Embedded Files
Oct. 6, 2026
Oct. 6, 2026
BSW Updates & Information
BSW Updates & Information
The BSW Orientation Canvas shell is available to all students.
Intro Letter to Students:
Greetings,
Thank you to everyone who participated in the BSW orientations last week, either virtually or in-person. For those of you who were not able to attend orientation, my name is Dr. Lakindra Mitchell Dove and this is my second year serving as the BSW Program Director. However, I have a long history with PSU and the School of Social Work. I am a proud graduate of the MSW and PhD Programs. I started my journey as a graduate assistant and I never imagined that I would pursue professorship, let alone, a leadership role in higher education. It has been rewarding to continue to grow and expand in the SSW. Prior to joining academia full-time, I worked as a social work practitioner for nearly 15 years, primarily with children, youth, and families as a therapist, pediatric medical social worker, mental health coordinator, facilitator, and community consultant. I am also an Oregonian, born and raised in Portland! It brings me great joy to be able to live and work in the community that nurtured me during my childhood.
As you settle into fall term, I encourage you to take some time to get to know your faculty members, staff, community partners, and the SSW space. It will be important to begin developing relationships with those of us here to support you. Even if it’s sending an email to introduce yourself, stopping by to say hi, attending office hours, or joining other opportunities to connect virtually.
If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to review the BSW student handbook. Please take some time to review the guidelines, as we expect that all BSW students will adhere to these standards, both in the classroom and practicum settings.
I wish you a great start to the academic year!
Lakindra Mitchell Dove, PhD, MSW
BSW Program Director and Associate Professor
bswdirector@pdx.edu
Register to Fall: courses designated with a “U” can be taken by all students as electives also SW4 16. For other courses, you will need to be admitted to the BSW program and follow the appropriate course sequence to enroll.
SW 301U: INTRO TO SOCIAL WORK (CRN 12939)
SW 320U INTRO TO CHILD WELFARE (CRN: 12943)
SW 416: Motivational Interviewing (CRN:12958)
More undergraduate social work courses, CYFS, HS
Make sure you meet with an advisor!
Juniors: Fall — SW 301U and SW 339
Seniors: Fall —SW 430, SW 400, and SW 450
Ensure Social Work Remains a Professional Degree
https://socialpresskit.com/social-work-is-a-profession
Ensure Social Work Remains a Professional Degree
https://socialpresskit.com/social-work-is-a-profession
"The Department of Education (DOE) has updated its definition of “professional degrees,” a classification that determines federal student loan eligibility for graduate programs. Historically, social work has been recognized as a professional degree, allowing MSW students to access federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and other critical funding. Under the proposed rule, social work would no longer meet the professional degree criteria, creating significant financial barriers for students. This change comes amid growing demand for social workers in behavioral health, child welfare, education, and community services—sectors already facing severe workforce shortages.
CSWE and the Social Work Leadership Roundtable are advocating to ensure social work retains its professional degree status and continued access to federal financial aid. See below for talking points you can use in your advocacy to protect the social work profession.
Why does this matter?
DOE excluding social work from its proposed definition of “professional degrees” would significantly limit access to federal student loans for MSW students.
Reduced access to education will worsen workforce shortages and harm communities nationwide.
Many MSW students rely on federal loans to afford graduate education.
Reclassifying social work would make it harder for students—especially those from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds—to enter the profession.
Fewer graduates means fewer social workers available to meet growing mental health and social service needs.
Social workers make up the bulk of the mental health workforce in the U.S.
They are essential to child welfare, behavioral health, schools, healthcare, and community-based services.
Fewer MSW graduates will increase recruitment and turnover costs for agencies.
Weakened public systems ultimately increase costs for taxpayers.
Bottom line?
Excluding social work from the professional degree definition will harm students, communities, and public systems.
Recognizing social work as a professional degree is essential to meeting the nation’s mental health and social service needs.
WHAT ARE WE CALLING FOR?
Include social work in the final DOE definition of professional degrees.
Preserve equitable access to federal student loans for MSW students.
Strengthen—not restrict—pathways into social work education.
Additional policy priorities:
Expand access to federal grants, training programs, and loan repayment opportunities.
Protect and grow key funding streams, including:
Pell Grants
Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program
HRSA scholarships and loan repayment initiatives
How to submit comments?
Visit this link: https://www.regulations.gov/document/ED-2025-OPE-0944-0001
Click “Comment” and upload or paste your response.
What to include in your comment:
Share personal or institutional experience (e.g., teaching, supervising students, practicing, or hiring social workers).
Insist that social work be included in the definition of professional degrees.
Explain how reduced loan access would affect:
MSW students and affordability
Workforce shortages in mental and behavioral health
Access to services in rural and underserved communities
After you comment:
Consider sharing your comment across your social media networks! Encourage colleagues in your network to submit their comment, as well. If you post, please use the hashtag #SocialWorkIsAProfession"
Source: https://socialpresskit.com/social-work-is-a-profession
Previous Newsletter Highlights
Previous Newsletter Highlights
Dra. Jessica I. Ramirez - “Voices of Solidarity: Challenging Censorship in Social Work Discourse on Palestine During an Ongoing Genocide”
Dra. Jessica I. Ramirez - “Voices of Solidarity: Challenging Censorship in Social Work Discourse on Palestine During an Ongoing Genocide”
Dra. Jessica I. Ramirez recently co-published an article titled "Voices of Solidarity: Challenging Censorship in Social Work Discourse on Palestine During an Ongoing Genocide," in the Journal of Social Work Education.
From abstract (abridged): “We call attention to social work’s silence surrounding the genocide perpetrated against the Palestinian people of Gaza that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, more than half of whom are women and children, and displaced 95% of Gaza’s population. We reflect on our commitment to practice with underserved racial/ethnic minority people, along with our social work code of ethics and values.”
Highlighting the C3 Interdisciplinary Research Initiative:
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is proud to announce the C3 Interdisciplinary Research Initiative, a forward-thinking project designed to foster creative, collaborative, and community-engaged interdisciplinary research.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is proud to announce the C3 Interdisciplinary Research Initiative, a forward-thinking project designed to foster creative, collaborative, and community-engaged interdisciplinary research.
La Lectura Cura - Using Latinx Literature to Promote Healing and Bilingual Literacy Practices at an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution
La Lectura Cura - Using Latinx Literature to Promote Healing and Bilingual Literacy Practices at an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution
PIs: Melissa Patiño-Vega, Cristina Herrera, and Martín Gonzalez, Chicanx/Latinx Studies; Jessica Ramirez, School of Social Work and Chicanx/Latinx Studies
"From an interdisciplinary perspective, this project will investigate how Spanish-English reading circles rooted in culturally sustaining pedagogies and community cultural wealth promote healing, representation, and bilingual literacy practices among Chicanx and Latinx students, staff, and faculty at PSU. This research initiative will adopt the Latinx novel titled I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter written by Erika L. Sánchez, which addresses themes including mental health, immigration, language, and trauma, issues that PSU’s Chicanx and Latinx students commonly face. This community book will be adopted in Spanish Heritage, Chicanx & Latinx Studies, and Social Work classes taught by faculty in these units. We will also engage student-facing centers including, La Casa Latina, Dreamer Resource Center, and SHAC.
During Fall 2024, our project intends to recruit 115 student participants, hold three reading circles, and conclude with a keynote and discussion with Erika L. Sánchez, the novel's author. These bilingual reading circles aim to holistically serve a large minority group that has historically been neglected in academia. Our goal is that other disciplines across campus can borrow from our model of using culturally sustaining pedagogies and community cultural wealth as our university strives to be a Hispanic Serving Institution. Additionally, we intend to apply to the James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation for external funding to continue our research efforts with Latinx local high school students and community."
https://www.pdx.edu/liberal-arts-sciences/c3-interdisciplinary-research-initiative
We are excited to announce that our BSW 2025 MER participants are Tyreisha (Tee) Hayes and Yanely Sotelo!The Multnomah Educators Rising (MER) program provides financial support, mentorship, and a pathway to both undergraduate and graduate programs.
Featuring BSW Adjuncts:
Heather Sheppard, MSW
Hello everyone! My name is Heather and I am a two time graduate from the PSU SSW and have been working in the field for the last 13 years.I am currently working at the SW Washington Accountable Community of Health (SWACH) as the Equity and Collaborative Impact Manager. Professionally I enjoy power building through community engagement and collaboration and advocating for reformation of disparate and oppressive systemic policies. Personally, I enjoy lifting weights, eating delicious food, and traveling. I have an amazing partner who helps me wrangle two adult children, an almost 10 year old, a pitbull doggo, a big Maine coon, and two twin kitties. I dream of working myself out of a job and living in a world where there isn't a need for social workers anymore.
Thanks/gracias to those who attended our Meet and Greet event (see pictures below) as we welcomed Dr. Jessica Rameriz, our new tenure track Assistant Professor! What came out of that event is a desire for both students and faculty to build community. Help build that together!
As a way to continue building community within our BSW Program, I hope to highlight our Adjunct Instructors. For this issue, we highlight Kevin Cherry.
Kevin’s note to BSW students: Hello BSW students! I’ve been a social worker from day one and have dipped my toes in numerous areas of the profession, including domestic and sexual violence intervention and prevention, issues of housing and homelessness, and care work for individuals with disabilities. I’ve also been involved in many research projects spanning issues of LGBTQ+ health, racial equity, and the political economy of social welfare. I am most passionate about helping students understand the role of the social work profession in modern society as it relates to capitalism and democracy. These days I’m finishing up my PhD, which is a study of Twitter data from the summer of 2020 that examines public discourse of calls to defund the police as it relates to social welfare. Outside of social work and higher education, I enjoy art (especially ceramics) and furniture design, and try to spend as much time as possible observing the frog pond in my backyard.
Northwest Oregon Works has funding for Work-based Learning towards careers in Behavioral Health. They have up to $20,000 per person, for those enrolled in a bachelors or masters program which can eventually lead to clinical licensure. Funding can support candidates who are living, interning and/or working in the following Oregon counties: Benton, Linn, Lincoln, Tillamook, Clatsop, or Columbia. To learn more, please contact Adrienne Peters, Project Manager at adrienne@nworegonworks.org
Let’s share our words of appreciation and gratitude for each other. A SHOUT OUT is intended to identify and recognize individuals.
Nominate yourself or someone else, and tell us what you are up to this summer. We want to make sure we recognize your achievements and work.
Nominate yourself or someone else, and tell us what you are up to this summer. We want to make sure we recognize your achievements and work.
Check out our community partnership page and get involved. Our children development center at Portland State University is looking for students who are interested in gaining leadership skills in family and children learning environment by joining their advisory board and attending a meeting once a month. Contact Helen Gordon Child Development Center.
Overview:
The BSW Program at Portland State University combines theory with practical, hands-on experience which prepares undergraduate students for careers in social work and related fields and for future graduate studies. Students in our BSW Program gain knowledge, values, and skills to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Our program is committed to centering critical self-reflection, racial equity, and social and economic justice, and we encourage our students to be active citizens and practitioners who embody these values.
The School of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). We are the only accredited BSW program in a public higher education institution in Oregon.
The program offers either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Social Work. Students can attend the program at the Portland campus, or enroll in the BSW Online program.
The BSW Program at Portland State University prepares undergraduates to become entry-level professionals who will work in a wide variety of community-based human services organizations, both public and private. Graduates work in a number areas of practice, including policy and advocacy, direct practice, research, and education. Social workers also work across a diverse array of settings, programs, and initiatives, including child welfare, mental health, healthcare, aging, substance use, immigration, corrections, juvenile justice, and anti-racism, anti-violence, and anti-poverty initiatives.
BSW CONTACTS
Elizabeth Benner
SSW Undergraduate Advising
(503) 725-5925
Mollie Janssen
Online Cohort Coordinator
(503) 725-5016
To continue to promote ongoing communication, you may share your thoughts, comments, and/or feedback in the BSW Program Comment Box. You may submit anonymous comments (but must login with a PSU account). The BSW Admin Team checks them regularly.
Feel free to also share newsworthy items, events, etc. in our BSW newsletter, as this is your space as much as it is the program’s. You can email them to sswundergrad@pdx.edu
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