September - October 2021 Newsletter
Dr. Grinnell-Davis awarded major grant from RWJ Foundation
Congratulations to OU-Tulsa faculty member Claudette Grinnell-Davis, PhD, MS, MSW for receiving a $442,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Policies for Action program to study the implementation and impact of the 2015 Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) statute. This research grant is the first step in understanding how best to support Indigenous communities in Nebraska in restoring balance within their communities and generating collaborative strategies to heal the historical trauma that has disrupted tribal communities there for over 150 years. Click here for link to full story
Dr. Hanita Kosher
We welcomed Dr. Hanita Kosher as the new Director of Haruv USA at OU-Tulsa, a training institute for professionals in the field of child abuse and neglect. Dr. Kosher is a faculty member at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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University of Oklahoma's College of Arts and Sciences
has been renamed in Honor of Transformational
Dodge Family Gift.

Women's Resource Gala
OUSWK students and faculty attended the Women’s Resource Center Gala in Norman. The annual event entitled, “An Evening of Hope” featured keynote speaker Elizabeth Smart. Funding for the tickets generously donated by the family of Sally Carter, OUSWK alumna and adjunct faculty. Carter was highly respected for her work in public health and received many honors & awards in her lifetime.
Dr. Hellman & Hope Rising
More than 300 attendees were at the state’s first Hope Summit, part of the Hope Rising Oklahoma initiative,
co-founded by first lady Sarah Stitt and Dr. Chan Hellman, OU-Tulsa professor and founding director of the Hope Research Center.
More transfer options from TCC to OU-Tulsa BASW
Tulsa Community College and OU finalized another transfer map to make TCC graduates' path towards OU-Tulsa to complete their BASW more streamlined. The AA in Liberal Arts & Sociology to BASW agreements are active & the AA in Psychology to BASW approval is in process. For more information email susan.looper@ou.edu
The Oklahoma Social Work community mourns the loss of Pioneer and Advocate, Ina June Javellas.
With great sadness, the social work community of Oklahoma mourns the passing of Ina June Javellas, a powerful advocate for the profession and the people of Oklahoma. The scope of her contributions and influence is a remarkable story spanning seven decades in the life of a young woman from Pawhuska, Oklahoma determined to make a difference in her home state. Her quiet, diminutive presence was joined with a sharp intellect, a passion for service, a tireless work ethic, and a fire within that compelled her to remain active to the last days of her life.