NYU president Linda Mills was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, a society of scholars in social work and social sciences, alongside seven others at a Jan. 13 ceremony in Washington, D.C. Michael Lindsey, the dean of NYU’s Silver School of Social Work, was additionally named president of the academy at the annual conference.
Mills and Lindsey were selected for their positions in November, but were just recently officially inducted into the academy. At the ceremony, Mills highlighted the importance of social work as a profession, including its ability to “generate leadership,” according to a Jan. 30 press release. To become a fellow, individuals must be nominated by colleagues and demonstrate commitment to working in a field related to social work or social welfare.
“We must never forget the power of what we do and our ideal position to lead critical conversations about the many challenges that our world faces,” Lindsey said at the induction ceremony.
Mills was awarded her fellowship for being the founder and executive director of the NYU Center on Violence and Recovery, a program that aims to help victims find solutions for instances of violence and trauma. She had also served as the Lisa Ellen Goldberg Professor of Social Work, Public Policy, and Law at the university, in addition to publishing research on domestic violence and restorative justice-based programs funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Justice.
Lindsey’s research in social work focuses on suicide prevention and mental health in young Black communities. He is the successor to Mary Mckay, who was inducted into the AASWSW in 2012 and is now the vice provost of interdisciplinary initiatives at Washington University in St. Louis. More recently, Lindsey made the commitment to reduce the number of required practicum hours from the current 1,200 to 900 hours for master’s students at Silver.
At the conference, Lindsey emphasized a need for social workers following the pandemic, especially those who focus on mental health and substance abuse. Mills commended Lindsey for his work in the social work field before introducing him at the induction ceremony.
“There is no one better right now to elevate social work and our values,” Mills said at the conference.
Contact Dharma Niles at [email protected].
