May 16, 2016 – June 17, 2016

The University of Maryland School of Social Work is a place where students learn how to become a social worker or augment their career expertise. The social work field is intended to strengthen the welfare of individuals, groups, communities suffering from poverty, social intolerance, and unequal human rights. The primary communication method for social workers is “face to face.” Based on this, there is a misnomer that social workers do not embrace technology. This is simply not true. Social workers adopt technology when it is accessible, efficient, empowering, and portable. The School of Social Work art exhibit showcases nine people who used technology to demonstrate their idea of blossoming. The artworks were predominately created with smartphones, with some using visual textures produced by a mobile application.

To gain a glimpse of who the artists are within our UMB community, please view the information below. The images represent nine artists celebrating the beauty of life from their own perspective. Too often we get bogged down in the details of our jobs. In order to inspire, educate, support social work students; sometimes we need “to stop and smell the roses.”

Amy Burns is an office manager for the Dean’s office. She is yoga teacher, mentor, teacher of compassion, mother, and a healer. She is the pillar of strength for all who work with her.

Dr. Caroline Burry is an associate professor and chair of the families and child specialization. Her focus ranges from adoption, foster care, evidence-informed practice, parental incarceration, and prenatal substance exposure. She is generous, caring, supportive, and thoughtful.

Pat Boland is the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. She is a Baltimore City resident who is detailed oriented, knowledgeable, well founded, and wholehearted.

Dr. Julie Gilliam is the Senior Instructional Technologist in the Informatics department. Her interests lie in mobile technology, educational applications, innovative methods of teaching, and human center computing. Her goal is to empower people through the use of technology. Julie is insightful, earnest, spiritual, and feeling and compassionate (at times beyond reason). It is only through her vision that this display has come to be.

Kristy Grose is the office manager for Social Work Outreach Services. She supports SWCOS mission to focus civic minded leadership, innovative community-engaged education, service, and research. She is a loving mom, compassionate co-worker, and charitable human-being.

Jay Hood is an Senior Information Specialist in the Informatics department. He is good natured, sharp, zealous, witty, and precise.

Dr. Megan Meyer is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Master’s Program. Her work expertise expands from community organizing and advocacy, community-university partnerships, human service organizations, qualitative research, social capital development, and social movements. She is practical, astute, intuitive, altruistic, and anchored.

Dr. Michael Reisch is the Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice.  He has been an amateur photographer since graduating from college.  In addition to flowers, he particularly enjoys photographing other natural wonders, street scenes, old buildings, ancient frescoes, and everyday objects. He is influential, resilient, caring, compelling, keen, and passionate.

Dawn Shafer is the Assistant Dean of Student Services. She demonstrates unfluctuating compassion for every student she comes in contact with at the school.  She is spirited, gregarious, tenacious, inventive, and determined.