School of Social Work celebrates 30 years, commemorates Morales

The School of Social Work is celebrating 30 years at SFA.

According to The School of Social Work Web site, "The school is celebrating 30 years of scholarship and service in social work education and practice."

"The school has been preparing social workers in the community," said Dr. Freddie Avant, professor and director of the School of Social Work.

The school has trained around 1,500 social workers over the years and has contributed 250,000 hours to internships, Avant said.

He said he hopes these internships bring in new, younger social workers since the majority of social workers are over 50 years of age.

Last semester, the school kicked off its celebration with an all-day event. The event was themed and titled "Building Bridges: Changing Lives… That's what we do."

The celebration featured speaker Jim Armsworth, SFA's first social work director; recognition of the founders and major contributors.

The event also featured an open house with tours of the school facilities, a chance for guests to relive history and welcome the future and a tribute to all school directors.

The event concluded with a 30th year celebration ceremony, a birthday celebration and legacy campaign, and a memorial tribute to the late Dr. Linda Morales, a longtime member of the social work faculty.