School for Social Work to Award 119 Degrees at Aug. 14 Commencement

Alix Olson, an internationally renowned spoken word artist and activist, is the speaker for the Smith College School for Social Work’s 89th Commencement to be held Friday, August 14, at 4 p.m. in John M. Greene Hall.

Olson, a published poet who has performed in venues across the globe—as well as for events such as the March for Women’s Lives—is also an award-winning teacher and researcher. Olson is currently completing a doctorate in political theory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The SSW will award 119 degrees at this year’s Commencement ceremony, including 110 master’s degrees and nine doctorates.

Following school tradition, graduation celebrations will begin with a Baccalaureate created by members of the graduating class from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, August 9, in Helen Hills Hills Chapel. Celebrations also include skits performed by members of the graduating class on Thursday, August 13, from 7 to 10 p.m. in John M. Greene Hall.

Two exceptional educators will receive Day-Garrett Medals at Commencement from Smith President Kathleen McCartney and School for Social Work Dean Marianne Yoshioka. This year marks the first time the awards ceremony has been held during the school’s Commencement.

The 2015 recipients of the annual award—established in 1978 to honor outstanding contributions to the school and the field of social work—are former SSW Dean Katherine Gabel and alumna Marian Harris ’97.

Gabel, who received a Smith College Medal in 1976, served as dean of the School for Social Work from 1976 to 1985. Her experience also includes stints as west regional director for Casey Family Programs and west regional director of Lambda Legal, the nation’s oldest legal organization working for the rights of the LGBTQ community.

Gabel, a 1959 graduate of Smith College, went on to earn a master’s degree from Simmons School of Social Work, a Ph.D. in criminology from Syracuse University and a law degree from Albany Law School.

Harris, who earned a Ph.D. from the SSW in 1997, is associate professor of social work at the University of Washington Tacoma. Her research focuses on child welfare issues, and she was a key participant in the U.S. Children’s Bureau research roundtable on that topic.

Harris is the author of Racial Disproportionality in Child Welfare, a book that identifies the practice and policy changes needed to address unequal treatment of children of color in the nation’s child welfare system.

The Day-Garrett Award is named in honor of two leading social work educators, the late Florence Day and the late Annette Garrett. Garrett—who earned a master’s degree from the SSW in 1928—was appointed associate director of the school in 1935 under then director Everett Kimball. When Kimball retired in 1943, he was succeeded by Florence Day.

Other speakers at the SSW commencement include Alex Samets, the M.S.W. class speaker, and Laura Berenson, the Ph.D. class speaker. The school will also confer thesis awards and a dissertation award. Carol J. Trust, the executive director of the National Association of Social Workers-Massachusetts, will join SSW Associate Dean Peggy O’Neill in announcing the recipient of the 2015 NASW Student of the Year.

Graduation ceremonies will be followed by a reception in the Campus Center. All events are open to the public and members of the Smith community at no charge.