mental health providers. Both play a key role in supporting students in K-12 settings.

鈥淪chool social workers serve as the link between family, home, and school,鈥� said Sugrue, who spent more than a decade as a school social worker herself. 鈥淭hey are concerned with students鈥� overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being.鈥� Typically employees of the school district, school social workers triage many different issues that may arise in a day, including attendance, conflict resolution, and substance use.听

School-based mental health providers focus more specifically on students鈥� mental health concerns. While they deliver counseling and other therapeutic services on-site at school, they are often employed by an outside agency and can bill insurance.听

To date, Augsburg has received $411,000 to develop the new cohort model from the state , administered by the Minnesota Department of Education. The grant program aims to support students in completing accredited programs and becoming licensed school psychologists, school nurses, school counselors, and school social workers, and to increase the number of student support personnel providers who identify as people of color or Indigenous. A separate $125,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development supports students in the program with a specific interest in becoming school-based mental health providers.听

Learn more about Augsburg鈥檚 Master of Social Work and Bachelor of Social Work programs.

Augsburg Faculty Publish New Books for Kids, Parents

Posted on

Augsburg students benefit from world-class faculty with deep academic expertise and a love of teaching鈥攁 major reason the university is so for undergraduate teaching.听

Many Augsburg faculty are also dedicated public scholars, whose work reaches beyond the academy to shape conversations in the public square. Two recent faculty books hold broad appeal for children and parents.听聽聽

Matt Maruggi holding a copy of his new bookMatt Maruggi, associate professor of religion and previous co-director of Augsburg鈥檚 Interfaith Scholars program, is the co-author of 鈥�.鈥� The book aims to make the world’s major faiths accessible to kids ages 8鈥�12, sharing the complexities of different religious traditions in language young people can understand. Maruggi calls it a 鈥済orgeous, content-heavy picture book,鈥� with sections on Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as Native American traditions, Sikhism, Taosim, shamanism, secular humanism, interfaith families, and interfaith cooperation.听

Maruggi and his co-authors Sonja Hagander and Megan Borgert-Spaniol interviewed children from different traditions about the most meaningful aspects of their faith traditions. The book highlights their perspectives as well as famous individuals (like Dorothy Day and Muhammad Ali) and organizations (like Sewa International and Bread for the World) whose religious convictions are visible in public life.听

Cover of Spanked: How Hitting Our Children Is Harming OurselvesChristina Erickson, professor of social work and environmental studies, is the author of 鈥�,鈥� a deep dive into the long-accepted practice of hitting children for learning and obedience. 鈥淪panked鈥� explores the historical roots, cultural supports, and social dynamics of spanking鈥攁 practice that is illegal in 62 countries, but still widely accepted here in the U.S.听Erickson, who also chairs Augsburg鈥檚 social work department, comes to this topic as a social worker, a researcher, and a parent herself. In the book, she traces more than a century of research into spanking outcomes to critically assess the common narrative: 鈥淚 was spanked, and I turned out fine.鈥澛�

Erickson was featured by columnist Laura Yuen in a recent The book gives parents, health care providers, educators, social workers, faith leaders, and anyone interested in power and family dynamics a platform to respectfully discuss what spanking communicates to children.

鈥淧eople Do Their Own Healing鈥�: Minnesota Women鈥檚 Press Features Prof. Melissa Hensley

Posted on

The Minnesota Women鈥檚 Press recently featured an editorial by Melissa Hensley, associate professor of social work, on the value of peer support to reduce stigma in social service settings. The essay was part of a larger issue dedicated to stigma and addiction.

Hensley, who also serves as field director for Augsburg鈥檚 bachelor of social work program, spent many years as a provider of services to adults with serious and persistent mental illness in a residential setting.

鈥淧eer supporters, who use their own experiences with addiction or mental health to help guide others, are an example of person-centered care … [They] fill gaps in traditional mental health services by providing essential knowledge about the recovery process, such as how to cope with symptoms, develop healthy relationships, and balance employment,鈥� she writes.

鈥淪ocial workers like myself need to understand that our role is not to 鈥渇ix what is wrong.鈥� People do their own healing, and our job is to offer tools and resources.鈥�

Melissa Hensley notes in Star Tribune how Habitat for Humanity homes shape lives

Posted on

Minneapolis Star TribuneMelissa Hensley, assistant professor of social work at Augsburg College, was quoted in a Star Tribune article about the substantial benefits that Habitat for Humanity homes provide to families who move into them. The article reports on the exceptionally positive findings in a newly released study by Wilder Research of more than 400 families. The improvements in the families’ lives include higher income, less reliance on government social programs, an increased sense of security, and better childhood performance in school.

In the article, Hensley states that the Habitat model, in which participants help construct their new homes, provides a sense of pride and cooperation that has ripple effects throughout the families’ lives. 鈥淢ost individuals want to be engaged in a constructive activity,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is something people feel they鈥檙e a part of and can be proud of.鈥� She goes on to note聽that by 鈥淓nabling them to move into a place where they have stability and safety, they can blossom.鈥�

Read: on the Star Tribune site.

Caitlin Lietzau ’14 MSW joins WeCAN

Posted on

Augsburg College alumna Caitlin (McDonald) Lietzau ’14 MSW was featured in the Lakeshore Weekly News as she joined the staff of Western Communities Action Network (WeCAN) in the role of聽food program coordinator. Lietzau is a licensed graduate social worker who received a master鈥檚 in social work with an emphasis on program development, policy, and administration. Learn more about her role in the story, “WeCAN has new addition.”

Christine Dawson ’13 MSW shines as coordinator for HeroCare

Posted on

Christine Dawson ’13 MSW聽was featured on the cover of the Regions Hospital Foundation Newsletter for her outstanding work with the HeroCare Program for veterans at Regions Hospital. Dawson, who is herself a veteran, coordinates services and advocates for patients in Regions Hospital’s mental health programs. on the Regions Hospital website.

Learn more about Dawson’s experiences as an Augsburg student by reading “,” an article from the fall 2013 Augsburg Now alumni magazine.

Mpls. St. Paul Magazine talks with Lani Hollenbeck

Posted on

MSPStPaulAugsburg alumna Lani Hollenbeck聽’79 鈥�11 MAN, a graduate of the College’s undergraduate social work and graduate nursing programs, spoke with Mpls. St. Paul Magazine about her role caring for infants at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. In the story, Hollenbeck describes the model she developed to promote positive relationships between caregivers and families in hospitals and her off-duty work through missions to Mexico and Guatemala. She is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Augsburg with an emphasis in Transcultural Nursing Leadership.听The profile of Hollenbeck聽was part of a longer story that named聽some of Minnesota鈥檚 outstanding nurses. Read 鈥�.鈥�

Torstenson Lecture in Sociology features Garry Hesser

Posted on
Garry Hesser
Augsburg professor Garry Hesser

Each year, Augsburg College honors the legacy of an individual who helped shape the College’s mission by hosting the Torstenson Lecture in Sociology, and鈥攆or the first time鈥攖he 2013 presentation will highlight the important work of a current Augsburg faculty member.

The Torstenson Lecture is an opportunity for a sociologist from the Twin Cities area to share with the Augsburg community the contemporary scholarship, research, and thinking on a sociological topic.

This year’s speaker, Garry Hesser, is the first Augsburg professor selected to be the Torstenson lecturer, and Hesser will present “Place Matters…So?” at 5 p.m., April 2 in Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center. Continue reading “Torstenson Lecture in Sociology features Garry Hesser” →

Augsburg College hosts parliamentarian Marianne Aasen

Posted on

AasenAugsburg College on October 16 and 17 will host Norwegian parliamentarian Marianne Aasen as she makes her first trip to Minnesota aimed at identifying opportunities for research, business, and educational exchange between Norway and the Upper Midwest.

Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow invited Aasen to visit the College to further her understanding of U.S. higher education and to explore topics central to her vocation. During the trip, Aasen鈥攚ho chairs a parliamentary committee on research and education鈥攚ill meet U.S. scholars who collaborate with Norwegian researchers and will discuss educational issues with faculty members in the College’s Education and Social Work departments. Continue reading “Augsburg College hosts parliamentarian Marianne Aasen” →