Academic Feature: Social Work Program

(ABILENE, Texas)–The Social Work Program at Hardin-Simmons University is committed to providing resources and help to people both on campus and in the surrounding communities. The program is directed by Melissa Milliorn, Professor of Social Work. The program provides five essential components: human behavior and social environment, social welfare policy and services, social work practice, social work research, and field instruction.

Some of HSU’s Social Work students pose for a group photo.

The Social Work program contains the Social Work club and the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work. HSU’s chapter of the honor society is Sigma Beta, which was established in November 2011. The Sigma Beta chapter’s mission is to “provide social work students with additional opportunities to promote humanitarianism, human and civil rights, social and economic justice through projects, events, and activities.”

The Social Work Club serves to facilitate communication and fellowship among Social Work majors and faculty, promote interest in social work issues, and promote social action and service both within and outside of the campus community. The club’s current president is Morgan Culpepper, a senior Social Work major. During her time at Hardin-Simmons, she has noticed how the program has the ability to change students’ lives. “The connections you make while in the program are life long and I’ve seen how these friendships can help your professional social work career…we branch into different fields and provide each other networking opportunities,” said Culpepper. Her favorite thing about the program is how connected students become with each other and the campus. “As you enter into the program in Intro to Social Work, all the way to the Senior Field Seminar course, you are connected with your cohort and fellow students, faculty, and with the Abilene community as well.”

Social Work students attend the 2018 Social Work Awards Banquet.

The Social Work program has been active on campus this year. In the fall of 2018, they hosted a taco stack-up event that gave undecided majors, intro to social work students, and new social work majors and minors a chance to become more familiar with the program by meeting and speaking to social work students already active in the program. Social Work students also participated in the 19th annual Mission Thanksgiving fundraiser in November.

This spring, the program hosted the ‘Mix it Up’ fundraiser. They also coordinated the annual Prom Party which gives girls in Foster care an opportunity to get dressed up and have a night of dancing and fun.

March is Social Work month, so the program has several events on its calendar for the month. March 7 was the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Social Work Advocacy Day in Austin. On March 20 the Champion for Children Conference will be held at the Abilene Convention Center. On March 28 the West Central Texas Branch of the NASW will have their annual awards ceremony, where they will announce the Social Work Student of the Year, among other awards.

Other upcoming events include the club and honor society meeting and elections on April 17 and the Social Work Banquet on April 24.