What makes social work worthwhile to you?
As social work month comes to an end, we’re sharing the voices of current BUSSW students and recent grads who are preparing to lead in clinical practice, policy, research, and community work.
Their answers reflect a profession grounded in justice, equity, and action.
Hear more from our MSW students, link in bio! (https://www.bu.edu/ssw/students/current-msw-student-resources/student-spotlight-series/)
#FutureSocialWorkers #SocialWorkMonth
"A truly historic moment for our school and our profession." - Dean Barbara Jones
Yesterday was something special. Boston University honored Dean Emeritus Hubert “Hubie” Jones (SSW'57) with an honorary doctorate at its All-University Commencement. The hood was placed on his shoulders by Cassandra Clay (SSW'79), Dean’s Advisory Member and BU Trustee — an SSW alumna honoring an SSW legend.
Dean Emeritus Jones has spent decades pouring into this city — building programs, shaping policy, and mentoring generations of social workers. Seeing that legacy recognized on BU's biggest stage, by someone who carries that same BUSSW DNA, made it that much more meaningful.
Congratulations, Dean Emeritus Jones. Saying this is well-deserved doesn't even come close.
@BostonU #BU2026
POV - you just earned your MSW degree!
Thursday, May 14th, Boston University School of Social Work celebrated the Class of 2026.
From student speakers to MSW and doctoral hooding, from student awards to the recessional, every moment reflected what BUSSW graduates carry into the world: determination, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to change.
To the Class of 2026 — wherever your work takes you, you carry this community with you. We couldn’t be more proud. Go change the world! 🌎
Stay tuned for more photos!
He earned his degree here in 1957. He returned to lead the school — and never really left.
Boston University will honor BUSSW Dean Emeritus Hubert “Hubie” Jones (SSW'57), BUSSW's dean from 1977 to 1993, with an honorary degree at Sunday's All-University Commencement. A tireless advocate, civic leader, and champion of inclusive education, Jones helped shape nonprofit service organizations across Boston for decades.
BUSSW named its annual Hubie Jones Lecture in Urban Health in his honor — a fitting tribute to a man whose work has always been rooted in the health and dignity of communities.
Congratulations, Dean Emeritus Jones. We are so proud to call you one of our own.
The conversation about oligarchy in America is growing louder. But according to BUSSW Professor Phillipe Copeland, it's missing something fundamental.
"In America, oligarchy is racial."
In an opinion piece for The Political Prism, Copeland makes the case that economic power and racial power cannot be examined separately — and that any serious effort to challenge concentrated wealth has to reckon with that history.
Read the full piece at the link in bio. (http://spr.ly/6175BBcFHh)
When violence happens within a marginalized community, the harm doesn't just hurt. It silences.
BUSSW Professor Jennifer M. Gómez has spent years researching cultural betrayal trauma and developing a theory to name that experience. Now, her newly published research article gives the field its first validated tool to study it.
The CBMI-BAYA is a suite of questionnaires grounded in cultural betrayal trauma theory that researchers, clinicians, and practitioners can use to better understand how within-group violence shapes the lives of Black American young adults.
Click the link in bio to read more. (http://spr.ly/6178BBc0kk)
A school is only as strong as the community behind it.
Last week, faculty and staff gathered at Professor Hahm’s home for an evening of good conversation and even better company. This is what makes BUSSW more than a school — it's the people.
One week from TODAY, the BUSSW Class of 2026 walks across that stage, and we are absolutely here for it. 🎉🎓
Commencement is Thursday, May 14 at 4:00 PM at BU’s Walter Brown Arena. This year's featured speaker is Danielle Ferrier (SSW '99), CEO of Heading Home and a proud BUSSW alum. Over more than 25 years in public and nonprofit service, she has grown Heading Home from serving 1,400 clients to more than 8,000 and has fought tirelessly for children, families, and communities facing homelessness. If you want a glimpse of what a BUSSW degree looks like in action, look no further.
Graduates from all MSW programs and doctoral candidates will be celebrated. Click the link in bio to get all the details you need before the big day. (http://spr.ly/6172BBcVPo)
Yaminette Diaz-Linhart (SSW ’10, SPH ’11), knows how social work can transform both the people we serve and ourselves.
As a BUSSW MSW/MPH student and new parent, she found learning alongside her peers to be a powerful experience. During her first-year field placement, she helped a family secure stable housing, a reminder of the real impact social work students can have in their communities even before they graduate.
Yaminette, who received the 2018 BUSSW Alumni Association’s Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Social Work, encourages future social workers to bring their full selves to their work and let their experiences shape their practice.
💬 “If we allow ourselves to be transformed by social work, we can create truly transformative and healing change for our communities.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and social work has always been at the forefront of this conversation.
Our students, faculty, and staff work every day to connect people to care, dismantle barriers to access, and build systems that support wellbeing for everyone. That work is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: more good days are possible, and we do better when we pursue them together.
This month, we pause to acknowledge that work and to check in on ourselves and each other.
How are you doing? 💚
#MentalHealthMonth #MentalHealthAwareness #MoreGoodDays
Older women experiencing homelessness are one of the fastest-growing groups within the homeless population globally, yet they remain largely absent from research and policy conversations.
A new study by BUSSW Professor Judith Gonyea examines what daily life actually looks like for women in their 50s navigating streets and emergency shelters, and what needs to change.
Read the full story, link in bio (http://spr.ly/6173BBwizx)
